Zōhai Prefecture

Zōhai Prefecture [坎海近; ぞうはい·こん] is an island prefecture located in the north of Kanton. It is by the far the northernmost prefecture of the country, and one of the coldest regions, often experiencing harsh winters and cool summers. As of 2020, it had a population of around 900,000.
Nasamazu is the capital of Zōhai and the largest city both by population and area; other major cities include Shitori, Takemugi, Myōkei and Shikima. Zōhai Prefecture encompasses the three islands of Dainan, Shinan and Kagenan, with Dainan being the largest region and being the home of the majority of the population. Zōhai's indigenous ethnic group are the Summui people, who have lived in the archipelaego for over 2,000 years. In the native language of Sunpaku, the region is known as Summui.
Zōhai Prefecture was ruled by a native monarch for most of its history, until the invasion of Zōhai in 1710, when the islands were unofficially annexed by Kanton. The region was made a prefecture by the Empire of Kanton in 1850, after nearly two hundred years of low-level rebellion and conflict between official Kantonese forces and the natives of Zōhai. 
== History ==
The oldest evidence of human existence on the Zōhai islands is from the Stone Age and was discovered outside Nasamazu and the town of ---. Some human bone fragments from the Paleolithic era were unearthed from a site in southern Dainan, along with other historical artifacts such as broken clay pots, which confirm that there was civilisation in Zōhai at that time. Indeed, pottery was a large part of the ancient Zōhai culture, as many remains of clayware have been discovered across the archipelaego. Many artefacts have been confirmed to be similar to items produced in Ganyama and Aoma Prefecture, suggesting there was some interaction between the indigenous Zōku peoples and the ancient Kantonese.
Agricultural societies first began forming in the 8th century and developed slowly until the 1100s. Since the islands were located relatively near to the southern coast of China, Zōhai soon became a prosperous trading nation. During the early Nittori period [1000-1300], many castles or odoku were constructed around the region. By the 1300s Zōhai was well-established in trading with China and there were firm economic relations between the southern Chinese ports and the Zōhai coast.
In 1699, the Warana clan [仂无], which controlled the region that is now Nannake Prefecture, launched their first invasion on the Zōhai area under command from the Kanaka administration. Although failing at first, they succeeded in storming the capital of Nasamazu in 1710. The Summui Kingdom was then obliged to agree to form a vassal relationship with the Kanaka kunjō, while maintaining its trade with the Chinese; although the local sovereignty was maintained, its powers being lessened and restricted considerably. The Warana clan earned considerable profits from trade with China during a period in which foreign trade was just beginning to open up.
Although the Kanaka administration and the Warana held strong influence over the islands, the Summui Kingdom maintained a considerable degree of domestic political freedom for over two hundred years. However in 1850 the region of Summui was renamed as Zōhai Prefecture [literally, 'north sea prefecture'], just four years after the --- Islands had also been annexed. In 1915, residents of Zōhai finally gained the right to vote for representatives to the Kantonese government.
== Geography ==
=== Major islands ===
* Dainan [大洒]
* Shinan [少洒]
* Kagenan [判洒]
Zōhai is known nationally for its cold weather and frequent instances of heavy snowfall during the winter months. The seasons in Zōhai lack the clear destinction that they do in most of Kanton, with summer and spring often experiencing the same chilly, rainy weather that autumn and winter have. In the north of Kanton, the prefecture is often colloquially known as Takayuki-kon - 'too-much-snow prefecture'.
== Municipalities ==
=== Cities ===
Rank	Name 	Kantonese	Zōkuban/Sunpaku	Population
1 	Nasamazu	洒守 	Sunjoki 	155,000
2 	Shitori 	しとり 	Eenaji 	140,000
3 	Takemugi	竹港 	Akennao 	112,000
4 	Myōkei 	妙缶 	Sabadaku 	94,000
5 	Shikima 	尔南満 	Enpa 	60,000
6 	Saimaku 	遥盾 	Orodoshi 	57,000
7 	Handai 	半代 	Handai 	40,000
8 	Kanatari	笹衒 	Chobusu 	34,000
9 	Yūgan 	滾阜 	Bota 	32,000
10 	Girūku 	ぎるうく 	Girūku 	29,000
11 	Kuagi 	くあぎ 	Kuagi 	26,000
12 	Tatai 	たたい 	Tatai 	24,000
13 	Senpu 	紐夫 	Senpu 	23,000
14 	Mudoko 	墓泍 	Mudoko 	23,000
15 	Shishie 	ししえ 	Shishie 	19,000
16 	Sakatta 	さかった 	Sakatta 	17,000
17 	Kuyama 	导山 	Dazun 	16,000
18 	Sechi 	睿 	Sechie 	13,000
19 	Kage 	判 	Kage 	11,500
20 	Bitoku 	びとく 	Bitoku 	11,000
Rank	Name 	Kantonese	Sunpaku	Population
1 	Nichō 	にちょう 	Nichō 	9,500
2 	Nande 	なんで 	Nande 	8,000
3 	Zaki 	岬 	Zaki 	8,000
4 	Tabatori	束鳥 	Chūnaji	7,500
5 	Sanbara 	山彭 	Dakiku 	7,000
6 	Daiyami 	大免 	Ōmushi 	6,000
7 	Ashima 	沈岩 	Ashima 	6,000
8 	Kikaze 	南吹 	Zufu 	5,500
9 	Kannan 	東坑 	Ekake 	4,500
10 	Kanzori 	東森 	Ekako 	4,000
11 	Ima 	いま 	Ima 	3,200
12 	Miegi 	糸崀 	Miagi 	3,000
13 	Dazaki 	だざき 	Dazaki 	2,000
14 	Sen 	千 	Sen 	1,000