Fukushima Prefecture (福島県 Fukushima-ken) is located in the Tohoku region on Honshu island, Japan. The capital is the city of Fukushima.
History
Fukushima Prefecture was historically part of Mutsu Province. This region of Japan is also known as Michinoku and Ōshū.
Geography
Fukushima is the southernmost prefecture of Tohoku, and the closest to Tokyo. It is divided by mountain ranges into three regions called (from west to east) Aizu, Nakadori, and Hamadori. The coastal Hamadori region lies on the Pacific Ocean and is the flattest and most temperate region, while the Nakadori region is the agricultural heart of the prefecture and contains the capital Fukushima, and the mountainous Aizu region has many sccenic lakes and harsh winters.
Cities
Towns and villages
These are the towns and villages in each district.
Mergers
On November 1, 2004 the former village of Kitaaizu from the former Kitaaizu District (dissolved by this merger) merged into the (expanded) city of Aizuwakamatsu.
On March 1, 2005 the towns of Funehiki, Ogoe, Takine, and Tokiwa and village of Miyakoji, all from Tamura District, merged to create the new city of Tamura.
On April 1, 2005 the town of Naganuma and the village of Iwase from Iwase District merged into the city of Sukagawa.
On October 1, 2005 the towns of Aizuhongou and Aizutakada and the village of Niitsuru, all from Onuma District, merged to create the new town of Aizumisato.
On November 1, 2005 the town of Kawahigashi from Kawanuma District merged into the city of Aizuwakamatsu.
On November 7, 2005 the villages of Higashi, Omotegou and Taishin from Nishishirakawa District merged into the city of Shirakawa.
On December 1, 2005 the towns of Adachi, Iwashiro and Towa from Adachi District merged into the city of Nihonmatsu.
On January 1, 2006 the towns of Date, Hobara, Ryozen, Tsukidate and Yanagawa from Date District merged to create the city of Date.
On January 1, 2006 the city of Haramachi and the towns of Kashima and Odaka from Soma District merged to create the city of Minamisoma.
On January 4, 2006 the towns of Shiokawa and Yamato and the villages of Atsushiokanou and Takasato (all from Yama District) merged into the city of Kitakata.
Economy
The coastal region traditionally specializes in fishing and seafood industries, and is notable for its electric and particularly nuclear power-generating industry, while the upland regions are more focused on agriculture. The capital region has a strong industry in software and electronics.
Demographics
Culture
Prefectural symbols
An old tale of an ogress, Adachigahara was once said to have roamed the plain for which it was named. Adachigahara plain lies close to the city of Fukushima.
External links
The content of this page is retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukushima_Prefecture under GFDL
