Awaji-shima

Awaji-shima (äwä'jē-shē'mä) [key], island, 32 mi (52 km) long and from 3 to 17 mi (4.8–27 km) wide, Hyogo prefecture, Japan, in the Inland Sea. Sumoto, on Osaka Bay, is the chief city and port. A relatively flat, fertile island, it produces flowers, dairy products, vegetables, and fruit. Its fishing industry, which has declined due to overfishing, is made up primarily of freshwater fish cultivation. It was to Awaji-shima that the Empress Shotoku banished (764) the Emperor Junnin. Awaji-shima was the epicenter of the 1995 Kobe earthquake.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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