Kyushu

Kyushu

Native name: 九州
Kyushu region of Japan and the current prefectures on the island of Kyushu
Geography
Location	East Asia
Archipelago	Japanese Archipelago
Area
Area rank	37th
Highest elevation	1,791 m (5,876 ft)
Highest point	Kujū-san
Country
Japan
Prefectures	Fukuoka Prefecture Kagoshima Prefecture Kumamoto Prefecture Miyazaki Prefecture Nagasaki Prefecture Ōita Prefecture Saga Prefecture Okinawa Prefecture
Largest settlement	Fukuoka
Demographics
Population	13,231,995
Density	332.38 /km2 (860.86 /sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Japanese

Kyushu (九州, Kyūshū, lit. "Nine Provinces") (Japanese pronunciation: [kjɯᵝːꜜɕɯᵝː]) is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include Kyūkoku (九国^?, "Nine States"), Chinzei (鎮西^?, "West of the Pacified Area"), and Tsukushi-no-shima (筑紫島^?, "Island of Tsukushi"). The historical regional name Saikaidō (西海道, lit. West Sea Circuit) referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands.

In the 8th century Taihō Code reforms, Dazaifu was established as a special administrative term for the region.

As of 2006, Kyushu has a population of 13,231,995 and covers 35,640 square kilometres (13,760 sq mi).

Geography

The island is mountainous, and Japan's most active volcano, Mt Aso at 1,591 metres (5,220 ft), is on Kyushu. There are many other signs of tectonic activity, including numerous areas of hot springs. The most famous of these are in Beppu, on the east shore, and around Mt. Aso, in central Kyushu. The island is separated from Honshu by the Kanmon Straits.

The name Kyūshū comes from the nine ancient provinces of Saikaidō situated on the island: Chikuzen, Chikugo, Hizen, Higo, Buzen, Bungo, Hyūga, Osumi, and Satsuma.

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
  • Fukuoka Prefecture
  • Saga Prefecture
  • Kumamoto Prefecture
  • Nagasaki Prefecture
  • Ōita Prefecture
• Southern Kyushu
  • Kagoshima Prefecture
  • Miyazaki Prefecture
• Okinawa Prefecture

Demography

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. Excepting Oita and Miyazaki cities, the eastern seaboard shows a general decline in population.

Designated cities

• Fukuoka (population: 1,460,000)
• Kitakyushu (population: 977,000)
• Kumamoto (population: 730,000)

Core cities

• Kagoshima
• Ōita
• Nagasaki
• Miyazaki
• Naha
• Kurume

Economy and environment

Map of Kyushu region with prefectures

JMSDF District Forces, including the Sasebo District Force

Parts of Kyushu have a subtropical climate, particularly Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures. Major agricultural products are rice, tea, tobacco, sweet potatoes, and soy; silk is also widely produced. The island 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, and metal processing.

In 2010, the graduate employment rate in the region was the lowest nationwide, at 88.9%.

Besides the volcanic area of the south, there are significant mud hot springs in the northern part of the island, around Beppu. These springs are the site of occurrence of certain extremophile micro-organisms, that are capable of surviving in extremely hot environments.

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
  • Siebold University of Nagasaki
  • 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 National Championship in 2005
  • University of Occupational and Environmental Health
  • Kurume University

Transportation

The island is linked to the larger island of Honshu by the Kanmon Tunnels, which carry both the Sanyō Shinkansen and non-Shinkansen trains of the Kyushu Railway Company, as well as vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle traffic. The Kanmon Bridge also connects the island with Honshu. Railways on the island are operated by the Kyushu Railway Company, and Nishitetsu Railway.

See also

• Azumi people, an ancient group of people who inhabited parts of northern Kyūshū
• Geography of Japan
• Group Kyushu
• Western Army (Japan)
• United States Fleet Activities Sasebo
• Hoenn, a fictional region in the Pokémon franchise which is based on Kyushu
• