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Niigata City

Niigata
新潟市
Designated city
City of Niigata
From top left: NEXT21, Bandai Bridge, Toki Messe, Niigata Stadium, Central Niigata and Shinano River in the night, Rainbow Tower
From top left: NEXT21, Bandai Bridge, Toki Messe, Niigata Stadium, Central Niigata and Shinano River in the night, Rainbow Tower
Flag of Niigata
Flag
Official seal of Niigata
Seal
Location of Niigata in Niigata Prefecture
Location of Niigata in Niigata Prefecture
Niigata is located in Japan
Niigata
Niigata
 
Coordinates: 37°54′58.3″N 139°2′11″E / 37.916194°N 139.03639°E / 37.916194; 139.03639Coordinates: 37°54′58.3″N 139°2′11″E / 37.916194°N 139.03639°E / 37.916194; 139.03639
Country Japan
Region Chūbu (Kōshin'etsu) (Hokuriku)
Prefecture NIigata
Government
 • - Mayor Akira Shinoda
Area
 • Total 726.45 km2 (280.48 sq mi)
Population (June 2016)
 • Total 807,450
 • Density 1,110/km2 (2,900/sq mi)
Time zone Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
Symbols  
• Tree Willow
• Flower Tulip
• Bird Swan
Phone number 025-243-4894
Address 1-602-1 Gakkōchō-dōri, Chūō-ku, Niigata-shi, Niigata-ken 951-8550
Website www.city.niigata.lg.jp

Niigata (新潟市 Niigata-shi?, Japanese: [nìígátá]) is the capital and the most populous city of Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It lies on the northwest coast of Honshu, the largest island of Japan, in the Chūbu region and faces the Sea of Japan and Sado Island.

As of 1 June 2016, the city had an estimated population of 807,450 and a population density of 1,110 persons per km². The total area is 726.45 square kilometres (280.48 sq mi). Greater Niigata, Niigata Metropolitan Employment Area, has a GDP of US$43.3 billion as of 2010.

With a long history as a port town, Niigata became a free port following the Meiji Restoration. Niigata's city government was established in 1889. Mergers with nearby municipalities in 2005 allowed the city's population to jump to 810,000. The annexation of the surrounding area has also given the city the greatest rice paddy field acreage in Japan. On April 1, 2007, it became the first government-designated city on the Japan Sea coast of Honshu.

People have inhabited the Niigata area since the Jōmon period, though much of the current land was still beneath the sea at the time. According to the Nihon Shoki, a fortress was built in the area in AD 647.


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Wikipedia

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