Kyūshū

third largest island of Japan

Kyushu (九州, Kyūshū, literally "Nine Provinces"; Japanese: [kʲɯːꜜɕɯː]) is one of Japan's four main islands.[2] It is the most southern of the main islands and the third largest.[3]

Kyushu
Native name:
九州
Satellite picture of Kyushu
Kyushu region of Japan and the current prefectures on the island of Kyushu
Geography
LocationEast Asia
ArchipelagoJapanese Archipelago
Area36,782 km2 (14,202 sq mi)
Area rank37th
Highest elevation1,791 m (5876 ft)
Highest pointMount Kujū[1]
Administration
Prefectures Fukuoka Prefecture
 Kagoshima Prefecture
 Kumamoto Prefecture
 Miyazaki Prefecture
 Nagasaki Prefecture
 Ōita Prefecture
 Okinawa Prefecture
 Saga Prefecture
Largest settlementFukuoka
Demographics
Population12,970,479 (2016)
Pop. density307.13/km2 (795.46/sq mi)
Ethnic groupsJapanese

Regions change

Kyūshū region is made up of the entire island.[4]

The name Kyūshū literally means "nine countries" in Japanese. Kyūshū was made of nine old "countries" or provinces that are now prefectures. Each prefecture has a modern name and sometimes more than one old provincial name. The old names are still used sometimes, especially for foods, music, or art.

The original nine provinces in Kyushu were Chikuzen, Chikugo, Hizen, Higo, Buzen, Bungo, Hyūga, Ōsumi, and Satsuma.

Today, Kyushu is made up of seven of the prefectures of Japan.

Parts of Kyūshū have a warm climate, like the Miyazaki and Kagoshima regions. Major crops grown there are rice, tea, tobacco, sweet potatoes, and soy; silk is also made. The island is known for many types of porcelain like Arita, Imari, Satsuma and Karatsu.

Under the Gokishichidō system, the island of Kyūshū was a part of the region known as Saikaidō. It was a part of this region from the 7th century until the middle of the 1800s. Around 1905, it was made into its own region. In the modern system, Kyūshū and the small islands around it are a part of the Kyūshū region.

Related pages change

References change

  1. "Kujū-san, Japan". Peakbagger.com.
  2. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Kyūshū" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 588, p. 588, at Google Books
  3. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2002). "Kyushu" in Japan Encyclopedia, pp. 588-589.
  4. LOC, "Kyushu"; retrieved 2012-2-13.
  5. Nussbaum, "Fukuoka-ken" at p. 218; Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Fukuoka Prefecture, Regional Information Archived 2012-12-31 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-4-6.
  6. Nussbaum, "Kagoshima prefecture" at p. 447; JETRO, Kagoshima Prefecture, Regional Information; retrieved 2012-4-6.
  7. Nussbaum, "Kumamoto prefecture" at p. 572; JETRO, Kumamoto Prefecture, Regional Information; retrieved 2012-4-6.
  8. Nussbaum, "Miyazaki prefecture" at p. 651; JETRO, Miyaszaki Prefecture, Regional Information; retrieved 2012-4-6.
  9. Nussbaum, "Nagasaki prefecture" at p. 683; JETRO, Nagasaki Prefecture, Regional Information; retrieved 2012-4-6.
  10. Nussbaum, "Ōita-ken" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 742; JETRO, Oita Prefecture, Regional Information[permanent dead link]; retrieved 2012-4-6.
  11. Nussbaum, "Saga prefecture" at p. 804; JETRO, Saga Prefecture, Regional Information; retrieved 2012-4-6.

Other websites change

  Media related to Kyushu at Wikimedia Commons