Okushiri Island
| Native name: 奥尻島, Okushiri-tō | |
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Relief Map
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| Geography | |
| Location | East Asia |
| Coordinates | 42°08′57″N 139°28′02″E / 42.14917°N 139.46722°ECoordinates: 42°08′57″N 139°28′02″E / 42.14917°N 139.46722°E |
| Archipelago | Japanese archipelago |
| Area | 142.97 km2 (55.20 sq mi) |
| Length | 27 km (16.8 mi) |
| Width | 11 km (6.8 mi) |
| Coastline | 84 km (52.2 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 584 m (1,916 ft) |
| Highest point | Mount Kamui |
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Japan
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| Prefectures | Hokkaidō |
| Subprefectures | Hiyama Subprefecture |
| District | Okushiri District |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 3343 (2009-03-31) |
| Pop. density | 23.4 /km2 (60.6 /sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | Japanese |
Okushiri Island (奥尻島 Okushiri-tō?) is an island in Hokkaidō, Japan. It has an area of 142.97 square kilometres (55.20 sq mi). The town of Okushiri and the Hiyama Prefectural Natural Park encompass the entire island. It has many sheep pastures and beech forests. There are several schools, including high, junior high, and elementary. Okushiri currently has no colleges or universities.
The name Okushiri comes from the Ainu name I-kus-un-sir (イクㇱウンシㇼ). The phonetic word ikus(un) means other side and sir means island. However, the Japanese meaning of the two kanji used for the name mean "wife's hips" or "wife's buttocks".
Okushiri has been struck by several natural disasters, the 1983 Sea of Japan earthquake on 26 May 1983 which killed two, and the more deadly 1993 Hokkaidō earthquake and tsunami on 12 July 1993. The 1993 earthquake had a magnitude of 7.7 on the moment magnitude scale and a maximum felt intensity of VIII (Severe) on the Mercalli intensity scale. It triggered a major tsunami that caused deaths on Hokkaidō and in southeastern Russia, with a total of 230 fatalities recorded. Okushiri was hardest hit, with 165 casualties from the earthquake, tsunami and a large landslide. The tsunami inundated large parts of Okushiri, despite its tsunami defenses. The island subsided by 5–80 centimetres (2.0–31.5 in). After the tsunami, the amount of residents slowly declined, and continues to do so.
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