page_title: Kyushu
section_title: Economy and environment
hierarchical_section_title: Kyushu / Economy and environment
caption_attribution_description: JMSDF Fleets
context_page_description: Kyushu is the most southern and third largest island of Japan's five main islands. In the past, it has been known as Kyūkoku, Chinzei and Tsukushi-no-shima. The historical regional name Saikaidō referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands.
  In the 8th-century Taihō Code reforms, Dazaifu was established as a special administrative term for the region.
  As of 2018, Kyushu has a population of 14,311,224 and covers 36,782 square kilometres.
context_section_description: Parts of Kyushu have a subtropical climate, particularly Miyazaki prefecture and Kagoshima prefecture. Major agricultural products are rice, tea, tobacco, sweet potatoes, and soy; also, silk is widely produced. The island is noted for various types of porcelain, including Arita, Imari, Satsuma, and Karatsu. Heavy industry is concentrated in the north around Fukuoka, Kitakyushu, Nagasaki, and Oita and includes chemicals, automobiles, semiconductors, and metal processing.
  In 2010, the graduate employment rate in the region was the lowest nationwide, at 88.9%.
  Besides the volcanic area of the south, there are significant mud hot springs in the northern part of the island, around Beppu. The springs are the site of occurrence of certain extremophile microorganisms, which are capable of surviving in extremely hot environments.
caption: JMSDF District Forces, including the Sasebo District Force.
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