Kyushu

Kyushu
Native name: <span class="nickname" ">九州

Kyushu region of Japan and the current prefectures on the island of Kyushu
Geography
Location East Asia
Archipelago Japanese Archipelago
Area 35,640 km2 (13,760 sq mi)
Area rank 37th
Highest elevation 1,791 m (5,876 ft)
Highest point Kujū-san[1]
Administration
Japan
Prefectures  Fukuoka Prefecture
 Nagasaki Prefecture
 Ōita Prefecture
 Saga Prefecture
 Kagoshima Prefecture
 Kumamoto Prefecture
 Miyazaki Prefecture
 Okinawa Prefecture
Largest settlement Fukuoka
Demographics
Population 13,231,995
Density 332.38 /km2 (860.86 /sq mi)
Ethnic groups Japanese

Kyushu (九州 Kyūshū, lit. "Nine Provinces") (Japanese pronunciation: [kjɯᵝːꜜɕɯᵝː]) is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands.[2] Its alternative ancient names include Kyūkoku (九国?, "Nine States") , Chinzei (鎮西?, "West of the Pacified Area") , and Tsukushi-no-shima (筑紫島?, "Island of Tsukushi") . The historical regional name Saikaidō (西海道, lit. West Sea Circuit) referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands.

In the 8th century Taihō Code reforms, Dazaifu was established as a special administrative term for the region.[3]

As of 2006, Kyushu has a population of 13,231,995 and covers 35,640 square kilometres (13,760 sq mi).

Geography

The island is mountainous, and Japan's most active volcano, Mt Aso at 1,591 metres (5,220 ft), is on Kyushu. There are many other signs of tectonic activity, including numerous areas of hot springs. The most famous of these are in Beppu, on the east shore, and around Mt. Aso, in central Kyushu. The island is separated from Honshu by the Kanmon Straits.

The name Kyūshū comes from the nine ancient provinces of Saikaidō situated on the island: Chikuzen, Chikugo, Hizen, Higo, Buzen, Bungo, Hyūga, Osumi, and Satsuma.

Today's Kyushu Region (九州地方 Kyūshū-chihō) is a politically defined region that consists of the seven prefectures on the island of Kyushu (which also includes the former Tsushima and Iki as part of Nagasaki), plus Okinawa Prefecture to the south:

Demography

Most of Kyushu's population is concentrated along the northwest, in the cities of Fukuoka and Kitakyushu, with population corridors stretching southwest into Sasebo and Nagasaki and south into Kumamoto and Kagoshima. Excepting Oita and Miyazaki cities, the eastern seaboard shows a general decline in population.

Designated cities
Core cities

Economy and environment

Map of Kyushu region with prefectures
JMSDF District Forces, including the Sasebo District Force

Parts of Kyushu have a subtropical climate, particularly Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures. Major agricultural products are rice, tea, tobacco, sweet potatoes, and soy; silk is also widely produced. The island is noted for various types of porcelain, including Arita, Imari, Satsuma, and Karatsu. Heavy industry is concentrated in the north around Fukuoka, Kitakyushu, Nagasaki, and Oita and includes chemicals, automobiles, semiconductors, and metal processing.

In 2010, the graduate employment rate in the region was the lowest nationwide, at 88.9%.[4]

Besides the volcanic area of the south, there are significant mud hot springs in the northern part of the island, around Beppu. These springs are the site of occurrence of certain extremophile micro-organisms, that are capable of surviving in extremely hot environments.[5]

Education

Major universities and colleges in Kyushu:

Transportation

The island is linked to the larger island of Honshu by the Kanmon Tunnels, which carry both the Sanyō Shinkansen and non-Shinkansen trains of the Kyushu Railway Company, as well as vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle traffic. The Kanmon Bridge also connects the island with Honshu. Railways on the island are operated by the Kyushu Railway Company, and Nishitetsu Railway.

See also

Look up Kyushu or Islands in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Notes

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Kyushu.
  1. ↑ "Kujū-san, Japan". Peakbagger.com.
  2. ↑ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Kyūshū" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 588, p. 588, at Google Books
  3. ↑ Nussbaum, "Dazaifu" in p. 150, p. 150, at Google Books; Dazaifu
  4. ↑ "Grads landing jobs near all-time low". The Japan Times. May 22, 2010. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
  5. ↑ C.Michael Hogan. 2010. Extremophile. eds. E.Monosson and C.Cleveland. Encyclopedia of Earth. National Council for Science and the Environment, Washington DC

References

Coordinates: 33°N 131°E / 33°N 131°E / 33; 131

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