covers most of the Shiretoko Peninsula

Shiretoko Peninsula

is located on the easternmost portion of the Japanese island of Hokkaidō, protruding into the Sea of Okhotsk. It is separated from the Kunashir Island of Russia by the Nemuro Strait. The name Shiretoko is derived from the Ainu language word sir etok, meaning the end of the Earth or the place where...

 at the northeastern tip of the island of Hokkaidō

Hokkaido

, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...

, 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 word "Shiretoko" is derived form an Ainu

Ainu language

Ainu is one of the Ainu languages, spoken by members of the Ainu ethnic group on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaidō....

 word "sir etok", meaning "end of the Earth".

One of the most remote regions in all of Japan, much of the peninsula is only accessible on foot or by boat. The park is best known as the home of Japan's largest brown bear

Brown Bear

The brown bear is a large bear distributed across much of northern Eurasia and North America. It can weigh from and its largest subspecies, the Kodiak Bear, rivals the polar bear as the largest member of the bear family and as the largest land-based predator.There are several recognized...

 population and for offering views of the disputed Kunashiri Island, claimed by 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 park has a hot springs waterfall

Waterfall

A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...

 called . Kamui

Kamui

Kamuy are divine spirits in the mythology of the Japanese Ainu culture.Kamui may also refer to:-People and groups:* Kamui Fujiwara , Japanese game designer & cartoonist...

 wakka means "water of the gods" in Ainu.

The forest

Forest

A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...

s of the park are temperate

Temperate

In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...

 and subalpine

Subalpine

The subalpine zone is the biotic zone immediately below tree line around the world. Species that occur in this zone depend on the location of the zone on the Earth, for example, Snow Gum in Australia, or Subalpine Larch, Mountain Hemlock and Subalpine Fir in western North America.Trees in the...

 mixed forests; the main tree

Tree

A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...

 species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 include Sakhalin fir (Abies sachalinensis

Abies sachalinensis

Abies sachalinensis is a species of conifer in the family Pinaceae. It is found in Sakhalin island and southern Kurils , and also in northern Hokkaido ....

), Erman's birch (Betula ermanii

Betula ermanii

Betula ermanii, or Erman's Birch, is a tree species belonging to the family Betulaceae. It is an extremely variable species and can be found in Japan, Kuriles, Sakhalin, Kamchatka, and Korea. It can grow to be 20 m tall...

) and Mongolian oak (Quercus mongolica

Quercus mongolica

Quercus mongolica, commonly known as Mongolian Oak, is a species of oak native to Japan, southern Kuriles, Sakhalin, Manchuria, Korea, eastern Mongolia, and eastern Siberia. The species can grow to be 30 m tall....

). Beyond the forest limit there are impenetrable Siberian Dwarf Pine (Pinus pumila) thickets.

In 2005, UNESCO designated the area a World Heritage Site

World Heritage Site

A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...

, advising to develop the property jointly with Kuril Islands

Kuril Islands

The Kuril Islands , in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast region, form a volcanic archipelago that stretches approximately northeast from Hokkaidō, Japan, to Kamchatka, Russia, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. There are 56 islands and many more minor rocks. It consists of Greater...

 of Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

 as a transboundary "World Heritage Peace Park".

See also

• List of national parks of Japan
• List of World Heritage Sites in Japan
• Tourism in Japan
  Tourism in Japan
  Tourism in Japan attracted 8.3 million foreign visitors in 2008, slightly more than Singapore and Ireland. Japan has 16 World Heritage Sites, including Himeji Castle and Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto . Kyoto receives over 30 million tourists annually...
  
  

External links

• http://www.biodic.go.jp/english/jpark/np/siretoko_e.html