Kyushu
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Kyūshū (
In the 8th-century Taihō Code reforms, Dazaifu was established as a special administrative term for the region.[6]
Geography
The island is mountainous, and Japan's most active volcano,
The total area is 36,782.37 km2 (14,201.75 sq mi) which makes it the 37th largest island in the world.[1] It's slightly larger than Taiwan island 35,808 km2 (13,826 sq mi).[5] The highest elevation is 1791 meters (5876 feet) on Mount Kujū.[9]
The name Kyūshū comes from the nine ancient provinces of
Today's Kyushu Region (九州地方, Kyūshū-chihō) is a politically defined region that consists of the seven prefectures on the island of Kyushu (which also includes the former Tsushima and Iki as part of Nagasaki), plus Okinawa Prefecture to the south:
- Northern Kyushu
- Southern Kyushu
- Okinawa
Population
Kyushu has 10.3 percent of the population of Japan.[11] Most of Kyushu's population is concentrated along the northwest, in the cities of Fukuoka and Kitakyushu, with population corridors stretching southwest into Sasebo and Nagasaki and south into Kumamoto and Kagoshima. Except for Oita and Miyazaki, the eastern seaboard shows a general decline in population.
Politically, Kyushu is described as a stronghold of the Liberal Democratic Party.[12]
Per Japanese census data,
Including Ryukyu Islands
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Excluding Ryukyu Islands
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Designated cities
- Fukuoka (population: 1,588,924)
- Kitakyushu (population: 940,978)
- Kumamoto (population: 738,907)
Core cities
Environment and agriculture
Parts of Kyushu have a
Besides the
There are two World Natural Heritage sites in Kyushu: Yakushima (registered in 1993) and Amami-Ōshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island (registered in 2021).[18]
Economy
Kyushu's economy accounts for about 10% of Japan's total, and with a GDP equivalent to that of Iran, the 26th largest country in the world, it is the fourth largest economic zone after the three major metropolitan areas of Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya.[19]
Kyushu's economy has a well-balanced industrial structure, ranging from primary industries such as agriculture, to secondary industries such as manufacturing, and tertiary industries such as retail, services, and tourism. Agricultural output in the region amounts to 1.8 trillion yen (20% share of the national total), and the region is a major domestic production center for the
Kyushu is a region with strong economic ties to Asia. For example, Asia accounted for 420 (77.9%) of the 539 overseas expansion cases of Kyushu-Yamaguchi companies from 2010 to 2019, and Asia accounted for 61.1% of Kyushu-Yamaguchi's total exports in 2019, 7.4 percentage points higher than the nation as a whole. As the logistics node between Japan and Asia, the ports of Hakata and Kitakyushu handle a large number of international containers. In addition, the number of cruise ship calls in 2019 was 772, with Kyushu accounting for 26.9% of the nation's total.[20]
Kyushu is noted for various types of porcelain, including Arita, Imari, Satsuma, and Karatsu. Heavy industry is concentrated in the north around Fukuoka, Kitakyushu, Nagasaki, and Oita and includes chemicals, automobiles, semiconductors, metal processing, shipbuilding, etc.[21] The island of Tanegashima hosts the Tanegashima Space Center, which is the largest rocket-launch complex in Japan.
Transportation
Kyushu is linked to the larger island of Honshu by the Kanmon Railway Tunnel,[22] which carries the non-Shinkansen trains of the Kyushu Railway Company, and the newer Shin-Kanmon Tunnel carrying the San'yō Shinkansen. Railways on the island are operated by the Kyushu Railway Company and West Japan Railway Company, as well as a variety of smaller companies such as Amagi Railway[23] and Nishitetsu Railway.[24] Kyushu Shinkansen trains operate between major cities on the island,[25] such as Fukuoka and Kagoshima,[26] with an additional route between Takeo-Onsen and Nagasaki which is in operation since September 2022.[27] Kyushu is also known for its scenic train services, such as the Limited Express Yufuin no Mori and Limited Express Kawasemi Yamasemi.[25]
The Kanmon Bridge and Kanmon Roadway Tunnel also connect the island with Honshu, allowing for vehicular transport between the two.[28] The Kyushu Expressway spans the length of the island, linking the Higashikyushu Expressway and Ibusuki Skyline, connecting major cities such as Fukuoka and Kumamoto along the way.[29] There are also many quiet country roads, including popular tourist routes such as the Nichinan coast road and the Aso Panorama Line in Kumamoto Prefecture. Bus services are available and cover 2,400 routes within Kyushu's cities, connecting many other destinations.[25]
Several passenger and car ferry services connect both northern and southern Kyushu with main port cities on the main island of Honshu (Kobe, Osaka, Tokyo) and Shikoku.[30]
Education
Major universities and colleges in Kyushu:
