Kōchi Prefecture

Map of Kochi Prefecture.

Kōchi Prefecture (高知県, Kōchi-ken) is located on the south coast of Shikoku, Japan. The capital is the city of Kochi.

History

Prior to the Meiji Restoration, Kochi was known as Tosa Province.

Geography

Kochi Prefecture comprises the southwestern part of the island of Shikoku, facing the Pacific Ocean. It is the largest but least populous of Shikoku's four prefectures. Most of the province is mountainous, and in only a few areas such as around Kochi and Nakamura is there a coastal plain. Kochi is famous for its many rivers.

Cities

Eleven cities are located in Kochi Prefecture:

• Aki
• Kami
• Kochi (capital)
• Konan
• Muroto
• Nankoku
• Shimanto
• Sukumo
• Susaki
• Tosa
• Tosashimizu

Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each district.

Tosa District Usa-Cho (Usa Town), Tosa Okawa Tosa Agawa District Harunoǂ Ino Niyodogawa Aki District Geisei Kitagawa Nahari Tano Toyo Umaji Yasuda

Hata District Kuroshio Mihara Otsuki Nagaoka District Motoyama Otoyo

Takaoka District Hidaka Nakatosa Ochi Sakawa Shimanto Tsuno Yusuhara

ǂScheduled to dissolve after the mergers

Mergers

(as of March 27, 2006)

Main article: Merger and dissolution of municipalities of Japan

• On October 1, 2004 the village of Hongawa from Tosa District and the village of Gohoku from Agawa District merged with the old town of Ino (also from Agawa District) to form the new town of Ino in Agawa District.

• On January 1, 2005 the villages of Tosayama and Kagami from Tosa District merged into the city of Kochi.

• On February 1, 2005 the villages of Hayama and Higashitsuno from Takaoka District merged to form the new town of Tsuno.

• On April 10, 2005 the city of Nakamura and the village of Nishitosa from Hata District merged to form the new city of Shimanto.

• On August 1, 2005 the town of Ikegawa and the village of Agawa (both from Agawa District) and the village of Niyodo from Takaoka District merged to form the new town of Niyodogawa in Agawa District.

• On January 1, 2006 the village of Onomi from Takaoka District merged into the town of Nakatosa.

• On March 1, 2006, the towns of Akaoka, Kagami, Noichi and Yasu and the village of Yoshikawa (all from Kami District) merged to form the new city of Konan.

• On March 1, 2006, the towns of Tosayamada and Kahoku and the village of Monobe (all from Kami District) merged to form the new city of Kami. Kami District was dissolved as a result of these mergers.

• On March 20, 2006, the municipalities of Kubokawa from Takaoka District and Taisho and Towa from Hata District merged to form the new town of Shimanto in Takaoka District.

• On March 20, 2006, the towns of Saga and Ogata from Hata District merged to form the new town of Kuroshio.

Future mergers

• The town of Haruno from Agawa District is scheduled to get absorbed by the city of Kochi on New Years Day 2008.

Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Kochi.

Baseball

• Kochi Fighting Dogs

See also

• Yosakoi Festival

External links

• Official Kochi Prefecture homepage

33°26′N 133°26′E