“Yakushima Forest”
COUNTRY :Japan
NAME:Yakushima
NATURAL WORLD HERITAGE SERIAL SITE
1993: Inscribed on the World Heritage List under Natural criteria vii and ix.
INTERNATIONAL DESIGNATIONS
1980: Designated a Biosphere Reserve under the UNESCO Man & Biosphere Programme (19,000 ha).
2005: Yakushima Nagata-hama designated a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
Yaku Island, at the northern end of the Ryukyu archipelago, is separated from the southernmost tip of Kyushu mainland by a 120m deep, 60 km wide strait. The area has a complex boundary, which is less than 1km wide in some places. It lies in the centre of the island, with a main arm extending down to the coast to the west and sinuous arms stretching south and east. Located at 30°20’5”N by 130° 31’32”E.
PHYSICAL FEATURES
Yakushima Island is 500 sq.km in area. Its central peak is 1,935m high and is the highest mountain in Kyushu. There are several peaks over 1,800m with mountain ridges and 40 peaks over 1,000m surrounding them. The topography from coastline to summits is extremely steep. The predominant bedrock is granite, but small areas of sandstone and shale occur at the foot of the central mountain (Anon.,1992; Numata, 1986).