Shikoku ,
Japanese pronunciation: [ɕikokɯ] is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is 225 km or 139.8 mi long and between 50 and 150 km or 31.1 and 93.2 mi at its widest. It has a population of 3.8 million, the least populated out of Japan's four main islands. It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include
Iyo-no-futana-shima (伊予之二名島),
Iyo-shima (伊予島), and
Futana-shima (二名島), and its current name refers to the four former provinces that make up the island: Awa, Tosa, Sanuki, and Iyo.