Echigo

a plain in Japan, in northwestern Honshu. Echigo Plain, which extends for 150 km along the coast of the Sea of Japan, is about 35 km wide. Composed chiefly of the alluvium of the Shinano River and marine deposits, it receives 1,500–2,000 mm of precipitation a year and has a deep snowcover in the winter. Petroleum and combustible gas are extracted near Niigata. Rice, vegetables, and melons are cultivated on the plain, which experienced a disastrous earthquake in 1964. The principal cities on the plain are Niigata and Nagaoka.

a mountain range in Japan, in northwestern Honshu. The range, which is bounded on the southeast by the Echigo Plain, is about 170 km long and rises to an elevation of 2,176 m at Mount Shirane, a volcano. Composed mainly of granites and volcanic rocks, it is dissected by deep valleys. Broad-leaved forests predominate to 1,000 m, giving way to coniferous forests at higher elevations and shrub thickets and heath on the summits.