Goto literally means "five-island archipelago", although there are actually over 140 small islands in the group, situated off the coast of Kyushu (the south-westernmost of the three large Japanese islands) and spanning 51 miles (82 kilometres) from end to end. Mount Aso, the most active volcano in the region, is in Goto. Its closest neighbouring province on the mainland is Nagasaki. The population of Goto are largely Catholic, thanks to their contacts with the Portuguese during the Sengoku Jidai era.