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Kumamoto Prefecture
Japanese : 熊本県 Kumamoto-ken
Capital	Kumamoto
Region	Kyūshū
Island	Kyūshū
Governor	Ikuo Kabashima
Area (rank)	7,404.14 km² (16th)
- % water	0.2%
Population  (October 1, 2005)
- Population	1,842,140 (23rd)
- Density	249 /km²
Districts	10
Municipalities	48
ISO 3166-2	JP-43
Website	www.pref.kumamoto.jp/ english/list.html
Prefectural Symbols
- Flower	Gentian (Gentiana scabra var. buergeri)
- Tree	Camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora)
- Bird	Eurasian Skylark (Alauda arvensis)
Symbol of Kumamoto Prefecture
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Kumamoto Prefecture (熊本県, Kumamoto-ken^?) is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The capital is the city of Kumamoto.

[edit] History

Historically the area was called Higo province and was renamed to Kumamoto prefecture during the Meiji Restoration as part of the abolition of the feudal system. The current Japanese orthography for Kumamoto literally means "bear root/origin", or "origin of the bear".

[edit] Geography

Map of Kumamoto Prefecture showing municipal boundaries.

Kumamoto Prefecture is located in the center of Kyūshū, the southernmost of the four major Japanese islands. It is bordered by the Ariake inland sea and the Amakusa archipelago to the west, Fukuoka Prefecture and Ōita Prefecture to the north, Miyazaki Prefecture to the east, and Kagoshima Prefecture to the south.

Mt. Aso (1592 m), an extensive active volcano, is in the east of Kumamoto Prefecture. This volcano is located at the center of the Aso caldera, the most famous caldera in Japan.

[edit] Cities

Fourteen cities are located in Kumamoto Prefecture:

[edit] Towns and villages

Towns and villages in each district:

[edit] Mergers

Main article: List of mergers in Kumamoto Prefecture

[edit] Economy

Kumamoto hosts a large Honda automobile plant. In 2007, a Honda factory on the site began to produce non-silicon solar cells for homes and businesses, with a projected capacity roughly equivalent to 8,000 households/year.[1]

[edit] Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Kumamoto.

Football (soccer)

• Rosso Kumamoto (Kumamoto city)

[edit] Demographics

[edit] Tourism

[edit] Prefectural symbols

[edit] Miscellaneous topics

• Kumamoto Prefecture is the 'sister state/prefecture' of Montana in the U.S.A.[2]
• Kumamoto is also the birth place of Hollywood actor Tetsu Komai.
• Kumamoto is the birth place of Japanese-Brazilian painter Manabu Mabe.

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Kumamoto Prefecture

• Official Kumamoto Prefecture homepage
• Kumamoto Links
• Wikitravel guide to Kumamoto
• National Archives of Japan ... Kumamoto map (1891)

Kumamoto Prefecture
Cities
Amakusa | Arao | Aso | Hitoyoshi | Kami-Amakusa | Kikuchi | Kōshi | Kumamoto (capital) | Minamata | Tamana | Uki | Uto | Yamaga | Yatsushiro
Districts
Amakusa | Ashikita | Aso | Kamimashiki | Kamoto | Kikuchi | Kuma | Shimomashiki | Tamana | Yatsushiro
See also: Towns and villages by district edit

Coordinates: 32°43′N 130°40′E / 32.717, 130.667