Fukuoka Prefecture

Fukuoka Prefecture
	Fukuoka Prefecture
Japanese:	福岡県
	Fukuoka-ken
Capital	Fukuoka (city)
Region	Kyūshū
Island	Kyūshū
Governor	Wataru Aso
Area (rank)	4,971.01 km² (29th)
- % water	2.3%
	Population (July 1, 2004)
- Population	5,057,932 (9th)
- Density	1,017 /km²
Districts	13
Municipalities	65
ISO 3166-2	JP-40
Website	www.pref.fukuoka.lg.jp/somu/; multilingual/english/top.html
	Prefectural Symbols
- Flower	Ume blossom (Prunus mume)
- Tree	Azalea (Rhododendron tsutsusi)
- Bird	Japanese Bush Warbler (Cettia diphone)
- Fish
	; Symbol of Fukuoka Prefecture
	Template ■ Discussion ■ WikiProject Japan

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Fukuoka Prefecture (福岡県, Fukuoka-ken^?) is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The capital is the city of Fukuoka.

[edit] History

Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen.

Fukuoka Prefecture has signed Friendship Agreements with Bangkok, Thailand, Delhi, India, and Hanoi, Vietnam.

[edit] Geography

Fukuoka Prefecture faces the sea on three sides, bordering on Saga, Ōita, and Kumamoto prefectures and facing Yamaguchi Prefecture across the Kanmon Straits.

Fukuoka includes the two largest cities on Kyūshū, Fukuoka and Kitakyushu, and much of Kyūshū's industry. It also includes a number of small islands near the north coast of Kyūshū.

[edit] Cities

Twenty-eight cities are located in Fukuoka Prefecture:

Koga

[edit] Towns and villages

Map of Fukuoka Prefecture.

These are the towns and villages in each district.

Asakura District

Chikuzen

Tōhō

Chikujō District

Chikujō

Kōge

Chikushi District

Nakagawa

Itoshima District

Nijō

Shima

Kaho District

Keisen

Kasuya District

Kurate District

Kotake

Kurate

Mii District

Tachiarai

Miyako District

Kanda

Miyako

Mizuma District

Ōki

Onga District

Tagawa District

Yame District

[edit] Mergers

Main article: List of mergers in Fukuoka Prefecture

[edit] Economy

Fukuoka prefecture's main cities form one of Japan's main industrial centers, accounting for nearly 40% of the economy of Kyūshū. Major industries include automobiles, semiconductors, and steel. Fukuoka prefecture is noteworthy as the place where tire manufacturer Bridgestone [1] and consumer electronics chain Best Denki were founded.

[edit] Universities

Institution	Location
Fukuoka University	Fukuoka
Kurume University	Kurume
Kyūshū Institute of Technology	Kitakyūshū and Iizuka
Kyūshū University	Fukuoka
Seinan Gakuin University	Fukuoka
Kyūshū Institute of Information Sciences	Dazaifu
Kyūshū Sangyo University	Fukuoka

[edit] Demographics

[edit] Culture

Fukuoka Art Museum - In Ohori Park; contains a wide selection of contemporary and other art from around the world.

Fukuoka Asian Art Museum - contains art from various countries of Asia.

Fukuoka City Museum - displays a broad range of items from the region's history, including a spectacular gold seal.

Genko Historical Museum (元寇史料館; Museum of the Mongol Invasion) - In Higashi Koen (East Park); displays Japanese and Mongolian arms and armor from the 13th century as well as paintings on historical subjects. Open on weekends.

Hakata Machiya Folk Museum - Dedicated to displaying the traditional ways of life, speech, and culture of the Fukuoka region.

[edit] Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Fukuoka.

Football (soccer)

Avispa Fukuoka (Fukuoka City)

Baseball

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (Fukuoka City)

Basketball

Fukuoka Rizing (Fukuoka City)

Rugby

The prefecture has two significant annual athletics events: the Fukuoka International Cross Country and the Fukuoka International Open Marathon Championship. The marathon race has been held in Fukuoka since 1959 and has seen a number of world records broken during its history.^[1]

[edit] Tourism

The most popular place for tourism is Fukuoka City, especially at the time of the Dontaku festival, and Dazaifu, although Kitakyūshū has also tried to attract tourists.