Regional Geography - Shimane Prefecture and the Chūgoku Region
What this domain tests
Locating the five Chūgoku prefectures and Shimane's municipalities, then explaining how the Chūgoku Mountains and the Sea of Japan shape climate, farming, fishing and depopulation.
Regional frame
The Chūgoku region is Tottori, Shimane, Okayama, Hiroshima and Yamaguchi. The Chūgoku Mountains run east–west and divide the San'in belt (Japan Sea side, heavy snow, sparse population) from the San'yō belt (Seto Inland Sea side, dense population, the Seto industrial zone with Mizushima and Fukuyama). Shimane is the second-least populous prefecture after Tottori, with roughly 660,000 residents.
Shimane specifics
The capital is Matsue. Lake Shinji and Nakaumi are brackish lagoons; the Shimane Peninsula separates Nakaumi from the open sea, and shijimi clams are a classic exam topic. The Oki Islands - Dōgo, Nishinoshima, Nakanoshima and Chiburijima - form a UNESCO Global Geopark and biosphere reserve under Okinoshima Town. Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine in Ōda City became a World Heritage Site in 2007; Matsue Castle was designated a National Treasure in 2015; Izumo Taisha is linked to Ōkuninushi and marriage ties. Yasugi produces specialty steel descended from tatara ironmaking.
Population issues
Ageing and depopulation, depopulated districts, closed schools and remote island services dominate the modern section. Counter-measures include the regional revitalisation cooperation corps, support for U-turn and I-turn migrants, and hometown tax donations.
Worked example
A table gives Shimane's workforce as roughly 7% primary, 22% secondary and 70% tertiary. Reasoning: primary is above the national figure because of rice, livestock and coastal fishing; secondary is below it because heavy industry concentrated on the San'yō side; tertiary dominates through tourism, medical and welfare services in an ageing society.
Traps
Treating "San'in" and "Shimane" as synonyms; forgetting that Tottori and Okayama are neighbours; and wrongly assigning the Oki Islands to Tottori. Also note Shimane designated 22 February as Takeshima Day in 2005; the ROK calls the same islands Dokdo and contests the claim.