Geiyo Islands

Geiyo Islands
Native name: 芸予諸島
	View of Geiyo Islands and Shimanami Kaidō from Imabari, Ehime
	Geiyo Islands Location in Japan Geiyo Islands Geiyo Islands (Hiroshima Prefecture)
Geography
Location	Seto Inland Sea
Coordinates	34°17′02″N 133°05′03″E / 34.283967°N 133.084169°E
Major islands	43
Length	98 km (60.9 mi)
Width	38 km (23.6 mi)
Administration
	Japan
Prefecture	Hiroshima and Ehime
Demographics
Ethnic groups	Japanese

The Geiyo Islands (芸予諸島, Geiyo Shotō) are a group of islands in the Seto Inland Sea, under the administration of Hiroshima Prefecture and Ehime Prefecture. Some of the largest islands in the archipelago are connected by the Nishiseto Expressway bridge system connecting Honshu and Shikoku, as well as the Akinada Tobishima Kaido from Kure, Hiroshima.

The Geiyo Archipelago is roughly defined as lying in the western part of Seto Inland Sea, from Hiuchi-nada [ja] to Aki-nada [ja]. A narrower definition of the archipelago only includes the islands between the former provinces of Iyo and Bizen. The islands in Hiroshima Bay, most notably Etajima and Kurahashi-jima, are therefore excluded from the latter definition.

Economy and industry

Due to the calm yet deep waters of the Seto Inland Sea, the Geiyo Islands are one of the main hubs of shipbuilding,^[1] fishing, and aquaculture in Japan.