Ibaraki Prefecture 茨城県 |
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Prefecture | |||
Japanese transcription(s) | |||
• Japanese | 茨城県 | ||
• Rōmaji | Ibaraki-ken | ||
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Country | Japan | ||
Region | Kantō | ||
Island | Honshu | ||
Capital | Mito | ||
Government | |||
• Governor | Masaru Hashimoto | ||
Area | |||
• Total | 6,095.58 km2 (2,353.52 sq mi) | ||
Area rank | 23rd | ||
Population (September 1, 2010) | |||
• Total | 2,964,141 | ||
• Rank | 11th | ||
• Density | 486.28/km2 (1,259.5/sq mi) | ||
ISO 3166 code | JP-08 | ||
Districts | 7 | ||
Municipalities | 44 | ||
Flower | Rose (Rosa) | ||
Tree | Ume tree (Prunus mume) | ||
Bird | Eurasian Skylark (Alauda arvensis) | ||
Website | www |
Ibaraki Prefecture (茨城県 Ibaraki-ken?) is a prefecture of Japan, located in the Kantō region on the main island of Honshu. The capital is Mito.
Ibaraki Prefecture was previously known as Hitachi Province. In 1871, the name of the province became Ibaraki.
Ibaraki Prefecture is the northeastern part of the Kantō region, stretching between and the Pacific Ocean and bounded on the north and south by Fukushima Prefecture and Chiba Prefecture. It also has a border on the southwest with Saitama Prefecture. The northernmost part of the prefecture is mountainous, but most of the prefecture is a flat plain with many lakes.
As of 1 April 2012[update], 15% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely Suigo-Tsukuba Quasi-National Park and nine Prefectural Natural Parks.
Thirty-two (32) cities are located in Ibaraki Prefecture:
These are the towns and villages in each district:
Ibaraki's industries include energy, particularly nuclear energy, production, as well as chemical and precision machining industries. The Hitachi company was founded in the Ibaraki city of the same name.
As of March 2011, the prefecture produced 25% of Japan's bell peppers and Chinese cabbage.
Ibaraki's population is increasing modestly as the Greater Tokyo region spreads out.