Ishikawa Prefecture

Ishikawa Prefecture
石川県
Prefecture
Japanese transcription(s)
  Japanese 石川県
  Rōmaji Ishikawa-ken

Flag
Country Japan
Region Chūbu
Hokuriku
Island Honshū
Capital Kanazawa
Government
  Governor Masanori Tanimoto
Area
  Total 4,185.22 km2 (1,615.92 sq mi)
Area rank 35th
Population (February 1, 2011)
  Total 1,168,929
  Rank 34th
  Density 279.30/km2 (723.4/sq mi)
ISO 3166 code JP-17
Districts 5
Municipalities 19
Flower Black lily (Fritillaria camtschatcensis)
Tree Hiba (Thujopsis dolabrata)
Bird Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
Website

Ishikawa Prefecture (石川県 Ishikawa-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island.[1] The capital is Kanazawa.[2]

History

Ishikawa was formed in 1872 from the merger of Kaga Province and the smaller Noto Province.[3]

Geography

Ishikawa is on the Sea of Japan coast. The northern part of the prefecture consists of the narrow Noto Peninsula, while the southern part is wider and consists mostly of mountains with the prefecture's chief city, Kanazawa, located in the coastal plain. The prefecture also has some islands, including Notojima, Mitsukejima, Hegurajima.

As of April 1, 2012, 13% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Hakusan National Park; Echizen-Kaga Kaigan and Noto Hantō Quasi-National Parks; and five Prefectural Natural Parks.[4]

Cities

Eleven cities are located in Ishikawa Prefecture:

Towns

Map of Ishikawa Prefecture.

These are the towns in each district:

Mergers

Economy

Ishikawa's industry is dominated by the textile industry, particularly artificial fabrics, and the machine industry, particularly construction machinery.

Demographics

Ishikawa Prefecture has an area of 4,185 km² and as of April 1, 2011 it has a population of 1,166,643 persons.

Data Unit Statistics
Area km² 4,185
Population Persons 1,166,643
Population density Persons per km² 278.72
Number of households Households 441,980
Income per person Thousand yen 2,707
Power consumed Kwh per household 6,446
Number of doctors Physicians per

100,000 people

249

Culture

Kanazawa lacquerware (Kanazawa shikki) is high quality lacquerware traditionally decorated with gold dust.

The area is noted for arts and crafts and other cultural traditions:

Tourism

Winter in Kenrokuen

The most popular destination in Ishikawa is Kanazawa. Tourists can get to Ishikawa by plane via either the Komatsu or Noto airports. Popular sites include:

Prefectural symbols

Miscellaneous topics

Universities

Ishikawa hosts a number of well-known universities.

Transport

Rail

Kanazawa Station

Road

Expressways and toll roads

National highways

Ports

Airports

Regional policies

Politics

The prefectural assembly building in the prefectural government building complex in Kanazawa

The current governor of Ishikawa is Masanori Tanimoto who was first elected in 1994 and has been reelected for a sixth term in the gubernatorial election in March 2014.[5] Tanimoto is currently one of two governors who are in their sixth term nationwide, the other being Masaru Hashimoto of Ibaraki. Tanimoto is only the fourth governor of Ishikawa since 1947 when prefectural governors became elected offices, as predecessor Yōichi Nakanishi had held the governorship even longer than Tanimoto, winning his first election in 1963 and then serving eight consecutive terms until his death in 1994.

The prefectural assembly of Ishikawa has 43 members and is elected in unified local elections (last round: 2011) in 15 SNTV electoral districts – six single-member, five two-member, one three-member, two four-member districts and the Kanazawa City district that elects 16 members. As of February 26, 2014, the LDP prefectural assembly caucus has 25 members and no other group has more than four members.[6]

In the National Diet, Ishikawa is represented by three directly elected members of the House of Representatives and two (one per election) of the House of Councillors. Additional members from the prefecture may be elected in the proportional representation segments of both houses: the Hokuriku-Shin'etsu proportional representation block in the lower house, the proportional election to the upper house is nationwide. After the Diet elections of 2010, 2012 and 2013, the five directly elected members from Ishikawa districts are all Liberal Democrats, namely:

Notes

  1. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Chūbu" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 126, p. 126, at Google Books.
  2. Nussbaum, "Kanazawa" in p. 467, p. 467, at Google Books.
  3. Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" in p. 780, p. 780, at Google Books.
  4. "General overview of area figures for Natural Parks by prefecture" (PDF). Ministry of the Environment. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  5. 47 News/Kyōdō Tsūshin, March 16, 2014: 石川県知事選、谷本氏6選果たす 2新人退け全国最多に並ぶ
  6. Ishikawa Prefectural Assembly: members by caucus (Japanese)

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ishikawa Prefecture.

Coordinates: 36°38′N 136°39′E / 36.633°N 136.650°E / 36.633; 136.650

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