Fukuoka Prefecture

Fukuoka Prefecture
福岡県
Prefecture
Japanese transcription(s)
 • Japanese 福岡県
 • Rōmaji Fukuoka-ken

Flag
Symbol of Fukuoka Prefecture
Coordinates: 33°36′N 130°35′E / 33.600°N 130.583°E / 33.600; 130.583Coordinates: 33°36′N 130°35′E / 33.600°N 130.583°E / 33.600; 130.583
Country Japan
Region Kyushu
Island Kyushu
Capital Fukuoka City
Government
 • Governor Hiroshi Ogawa (since April 2011)
Area
 • Total 4,971.01 km2 (1,919.32 sq mi)
Area rank 29th
Population (June 1, 2013)
 • Total 5,088,483
 • Rank 9th
 • Density 1,020.26/km2 (2,642.5/sq mi)
ISO 3166 code JP-40
Districts 12
Municipalities 60
Flower Ume blossom (Prunus mume)
Tree Azalea (Rhododendron tsutsusi)
Bird Japanese bush warbler (Cettia diphone)
Website www.pref.fukuoka.lg.jp/somu/
multilingual/english/top.html

Fukuoka Prefecture (福岡県 Fukuoka-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island.[1] The capital is the city of Fukuoka.[2]

History

Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen.[3]

Shrines and temples

Kōra taisha, Sumiyoshi-jinja, and Hakosagi-gū are the chief Shinto shrines (ichinomiya) in the prefecture.[4]

Geography

Map of Fukuoka Prefecture.

Fukuoka Prefecture faces the sea on three sides, bordering on Saga, Ōita, and Kumamoto prefectures and facing Yamaguchi Prefecture across the Kanmon Straits.

As of 1 April 2012, 18% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely Setonaikai National Park, Genkai, Kitakyūshū, and Yaba-Hita-Hikosan Quasi-National Parks, and Chikugogawa, Chikuhō, Dazaifu, Sefuri Raizan, and Yabegawa Prefectural Natural Parks.[5]

Fukuoka includes the two largest cities on Kyūshū, Fukuoka and Kitakyushu, and much of Kyūshū's industry. It also includes a number of small islands near the north coast of Kyūshū.

Cities

Twenty-eight cities are located in Fukuoka Prefecture:

Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each district:

Mergers

Economy

Fukuoka prefecture's main cities form one of Japan's main industrial centers, accounting for nearly 40% of the economy of Kyūshū. Major industries include automobiles, semiconductors, and steel. Fukuoka prefecture is noteworthy as the place where tire manufacturer Bridgestone and consumer electronics chain Best Denki were founded.

Universities

Institution Location
Fukuoka University Fukuoka
Kurume University Kurume
Kyushu Institute of Technology Kitakyūshū and Iizuka
Kyushu University Fukuoka and Kasuga
Seinan Gakuin University Fukuoka
Kyushu Institute of Information Sciences   Dazaifu
Kyushu Sangyo University Fukuoka
Fukuoka Women's University Fukuoka
Fukuoka University of Education Munakata, Fukuoka

[6]

Demographics

According to the latest Japanese population estimates (1 June 2013), population in Fukuoka Prefecture reached 5,088,483 inhabitants, making the prefecture the 9th most populated of Japan's 47 prefectures.

Culture

Major events and festivals

Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Fukuoka.

Football (soccer)
Baseball
Basketball
Rugby

The prefecture has two significant annual athletics events: the Fukuoka International Cross Country and the Fukuoka International Open Marathon Championship. The marathon race has been held in Fukuoka since 1959 and has seen a number of world records broken during its history.[7]

Crime and safety

Fukuoka Prefecture has the largest number of designated yakuza groups among all of the prefectures, at five; the Kudo-kai, the Taishu-kai, the Fukuhaku-kai, the Dojin-kai and the Kyushu Seido-kai.[8] Between 2004 and 2009, and in early 2011,[9] Fukuoka Prefecture leads the nation in gun-related incidents.[10] These incidents were mostly related to the local yakuza syndicates, specifically the Kudo-kai, the Dojin-kai and the Kyushu Seido-kai.[9]

Fukuoka Prefecture has had the highest frequency of youth crime among all of the prefectures of Japan since 2003.[11]

Tourism

The most popular place for tourism is Fukuoka City, especially at the time of the Dontaku festival, and Dazaifu, although Kitakyūshū has also tried to attract tourists.

A sightseeing boat in Yanagawa Canal
Dazaifu Tenmangu

Transportation

Train

Sister regions

Notes

  1. ↑ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Fukuoka-ken" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 218, p. 218, at Google Books.
  2. ↑ Nussbaum, "Fukuoka" in p. 218, p. 218, at Google Books.
  3. ↑ Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" in p. 780, p. 780, at Google Books.
  4. ↑ "Nationwide List of Ichinomiya," p. 3; retrieved 2012-10-26.
  5. ↑ "General overview of area figures for Natural Parks by prefecture" (PDF). Ministry of the Environment. 1 April 2012. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  6. ↑ http://www.fukuoka-edu.ac.jp/
  7. ↑ Nakamura, Ken. Marathon - A history of the Fukuoka International Marathon Championships by K. Ken Nakamura - Part 1 1947-1966. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-02-28.
  8. ↑ "Retrospection and Outlook of Crime Measure", p.15, Masahiro Tamura, 2009, National Police Agency (Japanese)
  9. 1 2 "Gunfire, The worst in the nation, None has been solved", 23 June 2011, Nishinippon Shimbun (Japanese)
  10. ↑ "Fukuoka yakuza groups tackle police pressure in all-out war", 4 May 2010, The Tokyo Reporter, from Friday May 14, p.22-23 (Japanese)
  11. ↑ 非行防げ、捜査員奮闘…少年犯罪全国ワースト１の福岡 - Yomiuri Shimbun (Japanese)

References

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