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Kumamoto prefecture

Kumamoto Prefecture
熊本県
Prefecture
Japanese transcription(s)
 • Japanese 熊本県
 • Rōmaji Kumamoto-ken
Flag of Kumamoto Prefecture
Flag
Official logo of Kumamoto Prefecture
Symbol of Kumamoto Prefecture
Location of Kumamoto Prefecture
Coordinates: 32°43′N 130°40′E / 32.717°N 130.667°E / 32.717; 130.667Coordinates: 32°43′N 130°40′E / 32.717°N 130.667°E / 32.717; 130.667
Country Japan
Region Kyushu
Island Kyushu
Capital Kumamoto
Government
 • Governor Ikuo Kabashima
Area
 • Total 7,404.14 km2 (2,858.75 sq mi)
Area rank 16th
Population (May 1, 2011)
 • Total 1,812,255
 • Rank 23rd
 • Density 244.76/km2 (633.9/sq mi)
ISO 3166 code JP-43
Districts 9
Municipalities 45
Flower Gentian (Gentiana scabra var. buergeri)
Tree Camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora)
Bird Eurasian skylark (Alauda arvensis)
Website www.pref.kumamoto.jp

Kumamoto Prefecture (熊本県 Kumamoto-ken?) is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Kumamoto.

Historically, the area was called Higo Province; and the province was renamed Kumamoto during the Meiji Restoration. The creation of prefectures was part of the abolition of the feudal system. The current Japanese orthography for Kumamoto literally means "bear root/origin", or "origin of the bear".

Kumamoto Prefecture is in the center of Kyushu, the southernmost of the four major Japanese islands. It is bordered by the Ariake inland sea and the Amakusa archipelago to the west, Fukuoka Prefecture and Ōita Prefecture to the north, Miyazaki Prefecture to the east, and Kagoshima Prefecture to the south.

Mount Aso (1592 m), an extensive active volcano, is in the east of Kumamoto Prefecture. This volcano is located at the centre of the Aso caldera.

As of March 31, 2008, 21% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as natural parks: the Aso Kujū and Unzen-Amakusa National Parks; Kyūshū Chūō Sanchi and Yaba-Hita-Hikosan Quasi-National Parks; and Ashikita Kaigan, Itsuki Gokanoshō, Kinpōzan, Misumi-Ōyano Umibe, Okukuma, Shōtaisan, and Yabe Shūhen Prefectural Natural Parks.


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