is an island in the Gotō Islands

Goto Islands

The are Japanese islands in the East China Sea, off the western coast of Kyūshū. The islands are a part of Nagasaki Prefecture.- Geography :There are 140 islands in total, including five main islands:,,,, and....

, Japanese islands in the East China Sea

East China Sea

The East China Sea is a marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1,249,000 km² or 750,000 square miles.-Geography:...

, off the western coast of Kyūshū

Kyushu

is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....

. The islands are a part of Nagasaki Prefecture

Nagasaki Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. The capital is the city of Nagasaki.- History :Nagasaki Prefecture was created by merging of the western half of the former province of Hizen with the island provinces of Tsushima and Iki...

 in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

.
Nakadōrijima is often referred to as Kamigotō, but this is a misnomer.

Geography

The island is roughly the same shape as a left hand held with the thumb and index finger extended. Thus, it is relatively long and narrow. From Aokata, a centrally located village, it is about 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) through what would be your index finger to the northernmost tip of the island. This region is mostly Shinuonome Town. From Aokata through what would be the thumb, it is about 12 kilometers .5 miles) to the northeast tip of the island where a small airport is located. This region is made up of Arikawa Town. What would be the palm is made up of Arikawa and Kamigotō Towns. While these distances are relatively short, the island is very mountainous. The roads are quite narrow and very curvy. Thus, about twice the normal time is needed for driving.

History

Kamigoto has been subject to two distinct periods of prosperity. These were the era of active trade with China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 until the 13th century and a more recent whaling

Whaling

Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...

 boom that lasted until about fifty years ago. Both of these periods made this small rural area quite famous throughout Japan. The island has many interesting artifacts from both of these periods.

In August 2004, the five towns which formerly made up Kamigotō merged into a new town, appropriately named Shin Kamigotō Town (Shin means "new"). The former towns are now referred to as areas or districts (chiku).

See also

• Shinkamigotō, Nagasaki
  Shinkamigoto, Nagasaki
  is a town located in Minamimatsuura District, Nagasaki, Japan.The town was established on August 1, 2004 after the merger of the towns of Arikawa, Kamigotō, Narao, Shin'uonome and Wakamatsu, all from Minamimatsuura District...
  
   - Information of the merger of most of Nakadōrijima's towns into one 'city'.
• Gotō Islands
  Goto Islands
  The are Japanese islands in the East China Sea, off the western coast of Kyūshū. The islands are a part of Nagasaki Prefecture.- Geography :There are 140 islands in total, including five main islands:,,,, and....
  
  - Information on the Island chain that Nakadōrijima belongs to.