# Wakayama Prefecture

Wakayama Prefecture (和歌山県, Wakayama-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu.$^{:1026}$ Wakayama Prefecture has a population of 944,320 (as of 1 October 2017) and has a geographic area of 4,724 square kilometres (1,824 sq mi). Wakayama Prefecture borders Osaka Prefecture to the north, and Mie Prefecture and Nara Prefecture to the northeast.
Wakayama is the capital and largest city of Wakayama Prefecture, with other major cities including Tanabe, Hashimoto, and Kinokawa.$^{:1025}$ Wakayama Prefecture is located on the southwestern coast of the Kii Peninsula on the Kii Channel, connecting the Pacific Ocean and Seto Inland Sea, across from Tokushima Prefecture on the island of Shikoku.

## History

Present-day Wakayama is mostly the western part of the province of Kii.

### 1953 flood disaster

On July 17–18, 1953, a torrential heavy rain occurred, followed by collapse of levees, river flooding and landslides in a wide area. Many bridges and houses were destroyed. According to an officially confirmed report by the Government of Japan, 1,015 people died, with 5,709 injured and 7,115 houses lost.

## Geography

As of 31 March 2020, 13 percent of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Setonaikai and Yoshino-Kumano National Parks; Kongō-Ikoma-Kisen and Kōya-Ryūjin Quasi-National Parks; and Enju Kaigan, Hatenashi Sanmyaku, Hikigawa, Jōgamori Hokodai, Kōyasanchō Ishimichi-Tamagawakyō, Kozagawa, Nishiarida, Oishi Kōgen, Ōtōsan, Ryūmonzan, Shiramisan-Wadagawakyō, and Shirasaki Kaigan Prefectural Natural Parks.

### Cities

Nine cities are in Wakayama Prefecture:
| Name | Name | Area (km$^2$) | Population | Map |
| Rōmaji | Kanji | Area (km$^2$) | Population | Map |
| Arida | 有田市 | 36.91 | 27,963 | |
| Gobō | 御坊市 | 43.78 | 27,483 | |
| Hashimoto | 橋本市 | 130.31 | 62,941 | |
| Iwade | 岩出市 | 38.5 | 53,280 | |
| Kainan | 海南市 | 101.18 | 51,112 | |
| Kinokawa | 紀の川市 | 228.24 | 61,850 | |
| Shingū | 新宮市 | 255.43 | 26,815 | |
| Tanabe | 田辺市 | 1,026.91 | 70,410 | |
| Wakayama (capital) | 和歌山市 | 210.25 | 360,664 | |

### Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each district:
| Name | Name | Area (km$^2$) | Population | District | Type | Map |
| Rōmaji | Kanji | Area (km$^2$) | Population | District | Type | Map |
| Aridagawa | 有田川町 | 351.77 | 26,245 | Arida District | Town | |
| Hidaka | 日高町 | 46.42 | 7,666 | Hidaka District | Town | |
| Hidakagawa | 日高川町 | 331.61 | 9,615 | Hidaka District | Town | |
| Hirogawa | 広川町 | 65.35 | 7,059 | Arida District | Town | |
| Inami | 印南町 | 113.63 | 7,949 | Hidaka District | Town | |
| Kamitonda | 上富田町 | 57.49 | 15,047 | Nishimuro District | Town | |
| Katsuragi | かつらぎ町 | 151.73 | 16,686 | Ito District | Town | |
| Kimino | 紀美野町 | 128.31 | 8,989 | Kaisō District | Town | |
| Kitayama | 北山村 | 48.21 | 432 | Higashimuro District | Village | |
| Kōya | 高野町 | 137.08 | 3,279 | Ito District | Town | |
| Kozagawa | 古座川町 | 294.52 | 2,749 | Higashimuro District | Town | |
| Kudoyama | 九度山町 | 44.19 | 4,295 | Ito District | Town | |
| Kushimoto | 串本町 | 135.78 | 16,243 | Higashimuro District | Town | |
| Mihama | 美浜町 | 12.79 | 7,391 | Hidaka District | Town | |
| Minabe | みなべ町 | 120.26 | 12,561 | Hidaka District | Town | |
| Nachikatsuura | 那智勝浦町 | 183.45 | 17,261 | Higashimuro District | Town | |
| Shirahama | 白浜町 | 201.04 | 23,325 | Nishimuro District | Town | |
| Susami | すさみ町 | 174.71 | 4,011 | Nishimuro District | Town | |
| Taiji | 太地町 | 5.96 | 3,428 | Higashimuro District | Town | |
| Yuasa | 湯浅町 | 20.8 | 11,960 | Arida District | Town | |
| Yura | 由良町 | 30.74 | 5,738 | Hidaka District | Town | |

