Gotō 五島市 |
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City | ||
Douzaki Church
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Location of Gotō in Nagasaki Prefecture |
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Location in Japan | ||
Coordinates: 32°42′N 128°50′E / 32.700°N 128.833°ECoordinates: 32°42′N 128°50′E / 32.700°N 128.833°E | ||
Country | Japan | |
Region | Kyushu | |
Prefecture | Nagasaki Prefecture | |
Government | ||
• Mayor | Ikuko Nakao (since September 2004) | |
Area | ||
• Total | 420.81 km2 (162.48 sq mi) | |
Population (January 1, 2009) | ||
• Total | 41,657 | |
• Density | 99/km2 (260/sq mi) | |
Symbols | ||
• Tree | Ficus superba | |
• Flower | Crinum asiaticum | |
• Bird | Japanese white-eye | |
Time zone | Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) | |
City hall address | 853-8501 | |
Website | www3 |
Gotō (五島市 Gotō-shi?) is a city in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It comprises the south-west half of the Gotō Islands plus (uninhabited) and archipelagos in the East China Sea. Although the core islands of city lay some 100 kilometers from Nagasaki, the other archipelagos lay 60 km further to South-West. The city consists of 11 inhabited and 52 uninhabited islands. The three main islands of the city are Fukue, Hisaka, and Naru.
As of January 1, 2009, the city has an estimated population of 41,657 and a population density of 99 persons per km2. The total area is 420.81 km2.
The area now comprising Gotō City was a port of call on the trade route between Japan and Tang Dynasty China in the Nara period. Noted Buddhist prelate Kukai stopped at Gotō in 806. The islands came under the control of the Gotō clan from the Muromachi period and was the location of intense European missionary activity in the late 16th century, which converted most of the population to the Kirishitan faith. After the start of the Tokugawa bakufu, the area was part of Fukue Domain in the Edo period. Fukue City was established in 1954. Most of the town was destroyed in a fire in 1962.