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Shizuoka-ken

Shizuoka Prefecture
静岡県
Prefecture
Japanese transcription(s)
 • Japanese 静岡県
 • Rōmaji Shizuoka-ken
Flag of Shizuoka Prefecture
Flag
Official logo of Shizuoka Prefecture
Symbol
Location of Shizuoka Prefecture
Coordinates: 34°55′N 138°19′E / 34.917°N 138.317°E / 34.917; 138.317Coordinates: 34°55′N 138°19′E / 34.917°N 138.317°E / 34.917; 138.317
Country Japan
Region Chūbu (Tōkai)
Island Honshu
Capital Shizuoka
Government
 • Governor Heita Kawakatsu
Area
 • Total 7,779.63 km2 (3,003.73 sq mi)
Area rank 13th
Population (July 1, 2010)
 • Total 3,774,471
 • Rank 10th
 • Density 485.17/km2 (1,256.6/sq mi)
ISO 3166 code JP-22
Districts 5
Municipalities 35
Flower Azalea (Rhododenron)
Tree Sweet osmanthus (Osmanthus fragrans var. aurantiacus)
Bird Japanese paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone atrocaudata)
Website www.pref.shizuoka.jp/a_foreign/english

Shizuoka Prefecture (静岡県, Shizuoka-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. The capital is the city of Shizuoka, while Hamamatsu is the largest city by population.

Shizuoka Prefecture was formed from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.

The area was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun.Tokugawa Ieyasu held the region until he conquered the lands of the Hōjō clan in the Kantō region and placed land under the stewardship of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. After becoming shogun, Tokugawa took the land back for his family and put the area around modern-day Shizuoka city under the direct supervision of the shogunate. With the creation of Shizuoka han in 1868, it once again became the residence of the Tokugawa family.

Shizuoka Prefecture is an elongated region following the coast of the Pacific Ocean at the Suruga Bay. In the west, the prefecture extends deep into the Japan Alps. In the east, it becomes a narrower coast bounded in the north by Mount Fuji, until it comes to the Izu Peninsula, a popular resort area pointing south into the Pacific.

As of 1 April 2012, 11% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Fuji-Hakone-Izu and Minami Alps National Parks; Tenryū-Okumikawa Quasi-National Park; and four Prefectural Natural Parks.


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