Kumamoto Prefecture

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Kumamoto Prefecture (熊本県 Kumamoto-ken)
Map of Japan with Kumamoto highlighted
Capital Kumamoto
Region Kyūshū
Island Kyūshū
Governor Ikuo Kabashima
Area (rank) 7,404.14 km² (16th)
 - % water 0.2%
Population  (October 1, 2005)
 - Population 1,842,140 (23rd)
 - Density 249 /km²
Districts 10
Municipalities 48
ISO 3166-2 JP-43
Website www.pref.kumamoto.jp/
english/list.html
Prefectural Symbols
 - Flower Gentian (Gentiana scabra var. buergeri)
 - Tree Camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora)
 - Bird Eurasian Skylark (Alauda arvensis)
Symbol of Kumamoto Prefecture
Symbol of Kumamoto Prefecture

Kumamoto Prefecture (熊本県 Kumamoto-ken?) is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The capital is the city of Kumamoto.

Contents

[edit] History

Historically the area was called Higo province and was renamed to Kumamoto prefecture during the Meiji Restoration as part of the abolition of the feudal system. The current Japanese orthography for Kumamoto literally means "bear root/origin", or, in less stilted English, "origin of the bear".

[edit] Geography

Map of Kumamoto Prefecture showing municipal boundries.
Map of Kumamoto Prefecture showing municipal boundries.

Kumamoto Prefecture is located in the center of Kyūshū, the southernmost of the four major Japanese islands. It is bordered by the Ariake inland sea and the Amakusa archipelago to the west, Fukuoka Prefecture and Ōita Prefecture to the north, Miyazaki Prefecture to the east, and Kagoshima Prefecture to the south.

Mt. Aso (1592 m), an extensive active volcano, is in the east of Kumamoto Prefecture. This volcano is located at the center of the Aso caldera, the most famous caldera in Japan.

[edit] Cities

Fourteen cities are located in Kumamoto Prefecture:

[edit] Towns and villages

Towns and villages in each district:

Reihoku
Ashikita
Tsunagi
Minamiaso
Minamioguni
Nishihara
Oguni
Takamori
Ubuyama
Kashima
Kōsa
Mashiki
Mifune
Yamato
Ueki
Kikuyō
Ōzu
Asagiri
Itsuki
Kuma
Mizukami
Nishiki
Sagara
Taragi
Yamae
Yunomae
Jōnan
Misato
Tomiai
Gyokutō
Nagasu
Nagomi
Nankan
Hikawa

[edit] Mergers

[edit] Economy

Kumamoto hosts a large Honda automobile plant. In 2007, a Honda factory on the site began to produce non-silicon solar cells for homes and businesses, with a projected capacity roughly equivalent to 8,000 households/year.[1]

[edit] Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Kumamoto.

Football (soccer)

[edit] Demographics

[edit] Tourism

[edit] Prefectural symbols

[edit] Miscellaneous topics

  • Kumamoto Prefecture is the 'sister state/prefecture' of Montana in the U.S.A.[2]
  • Kumamoto is also the birth place of Hollywood actor Tetsu Komai.
  • Kumamoto is the birth place of japanese-brazilian painter Manabu Mabe.

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:



Shadow picture of Kumamoto Prefecture Kumamoto Prefecture
Flag of Kumamoto Prefecture
Cities
Amakusa | Arao | Aso | Hitoyoshi | Kami-Amakusa | Kikuchi | Kōshi | Kumamoto (capital) | Minamata | Tamana | Uki | Uto | Yamaga | Yatsushiro
Districts
Amakusa | Ashikita | Aso | Kamimashiki | Kamoto | Kikuchi | Kuma | Shimomashiki | Tamana | Yatsushiro
  See also: Towns and villages by district edit

Coordinates: 32°43′N, 130°40′E