Location Shimane Prefecture is situated in the south-west of Honshu, Japan's largest island, bordering with Tottori Prefecture to the east, Yamaguchi Prefecture to the west and Hiroshima Prefecture to the south, and facing onto the Japan Sea to the north. Between 40 and 80 kilometers north of the Shimane coastline are the Oki Islands and further afield are the Korean Peninsular and the Russian Primorsky Territory. Due to its geographical proximity with China and the Korean Peninsular, Shimane once played an important role as a conduit with those countries in the formation of the ancient Japanese state.

Monthly Temperatures/Rainfall(1971-2000 average)

Climate In the south of Shimane Prefecture is the central Japan mountain range, with level country scarce in the thin belt stretching from the north-east to the south-west.Particularly in the western end of the Prefecture the mountains rise from very near the coast. Rainfall in the eastern end of the Prefecture during the winter months is relatively heavy whilst that in the western end is relatively light.

Population According to [Shimane Population Movements and Estimated Population], the population of Shimane in 2005 was 742,135.	Population by Age

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