Kamishima Island, Amakusa

Kamishima Island

Native name: 上島 Kamishima
Kamishima Island Location in Japan
Geography
Location	Ariake Sea, Yatsushiro Sea
Coordinates	32°26′0″N 130°20′0″E / 32.43333°N 130.33333°E / 32.43333; 130.33333Coordinates: 32°26′0″N 130°20′0″E / 32.43333°N 130.33333°E / 32.43333; 130.33333
Archipelago	Amakusa
Area	225.32 km2 (87.00 sq mi)
Length	25 km (15.5 mi)
Width	15 km (9.3 mi)
Highest elevation	682 m (2,238 ft)
Highest point	mount Kuratake
Administration
Japan
Prefecture	Kumamoto Prefecture
Demographics
Population	34412 (2000)
Pop. density	153 /km2 (396 /sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Japanese

Kamishima (上島, Kamishima) (also erroneously named Ueshima Island) is the second largest island in the Amakusa archipelago. Its coasts are washed by Yatsushiro Sea and Shimabara Bay () of Ariake Sea, both being the part of East China Sea. The western part of Kamishima Island is administered as part of Amakusa city, while eastern part is administered as part of Kami-Amakusa city. The island's highest peak is Mount Kuratake 682 m (2,238 ft).

The Five Bridges of Amakusa connects the Kamishima Island to the Kyushu mainland since 1966. Additionally, the Amakusa-seto Oohashi () connects Kamishima to Shimoshima island - the largest island in Amakusa archipelago. The national roads serving the island are the Route 266 and Route 324

Kamishima Island is located in the humid subtropical climate zone (Köppen Cfa), with four distinct seasons. The island never sees snowfall during the winter. Spring in Kamishima Island starts off mild, but ends up being hot and humid. The summer tends to be Kamishima's wettest season, with the tsuyu (梅雨, tsuyu, "plum rain") — the rainy season — occurring between early June (average:Jun.7) to late July (average:Jul.21). The island's weather is affected by the nearby Liman current () while being shielded from the warm Kuroshio Current by the Kyushu island, resulting in wetter and colder climate than should be expected at lower 30`s latitudes.