Fukushima Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan. It is part of the Tōhoku region on the island of Honshu. The capital city of the prefecture is Fukushima.

The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is in this prefecture. The power plant had a meltdown in March 2011. It forced many people in Fukushima to move away from their homes, especially in the Futaba District.

## History
Until the Meiji Restoration, Fukushima prefecture was known as Mutsu Province. In 1871, the territories of eleven clans were combined into three prefectures: Fukushima, Wakamatsu and Iwaki. On August 21 in 1876, they were united to form the current Fukushima Prefecture.

## Geography 
Fukushima is the prefecture that is furthest south in the Tōhoku region. It is the part of Tōhoku closest to Tokyo. Tokyo is about 300 kilometres further south. Fukushima located between 37 and 38 degrees north latitude.

Fukushima is divided by mountain ranges into three regions: (from west to east) Aizu, Nakadōri, and Hamadōri. Hamadōri is on the coast of the Pacific Ocean and is the flattest and most temperate region. Nakadōri is the most important farming part of the prefecture. The capital city, Fukushima, is in this area. Aizu is a tourist destination and has many mountains, scenic lakes, forests, and snowy winters.

### Cities 
There are thirteen cities in Fukushima Prefecture:

* Aizuwakamatsu
* Date
* Fukushima (capital)
* Iwaki
* Kitakata
* Kōriyama
* Minamisōma

* Motomiya
* Nihonmatsu
* Shirakawa
* Sōma
* Sukagawa
* Tamura

### Towns and villages 
Towns and villages in each district:

* Adachi District
: Ōtama
* Date District
: Kawamata
: Kōri
: Kunimi
* Futaba District
: Futaba
: Hirono
: Katsurao
: Kawauchi
: Namie
: Naraha
: Ōkuma
: Tomioka
* Higashishirakawa District
: Hanawa
: Samegawa
: Tanagura
: Yamatsuri

* Ishikawa District
: Asakawa
: Furudono
: Hirata
: Ishikawa
: Tamakawa
* Iwase District
: Kagamiishi
: Tenei
* Kawanuma District
: Aizubange
: Yanaizu
: Yugawa
* Minamiaizu District
: Hinoemata
: Minamiaizu
: Shimogō
: Tadami
* Nishishirakawa District
: Izumizaki
: Nakajima
: Nishigō
: Yabuki

* Ōnuma District
: Aizumisato
: Kaneyama
: Mishima
: Shōwa
* Sōma District
: Iitate
: Shinchi
* Tamura District
: Miharu
: Ono
* Yama District
: Bandai
: Inawashiro
: Kitashiobara
: Nishiaizu

### National parks
National parks cover about 13% of the total land area of the prefecture. They include:
* Bandai-Asahi National Park

## Economy 
The three main industries in Fukushima are manufacturing, commerce and farming.

Fukushima was the largest manufacturer in Tōhoku in 2008. The industry made about 5 and a half trillion yen (¥5,568,600,000,000). Manufacturers relied heavily on electrical power produced locally, much of it from nuclear power stations.

Trade, including retail businesses, was the second largest industry in 2008. It made 4.7 trillion yen (¥4,720,600,000,000).

In 2009, the prefecture produced ¥245,000,000,000 (245 billion yen) from farming products. About 40%, or ¥94,800,000,000 (94 billion yen), was from rice. Fukushima was the fifth largest rice producer in the country. It also produced large amounts of vegetables, meat, and fish. The two largest agricultural producers were the cities of Fukushima and Kōriyama. Those two areas accounted for more than 15% of agricultural production in the prefecture.
*Fukushima bland product

## Related pages
* Provinces of Japan
* Prefectures of Japan
* List of regions of Japan
* List of islands of Japan
* Nuclear accidents in Japan

## References