### Mergers
## Demographics

Since 1996, population of Wakayama Prefecture has kept declining, and since 2010, it has been the only prefecture in Kansai region with population below 1,000,000. In 2017, Wakayama is ranked 40th by population in Japan with a population of 944,320. In the 2020 census, close to 32% of the population was over 65 years of age - the highest percentage in Japan and one of the highest for national subdivisions worldwide.

## Politics

The current governor Shūhei Kishimoto was elected on 27 November 2022.

### Prefectural assembly

As of 17 May 2023 :
| Political party | Number of seats |
| Liberal Democratic Party | 28 |
| Reform Club (改新クラブ) | 5 |
| Komeito | 3 |
| Nippon Ishin no Kai | 3 |
| Japanese Communist Party | 1 |
| Independent society | 1 |
| Independent | 1 |

## List of governors of Wakayama

State-appointed governors:
Publicly-elected governors:

## Culture

Mount Kōya (高野山, Kōya-san) in the Ito District is the headquarters of the Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism. It is home to one of the first Japanese style Buddhist temples in Japan and remains a pilgrimage site and an increasingly popular tourist destination as people flock to see its ancient temples set amidst the towering cedar trees at the top of the mountain. The Sacred sites and pilgrimage routes in the Kii Mountain Range extend for miles throughout the prefecture and together have been recognized as Japan's 11th UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Kumano Shrines are on the southern tip of the prefecture. Tomogashima (a cluster of four islands) is part of the prefecture.

## Agriculture
### Orange

Wakayama Prefecture ranks first in the production of oranges in Japan. Wakayama has its own brand of oranges, which is produced in Arida District and called 'Arida-Orange'. Arida District, where oranges have been produced for more than 400 years, yields about half of the orange crops in Wakayama today. Furthermore, the yield of Arida-Oranges accounts for about 10 percent of Japanese domestic production of oranges.

### Chinese flowering plum (Ume)

According to the survey by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan, Wakayama stands first in the production of Chinese flowering plum, or ume in Japanese, in Japan. As of 2016, Wakayama made up about 70 percent of Japanese domestic production of ume.

## International relations

Wakayama Prefecture has friendship and sister relationships with six places outside Japan:
* Florida, United States
* Galicia, Spain
* Pyrénées-Orientales, France
* Shandong, People's Republic of China
* Sichuan, People's Republic of China
* Sinaloa, Mexico

## Tourism

Wakayama Prefecture has hot springs such as Nanki-Shirahama Onsen, Kawayu Onsen [ja], and Yunomine Onsen.
* Saikazaki, Wakanoura
* Wakayama Castle
* The Museum of Modern Art, Wakayama
* Konpon Daido (Mount Kōya)
* Chōhō-ji
* Nanki-Katsuura Onsen
* Nachi Falls
* Daimonzaka (Kumano Kodō)

## Transportation
### Rail

* JR Central
** Kisei Line
* JR West
** Hanwa Line
** Kinokuni Line
** Wakayama Line
* Kishu Railway
* Nankai
** Kada Line
** Koya Line
** Nankai Line
* Wakayama Electric Railway

### Road
#### Expressway

* Hanwa Expressway
* Keinawa Expressway
* Nachi Katsuura Road
* Yuasa Gobo Road

#### National Highway

* Route 24
* Route 26
* Route 42
* Route 168 (Shingu-Gojo-Ikoma-Hirakata)
* Route 169 (Shingu-Kumano-Kawakami-Yoshino-Asuka-Kashihara-Nara)
* Route 311 (Kamitonda-Tanabe-Shingu-kumano-Owase)
* Route 370 (Kainan-Hashimoto-Gojo-Uda-Nara)
* Route 371 (Kawachinagano-Hashimoto-Koya-Kushimoto)
* Route 424

### Ferry

* Wakayama-Tokushima

### Airport

* Nanki Shirahama Airport

## Education
### Universities

* Kinki University
* Koyasan University
* Wakayama Medical University
* Wakayama University