Geography of Fukushima Prefecture

Fukushima Prefecture (map) is located in Japan near the middle of Honshu Island (the largest island of Japan). It is located in the Tohoku Region of that island along the Pacific Ocean and its capital is the city of Fukushima. Fukushima Prefecture covers an area of 13,782 sq km which makes it the third largest prefecture in Japan. It has a population 2,028,752 people (December 2010 estimate).

On March 11, 2011 Japan was struck by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake that was centered in the ocean just 80 miles (130 km) east of Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture, the prefecture to the north of Fukushima. The earthquake was so powerful that it caused a massive tsunami to hit the region. The tsunami devastated Miyagi Prefecture's coast and the earthquake caused severe damage throughout much of Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures and killed and/or displaced thousands of people. The earthquake was considered to have been one of the five strongest since 1900 and it is believed that the main island of Japan (on which Miyagi Prefecture is located) moved eight feet (2.4 m) due to the earthquake.

Although Miyagi Prefecture was the area that was hit the hardest due to the disasters, Fukushima Prefecture has gotten significant attention because its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was severely damaged in the earthquake. The power plant is made up of six nuclear reactors - all of which were damaged. Some of the reactors exploded and/or caught fire in the days following the earthquake and thousands of people near the plants were evacuated due to concerns over releases of radiation.

The following is a list of ten geographic facts to know about Fukushima Prefecture:

1) The region of present-day Fukushima Prefecture became a part of the Yamato Court in the 4th century. This was considered Japan's first imperial government. In the 5th century Fukushima then became a part of the Mutsu Province, an ancient province that also included the present-day prefectures of Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori.

2) In the 6th century, Buddhism was introduced to Japan and from the 9th to the 12th centuries Fukushima became one of the centers of Buddhist culture in northeastern Japan. In the 12th century, there were several power shifts and in 1192, Japan's first military government was established, of which Fukushima was a part. Throughout the rest of its early history, Fukushima came under the control of several different clans, the most powerful of which was the Tokugawa Shogunate whose power lasted until the 19th century.

3) In the mid-1800s, the Tokugawa Shogunate fell and Japan again came under control of an Emperor. In 1871, Fukushima officially became a prefecture and government buildings were constructed in Fukushima City. Throughout the rest of the 1800s and into the 1900s, Fukushima grew considerably and it became a center of Japan's energy generation via hydroelectric plants as well as nuclear power plants in the mid-20th century.

4) Fukushima has a high level of governmental power because it is a prefecture which is the highest administrative division of Japan below the federal government. The country is divided into 47 prefectures which are similar to the 50 states of the United States. Fukushima Prefecture is sub-divided into 13 different districts (the equivalent of a county in the United States) and it has 61 municipalities. The largest municipality in Fukushima Prefecture is Fukushima City.

5) Fukushima Prefecture's economy is based largely on its energy generation industry. Fukushima City also has major industries in software and electronics and the agriculture plays a part in the prefecture's economy as well. Along the coast of Fukushima Prefecture there are also major fishing and seafood industries.

6) Fukushima is located in the southern part of Japan's Tohoku Region and it is considered the southernmost prefecture of that region. Fukushima City is located about 180 miles from Tokyo, Japan's capital and largest city. Fukushima has a coastline along the Pacific Ocean and it shares borders with Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Niigata, Yamagata and Miyagi prefectures.

7) The prefecture of Fukushima is divided into three different regions. They are the Aizu, the Nakadori and the Hamadori regions. The Aizu region is in the western part of Fukushima, while the Nakadori region is in central Fukushima and the Hamadori region is Fukushima's easternmost region. Fukushima's capital, Fukushima City is located in the Nakadori region.

8) Fukushima Prefecture has a varied topography. The Hamadori region along the coast is relatively flat as is the central Nakadori region. This area lies in a basin and it is Fukushima's main agricultural center. The western part of Fukushima Prefecture is mountainous and it has many lakes and forests.

9) Fukushima Prefecture's climate varies upon location and its coastal regions are temperate, while the interior, western part of the prefecture has long, cold winters. The central part of the prefecture is also temperate but there are large seasonal differences in temperature. The average yearly temperature range for this region is between 56.3˚F (12˚C) and 57.2˚F (14˚C).

10) Because of its historic architecture and natural environment, Fukushima Prefecture is one of Japan's most visited areas.

To learn more about Fukushima Prefecture, visit its official government website.

References

CNN Wire Staff. (22 March 2011). "The Status of Six Reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant." CNN World. Retrieved from: http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/22/japan.reactors.status/index.html?iref=allsearch

Wikipedia.org. (21 March 2011). Fukushima Prefecture - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukushima_Prefecture