Shiretoko National Park

Lua error in Module:Unicode_data at line 293: attempt to index local 'data_module' (a boolean value). is a World Heritage Site in Hokkaidō, Japan.[1] The park covers the Shiretoko Peninsula which faces the Sea of Okhotsk.[2]

Shiretoko National Park
知床国立公園
IUCN Category II (National Park)
Shiretoko National Park.jpg
View from the sea
LocationHokkaidō, Japan
Area386.33 km2 (149.16 sq mi)
Official nameShiretoko
TypeNatural
Criteriaix, x
Designated2005 (29th session)
Reference no.1193
State PartyJapan
RegionAsia-Pacific

The word "Shiretoko" is comes from an Ainu word "sir etok". It means "end of the Earth".[2]

History

Shiretoko National Park was established in 1964.[3]

In 2005, UNESCO named the area a World Heritage Site.[1] UNESCO also suggested that Japan should work with Russia to make an international "World Heritage Peace Park" including the Kuril Islands. Both Japan and Russia claim these islands as part of their countries.

Geography

Shiretoko is hard to get to. Visitors must go to most places on foot or by boat. There is a hot springs waterfall called Lua error in Module:Unicode_data at line 293: attempt to index local 'data_module' (a boolean value).. Kamui wakka means "water of the gods" in Ainu.

Plants

The park forests are temperate and subalpine. There are several different types of trees. The most common trees here are Sakhalin fir, Erman's birch, and Mongolian oak.

Animals

The park has Japan's largest mammal species of Ezo brown bears.[3]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 UNESCO, "Shiretoko"; retrieved 2012-12-13.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Haggett, Peter. (2001). Encyclopedia of World Geography, p. 3076.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Japan Integrated Biodiversity Information System (JIBIS), Shiretoko National Park 38,633 ha.:(June 1, 1964) Archived July 16, 2012, at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-12-13.

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