- National universities
- Kyushu University – One of seven former "Imperial Universities"
- Kyushu Institute of Technology
- Saga University
- Nagasaki University
- Kumamoto University
- Fukuoka University of Education
- Oita University
- Miyazaki University
- Kagoshima University
- National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya
- University of the Ryukyus
- Universities run by local governments
- University of Kitakyushu
- Kyushu Dental College
- Fukuoka Women's University
- Fukuoka Prefectural University
- Nagasaki Prefectural University
- Oita University of Nursing and Health Sciences
- Prefectural University of Kumamoto
- Miyazaki Municipal University
- Miyazaki Prefectural Nursing University
- Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts
- Major private universities
- Fukuoka University – University with the largest number of students in Kyushu
- Kumamoto Gakuen University
- Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
- Seinan Gakuin University
- Kyushu Sangyo University – Baseball team won the Japanese National Championship in 2005
- University of Occupational and Environmental Health
- Kurume University
Culture
World Heritage Sites in Kyushu[18]
- Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu, registered in 2000
- Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining, registered in 2015
- Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region, registered in 2017
- Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region, registered in 2018
See also
- Azumi people, an ancient group of people who inhabited parts of Northern Kyūshū
- Geography of Japan
- Group Kyushu
- Hoenn, a fictional region in the Pokémonfranchise which is based on Kyushu
- Japanese archipelago
- Kanmonkyo Bridge, that connects Kyūshū with Honshū
- Kyushu National Museum
- Hōnichi dialect, and Kagoshima dialect
- List of regions in Japan
- Northern Kyushu, Southern Kyushu
- United States Fleet Activities Sasebo
- Western Army (Japan)
References
- ^ a b "平成28年全国都道府県市区町村別面積調 島面積" (PDF). 国土地理院. 2016-10-01. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
- ^ "Kujū-san, Japan". Peakbagger.com.
- ^ "離島とは(島の基礎知識) (what is a remote island?)". MLIT (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism) (in Japanese). Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. 22 August 2015. Archived from the original (website) on 2007-11-13. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
MILT classification 6,852 islands(main islands: 5 islands, remote islands: 6,847 islands)
- ^ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Kyūshū" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 588, p. 588, at Google Books
- ^ a b "Discover the Geography of the 4 Main Islands of Japan". ThoughtCo. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
- ^ Nussbaum, "Dazaifu" in p. 150, p. 150, at Google Books; Dazaifu
- OCLC 58053128.
- OCLC 754792858.
- ^ "Japan Ultra-Prominences". Peaklist.org. Retrieved 2015-01-01.
- OCLC 754792858.
- ISBN 9783319519265.
- ^ "Japanese voters want a plan to handle a declining population". The Economist. 5 October 2017.
- ^ "Fukuoka (Japan): Prefecture, Major Cities & Towns - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information". www.citypopulation.de.
- ^ "Japan Prefectures Population from 1920 and Area". www.demographia.com.
- ^ 「都市と地方における子育て環境の違いから得られた知見」
- ^ "令和2年(2020)人口動態統計月報年計(概数)の概況" (PDF).
- ^ C. Michael Hogan. 2010. Extremophile. eds. E. Monosson and C. Cleveland. Encyclopedia of Earth. National Council for Science and the Environment, Washington DC
- ^ a b "日本の世界遺産一覧". 文化庁 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-05-22.
- ^ a b "potential of Kyushu". Fukuoka financial group (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-05-16.
- ^ "はじめての九州経済". Kyushu economic research center (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-05-22.
- ^ "JAPAN PRODUCTS: Business Directory of Japanese Companies". Retrieved 2020-05-28.
- ^ "Kanmon Tunnel | Description, History, Construction, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- ^ "Railways in Kyushu". www.sinfin.net. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- ^ "Railways in Northern Kyushu". www.japaneserailwaysociety.com. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- ^ a b c "Getting Around | Kyushu Tourism Promotion Organization". www.visit-kyushu.com. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- ^ "Kyushu Shinkansen". Japan Visitor. Archived from the original on 2021-10-20. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- ^ "Fukuoka to Nagasaki: How to go from Fukuoka to Nagasaki? | Japan-Rail-Pass". Japan Rail Pass | Japan Rail Pass. 2020-07-10. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
- ^ MATCHA. "Walk From Honshu To Kyushu! 4 Ways To Cross Between The Two Islands". MATCHA - JAPAN TRAVEL WEB MAGAZINE. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- ^ "Kyushu Expy · Japan". Kyushu Expy · Japan. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
- ^ "Domestic Ferries". May 2022.