Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southern tip of Kyushu, one of Japanfs main 4 islands in the extreme southwest, and has a total area of 9,187 km2. It comprises two major peninsulas; Satsuma and Osumi, as well as many small islands, of which 145 exceed 100m in width and only 28 are inhabited. It is close to China, Korea and the South-East Asian nations. Its vast territory extends 590km from north to south, 27o01"N to 32 o18"N latitude, and 272km from east to west, 1 28 o 24"E to 131 o 12"E longitude. Numerous small mountain ranges and streams with small flatlands typify Kagoshimafs topography. Kagoshimafs most prominent characteristic is its 2,643km long picturesque coastline.
Sedimentary volcanic soil has settled over the entire prefecture, thus half of the land area of the prefecture is comprises wide plateaus of shirasu, a type of light-grey volcanic ash.
Yakushima Island, located 130km to the south of Kagoshima City, has a coastline of approximately 132km and an area of 504 km2 . This island boasts Kyushufs two tallest peaks: the 1,936m high Mt. Miyanoura and the 1,886m high Mt. Nagata, earning Yakushima the title "the floating Alps." In 1993, Yakushima became Japanfs first World Natural Heritage Site.
With the exception of the Sendai River, Kagoshimafs waterways are small and aside from the relatively wide plains at the mouths of a couple of rivers, spreading flatland is very limited in Kagoshima. Most of the lakes in Kagoshima are volcanic crater lakes. Lake Ikeda, which is 15km in circumference, 233m deep, and covers 11km2, is the largest lake in Kyushu.
