Tsushima, Nagasaki
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| Tsushima City(Tsushima) | |
| Location Map | Missing image Tsushima,_Nagasaki.png |
| Mayor | Yoshiyuki Matsumura |
| Area
- Total | 708.61 km² |
| Population | 39,983 |
| Symbols | |
| City Flower | Genkai Azalea (玄海つつじ) |
| City Tree | Chionanthus retusus (ヒトツバタゴ) |
| City Bird | Ring-necked Pheasant (コウライキジ) |
| Offcial website:Tsushima City (http://www.city.tsushima.nagasaki.jp/foreign/profile/english.html) | |
Tsushima (対馬市; Tsushima-shi) is a city located in Nagasaki, Japan. It is the only city of Tsushima Subprefecture and occupies the entire area of Tsushima Islands.
As of 2005, the city has an estimated population of 39,983 and the density of 56.42 persons per km². The total area is 708.61 km², 17.3% of the area of whole Nagasaki Prefecture.
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Geography
Tsushima is the long and slender island on the west in the Sea of Japan.
Its rias coastline has many small bays, and the total extent is 915 km. Aso Bay is located in the central part of the island as Tsushima may be divided into north and south. Tsushima lies about 60 km from Iki, 138 km from the city of Fukuoka, and 49.5 km from Busan, South Korea.
Flora and Fauna
Tsushima Wild Cat
A living thing peculiar to an island called a Tsushima Wild Cat is in Tsushima from ancient times.
However, now the number of the Tsushima Wild Cat is decreasing sharply, so that it is now specified as endangered species.
As of 1997, it is presumed that only 70 to 90 animals remain. In recent years, the protection activities of the wildcat are active.
History
The city was established in 2004 by merging six towns: Izuhara, Mitsushima, Toyotama, Mine, Kami-agata, and Kami-tsushima.
Economy
The strategic location of Tsushima is the blessed good fishing, and there are also many fishermen related to a fishing among Tsushima residents. Otherwise, it is famous for pearl culture.
Moreover, since it is the land blessed with the nature of the Tsushima Islands, there is also much sightseeing spot and the tourist industry is also substantial. A beach is crowded with tourists in summer.
Traffic
Tsushima1WP.jpg
Airport
- Tsushima Airport (TSJ)
Sea port
The ferry crossed to Kyushu will operate at least around ten round trips to the Hakata pier for one day. Moreover, the irregular ship crossed to overseas also operates. It is a ship crossed to the Busan port (South Korea) with a Tsushima international line.
- Izuhara port
- Hitakatsu port
Sister Cities
Enviromental problems
Tsushima is close to the Korean Peninsula geographically, so enviromental problems arising from South Korea affects Tsushima city.
Illegal fishing
From the 1990s, South Koreans' illegal fishing boat has threatened Tsushima's sea. They poach the cuttlefish which can be caught within EEZ of Japan, and are afflicting the fishery persons involved in Tsushima.Since many of South Korean hovering vessels are illegally armed, they cannot be sent back by local fishing boat.
Therefore, it is a situation which the patrol vessel of the Tsushima Maritime Safety Department of Japan mobilizes. However, in spite of an oral warning of the patrol vessel in Japan, a South Korean hovering vessel dashes itself against a patrol vessel, or throws things, such as a Molotov cocktail and a kitchen knife, and fights back. And finally it escapes in South Korean economic waters, and the Japanese government and Tsushima's fishermen are racked.
Moreover, the maritime safety official of Japan which got in the South Korean hovering vessel was abducted on June 1, 2005.It is pointed out every year that the South Korean hovering vessel is becoming atrocious.Therefore, the selection to a new hovering vessel is pressed for the Japanese government. Behind, the guard ship of the South Korean maritime police agency caught the illegal ship within South Korean EEZ, and the Japanese maritime safety official was rescued.
Seashore pollution
A lot of garbage, such as a refrigerator, is washed up on the seashore crowded with a sea bather in summer, and it has been a problem threatened with the Tsushima citizen's health, or Tsushima's nature.
Since the Korean alphabet(Hangul) was written to this garbage, it is concluded that it flowed and reached from South Korea. It is concluded that about 80 percent or more of the garbage which drifted ashore flowed and reached from South Korea. Oil, detergent, etc. leaked from this garbage and the damage is given to local marine products. When pulling up a fish with a net, a PET bottle is applied and the fisherman is completely at a loss. Moreover, more than 200,000$ started the processing expense of the garbage adhering to the seashore in about four years after 2001, and the big shadow is cast over it at city finances.
About this problem, a certain Masan member of a city council says. "Since the garbage which drifted ashore is South Korean garbage, it should clean up by Masan visiting to Tsushima periodically."However, the polyethylene tank containing the chemicals believed to be a dangerous object and the harmful substance are also discovered in large quantities. It is a problem which must be immediately coped with for local nature or the Tsushima citizen's safety.
The student of a Busan university of foreign studies will visit from 2003 to Tsushima periodically once per year for cleaning. However, it also has the strong implications of Japan-South Korea exchange. It is desired that both Tsushima city and Masan city cooperate for problem solving and take realistic correspondence.
People from Tsushima
- Tsuyoshi Shinjo - Major leaguer (2000-2003)
- MISIA - Japanese singer
See also
External links
- A Profile of Tsuhima shi (Tsushima City) (http://www.city.tsushima.nagasaki.jp/foreign/profile/english.html)
- Tsushima Airport (http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tsjapo/)(in Japanese)
- Old pictures of Tsushima (http://marugoto.littlestar.jp/old_pictures/html/picts_list-160-1.htm)(in Japanese)
- Tsushima Tourist&Product Society (http://www.tsushima-net.org/)(in Japanese)
- Tsushima Tourist&Product Society (http://www.tsushima-busan.or.kr/)(in Korean)
- Izuhara,the old town (http://www.city.tsushima.nagasaki.jp/town/izuhara/index.htm)(in Japanese)
- Mitsushima,the old town (http://www.city.tsushima.nagasaki.jp/town/mitsushima/index.htm)(in Japanese)