Hakusan National Park
Encyclopedia
is a national park
in the Chūbu region
, Honshū
, Japan
. The total area of the park is 477 square kilometre and its main geographical feature is Mount Haku
.
The park was originally designated "Hakusan Quasi-National Park" (白山国定公園 Hakusan Kokutei Kōen) on July 1, 1955. It received full national park status on November 12, 1962.
Hakusan is home to the golden eagle
, the mountain hawk-eagle and several larger mammal species typical for the japanese Islands, like Japanese macaque
, Asiatic black bear
, Japanese serow
and Sika deer
.
Ishikawa Prefecture
Fukui Prefecture
Gifu Prefecture
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
in the Chūbu region
Chubu region
The is the central region of Honshū, Japan's main island. Chūbu has a population estimate of 21,886,324 as of 2008.Chūbu, which means "central region", encompasses nine prefectures : Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nagano, Niigata, Shizuoka, Toyama, Yamanashi, and often Mie.It is located directly...
, Honshū
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
, 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...
. The total area of the park is 477 square kilometre and its main geographical feature is Mount Haku
Mount Haku
, or Mount Hakusan, is a potentially active volcano. The stratovolcano is located on the borders of Gifu, Fukui and Ishikawa prefectures in Japan. It is thought to have first been active 300,000 to 400,000 years ago, with the most recent eruption occurring in 1659...
.
The park was originally designated "Hakusan Quasi-National Park" (白山国定公園 Hakusan Kokutei Kōen) on July 1, 1955. It received full national park status on November 12, 1962.
Flora and fauna
The vegetation of the park ranges from warm temperate to alpine zones. The base of the mountains are covered by coniferous forests, dominated by firs (Abies mariesii), pines (Pinus aristata) and Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) Deciduous forests and woodlands, dominated by Mongolian oak and Japanese beech (Fagus crenata) are also present. At higher elevations there are also open landscapes.Hakusan is home to the golden eagle
Golden Eagle
The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
, the mountain hawk-eagle and several larger mammal species typical for the japanese Islands, like Japanese macaque
Japanese Macaque
The Japanese macaque , historically known as saru , but now known as Nihonzaru to distinguish it from other primates, is a terrestrial Old World monkey species native to Japan....
, Asiatic black bear
Asiatic Black Bear
The Asian black bear , also known as the moon bear or white-chested bear is a medium-sized species of bear, largely adapted for arboreal life, which occurs through much of southern Asia, Korea, northeastern China, the Russian far east and Honshū and Shikoku islands of Japan...
, Japanese serow
Japanese Serow
The Japanese serow , known in Japanese as the , is a goat-antelope found in dense woodland on Honshū, Japan....
and Sika deer
Sika Deer
The Sika Deer, Cervus nippon, also known as the Spotted Deer or the Japanese Deer, is a species of deer native to much of East Asia and introduced to various other parts of the world...
.
Neighboring municipalities
Toyama PrefectureToyama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Hokuriku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Toyama.Toyama is the leading industrial prefecture on the Japan Sea coast, and has the industrial advantage of cheap electricity due to abundant water resources....
- NantoNanto, Toyamais a city located in Toyama Prefecture, Japan.-History:As of 2000, 8 municipalities that merged into the city had an estimated total population of 60,182 with an average population density of 89.98 persons per km². The total area is 668.86 km²...
Ishikawa Prefecture
Ishikawa Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island. The capital is Kanazawa.- History :Ishikawa was formed from the merger of Kaga Province and the smaller Noto Province.- Geography :Ishikawa is on the Sea of Japan coast...
- HakusanHakusan, Ishikawais a city located in Ishikawa, Japan.The city was founded on February 1, 2005 from the merger of the city of Mattō with seven towns and villages from Ishikawa District. As of April 1, 2008 population data, the city has an estimated population of 110,654 and a density of 147 persons per km²...
Fukui Prefecture
Fukui Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Fukui.- Prehistory :The Kitadani Dinosaur Quarry, on the Sugiyama River within the city limits of Katsuyama, has yielded the Fukuiraptor kitadaniensis and Fukuisaurus tetoriensis as well as an unnamed...
- ŌnoOno, Fukuiis a city located in Fukui Prefecture, Japan.As of June 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 36,890 with 12,016 households and the density of 42.29 persons per km²...
- KatsuyamaKatsuyama, Fukuiis a city located in Fukui, Japan.As of October 1, 2005, the city has an estimated population of 26,961 and the density of 106.28 persons per km²...
Gifu Prefecture
Gifu Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the Chūbu region of central Japan. Its capital is the city of Gifu.Located in the center of Japan, it has long played an important part as the crossroads of Japan, connecting the east to the west through such routes as the Nakasendō...
- GujōGujo, Gifuis a city in Gifu Prefecture, Japan.As of July 2011, the city has an estimated population of 43,960. The total area is 1,030.79 km².-History:...
- TakayamaTakayama, Gifuis a city located in Gifu, Japan. As of July, 2011 the city has an estimated population of 92,369. The total area is .Takayama was settled as far back as the Jōmon period. Takayama is best known for its inhabitants' expertise in carpentry. It is believed carpenters from Takayama worked on the...
- ShirakawaShirakawa, Gifuis a town located in Kamo District, Gifu, Japan.As of July 2011, the town has an estimated population of 9,342 and the total area is 237.89 km²....
(Ōno DistrictOno District, Gifuis a district of Japan in Gifu Prefecture.The district is in a mountainous region near the geographic centre of Japan. Prior to 1 February 2005, the district comprised seven small communities, but on that day six of them merged into the expanded city of Takayama...
)
External links
- UNESCO MAB Biosphere Reserves Directory Biosphere Reserve Information, Japan, MOUNT HAKUSAN
- Hakusan National Park (Ministry of the Environment)