Fukushima Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan. It is part of the Tohoku 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 Tohoku region. It is the part of Tohoku 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, Nakadori, and Hamadori. Hamadori is on the coast of the Pacific Ocean and is the flattest and most temperate region. Nakadori 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
Koriyama
Minamisoma
Motomiya
Nihonmatsu
Shirakawa
Soma
Sukagawa
Tamura
Towns and villages
Towns and villages in each district:
Adachi District
Otama
Date District
Kawamata
Kori
Kunimi
Futaba District
Futaba
Hirono
Katsurao
Kawauchi
Namie
Naraha
Okuma
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
Shimogo
Tadami
Nishishirakawa District
Izumizaki
Nakajima
Nishigo
Yabuki
Onuma District
Aizumisato
Kaneyama
Mishima
Showa
Soma 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 Tohoku in 2008. The industry made about 5 and a half trillion yen (Y=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 (Y=4,720,600,000,000).
In 2009, the prefecture produced Y=245,000,000,000 (245 billion yen) from farming products. About 40%, or Y=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 Koriyama. 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
1876 establishments
1870s establishments in Japan