Wakasa Bay

A large bay on the Sea of ​​Japan side, with its mouth on a line connecting Cape Echizen in Fukui Prefecture and Cape Kyoga, the northern tip of the Tango Peninsula in Kyoto Prefecture. The bay is a depression caused by the bending of the long axis of Honshu Island, and shows a typical ria coastline. In the bay, peninsulas such as Kunda, Oura, Uchiura, Oshima, Uchitomi, Tsunegami, and Tsuruga protrude, and between them are the inner bays of Miyazu, Kurita, Maizuru, Uchiura, Takahama, Obama, and Tsuruga. The bay coast is lacking in flat land, and the good ports of Miyazu, Maizuru, Obama, and Tsuruga flourished in the past as transit trade between the continent and various regions on the Sea of ​​Japan side and Kinai, but the development of the harbor itself is still a step away. Around the mouth of the bay, which is 200 meters deep, there are many flatfish and cod. In addition, the Tsushima Warm Current, which flows straight outside the bay, creates a clockwise gyre within the bay, which allows fish such as sardines, horse mackerel and mackerel to migrate, and the tip of the cape is home to good fishing grounds for fixed-net fishing of yellowtail at Ine, Naryu, Tai and Tsunegami. Nuclear power plants are located at the tips of the Tsuruga, Oshima and Uchiura peninsulas. Due to its varied scenery, the bay coast, with the exception of small areas, has been designated as Tango-Amanohashidate-Oeyama Quasi-National Park, Wakasa Bay Quasi-National Park and Echizen Kaga Kaigan Quasi-National Park.

[Masahiko Shimada]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

福井県の越前(えちぜん)岬と京都府丹後(たんご)半島北端の経(きょう)ヶ岬を結ぶ線を湾口とする日本海側の大湾。本州島の長軸の折れ曲がりと関係する陥没性の湾入で、典型的なリアス式海岸を示し、湾内には栗田(くんだ)、大浦、内浦、大島、内外海(うちとみ)、常神(つねがみ)、敦賀(つるが)などの半島が突出し、その間に宮津、栗田、舞鶴(まいづる)、内浦、高浜、小浜(おばま)、敦賀などの内湾を抱く。湾岸は平地に乏しく、宮津、舞鶴、小浜、敦賀の良港も古くは大陸や日本海側諸地方と畿内(きない)との中継貿易で栄えたが、現在港湾自体の発展はいま一歩である。水深200メートルの湾口付近はカレイ、タラなどが多い。また、湾外を直進する対馬(つしま)暖流の影響で湾内に生ずる時計回りの環流に乗って、イワシ、アジ、サバなどが回遊し、岬の突端には伊根、成生(なりゅう)、田井、常神などブリ定置網の好漁場がある。敦賀、大島、内浦の各半島の先端部には原子力発電所が立地する。変化に富む風光から、湾岸は一部を除いて丹後天橋立大江山(たんごあまのはしだておおえやま)国定公園、若狭湾国定公園、越前加賀海岸国定公園に指定されている。

［島田正彦］

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