Miyagi Prefecture

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Miyagi Prefecture (宮城県; Miyagi-ken)

Image:Japan Miyagi large.png
Capital	Sendai
Region	Tohoku
Island	Honshu
Governor	Shiro Asano
Area	7,285.16 km² (17th)
- % water	0.3%
Population (October 1, 2002)
- Population	2,370,280 (15th)
- Density	325 /km²
Districts	12
Municipalities	45
ISO 3166-2	JP-04
Web site	www.pref.miyagi.jp/ english/
Prefectural Symbols
- Flower	Miyagi bush clover (Lespedeza thunbergii)
- Tree	Japanese zelkova (Zelkova serrata)
- Bird	Wild goose
Image:PrefSymbol-Miyagi.png Symbol of Miyagi Prefecture

Miyagi Prefecture (宮城県; Miyagi-ken) is located in Tohoku region on Honshu island, Japan. The capital is Sendai.

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 2.1 Cities 2.2 Towns and villages 2.3 Mergers 2.3.1 Kami merger 2.3.2 Higashimatsushima merger 2.3.3 Kurihara merger 2.3.4 Tome merger 2.3.5 Ishinomaki expansion 2.3.6 Minamisanriku merger 2.3.7 Kesennuma expansion 3 Economy 4 Demographics 5 Culture 6 Tourism 7 Prefectural symbols 8 Miscellaneous topics 9 External links

History

Miyagi Prefecture was formerly part of the province of Mutsu. Date Masamune built a castle at Sendai as his seat to rule Mutsu. In 1871, Sendai Prefecture was formed. It was renamed Miyagi prefecture the following year.

Geography

Miyagi Prefecture is located in the central part of Tohoku, facing the Pacific Ocean, and contains Tohoku's largest city, Sendai. There are high mountains on the west and along the northeast coast, but the central plain around Sendai is fairly large.

Matsushima is known as one of the three most scenic coasts of Japan, with a bay full of 260 small island covered in pine groves.

Cities

• Furukawa
• Higashimatsushima
• Ishinomaki
• Iwanuma
• Kakuda
• Kesennuma
• Kurihara
• Natori
• Sendai (capital)
• Shiogama
• Shiroishi
• Tagajo
• Tome

Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each district.

Igu District Marumori Kami District Kami Shikama Katta District Shichikashuku Zaou Kurokawa District Ohira Osato Taiwa Tomiya

Miyagi District Matsushima Rifu Shichigahama Motoyoshi District Karakuwa Motoyoshi Shizugawa Utatsu Oshika District Onagawa Shibata District Kawasaki Murata Ogawara Shibata

Shida District Kashimadai Matsuyama Sanbongi Tamatsukuri District Iwadeyama Naruko Toda District Kogota Nangou Tajiri Wakuya Watari District Watari Yamamoto

Mergers

Kami merger

On April 1, 2003, Kami town was formed from a merger between three towns in the Kami district; Miyazaki, Nakaniida, and Onoda.

Higashimatsushima merger

On April 1, 2005, Naruse town and Yamoto town from the Monou district merged and created the city of Higashimatsushima. This merger, combined with the simultaneous Ishinomaki expansion, dissolved Monou district.

Kurihara merger

On April 1, 2005, all towns and villages in the Kurihara district merged and created the city of Kurihara. One village and nine towns were involved in the merger. They were Ichihasama, Kannari, Kurikoma, Semine, Shiwahime, Takashimizu, Tsukidate, Wakayanagi, along with Hanayama village.

Tome merger

On April 1, 2005, all towns in the Tome district merged with Tsuyama town in the Motoyoshi district and created the city of Tome. Nine towns merged, which were Hasama, Ishikoshi, Minamikata, Nakada, Tome, Towa, Toyosato, Tsuyama, and Yoneyama

Ishinomaki expansion

On April 1, 2005, five towns from the Monou District and Oshika town from the Oshika District merged into the city of Ishinomaki. This expansion, combined with the Higashimatsushima merger, dissolved Monou district. The five towns from Monou district were Kahoku, Kanan, Kitakami, Monou and Ogatsu.

Minamisanriku merger

On October 1, 2005, the town of Shizugawa and the town of Utatsu from the Motoyoshi District will merge and create the town of Minamisanriku.

The merge site of Shizugawa and Utatsu (in Japanese)

Kesennuma expansion

On April 1, 2006, the town of Karakuwa will merge into the city of Kesennuma.

News of the merge of Kesennuma and Karakuwa (in Japanese)

Economy

Although Miyagi has a good deal of fishing and agriculture, producing a great deal of rice and livestock, it is dominated by the manufacturing industries around Sendai, particularly electronics, appliances, and food processing.

Demographics

Culture

Tourism

Sendai was the castle town of the daimyo Date Masamune. The remains of Sendai Castle stand on a hill above the city.

Miyagi Prefecture boasts one of Japan's three greatest sights. Matsushima, the pine-clad islands, dot the waters off the coast of the prefecture.

Prefectural symbols

Miscellaneous topics

External links

• Official Miyagi Prefecture homepage

Miyagi Prefecture Image:PrefSymbol-Miyagi.png
Cities
Furukawa | Higashimatsushima | Ishinomaki | Iwanuma | Kakuda | Kesennuma | Kurihara | Natori | Sendai (capital) | Shiogama | Shiroishi | Tagajo | Tome
Districts
Igu | Kami | Katta | Kurokawa | Miyagi | Motoyoshi | Oshika | Shibata | Shida | Tamatsukuri | Toda | Watari
See also: Towns and villages by district

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