Hashima Island

Japanese: 端島 - はしま

An uninhabited island located in the west of the Nagasaki Peninsula in the southern part of Nagasaki Prefecture. Commonly known as Gunkanjima. Part of Nagasaki City. Circumference 1.2 km. Area 0.06 ^km2 . Formerly an island in the undersea coalfield (→Takashima Coal Mine) belonging to the Nagasaki Coalfield (Nishisonogi Coalfield), the island was named Gunkanjima because of the forest of high-rise reinforced concrete apartment buildings for miners and their families, which made the whole island look like a warship floating on the sea. Coal mining began in 1870 (Meiji 3), and Mitsubishi Mining (→Mitsubishi Mining Cement) operated it from around 1890. It produced high-quality raw coal, but the mine reached 1000m below the seabed, making mining conditions worse. In addition, due to the impact of the energy revolution in the 1960s, the mine closed in 1974. At its peak, the population was over 5000, but it became uninhabited soon after the mine closed. After the construction of observation paths and other improvements, it became possible to land on parts of the island for sightseeing in April 2009. The Hashima Coal Mine was designated a national historic site in 2014, and in 2015 was registered as a World Heritage Site as part of the "Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining."

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

長崎県南部，長崎半島の西方に浮かぶ無人島。通称軍艦島。長崎市に属する。周囲 1.2km。面積 0.06km²。かつては長崎炭田（西彼杵炭田）に属する海底炭田（→高島炭鉱）の島で，採炭従事者とその家族用の高層鉄筋アパートが林立し，島全体が海に浮かぶ軍艦に見えたことから軍艦島と呼ばれるようになった。明治3（1870）年から採炭が始まり，1890年頃から三菱鉱業（→三菱鉱業セメント）が経営。良質の原料炭を産出したが，鉱脈が海底 1000mに達して採炭条件が悪化し，また 1960年代のエネルギー革命のあおりを受けて 1974年に閉山。人口も最盛期には 5000以上を数えたが，閉山後まもなく無人島となった。見学通路の設置など整備が行なわれたのち，2009年4月から島内の一部に上陸して観光できるようになった。端島炭坑は 2014年国の史跡に指定され，2015年「明治日本の産業革命遺産：製鉄・製鋼，造船，石炭産業」として世界遺産の文化遺産に登録された。

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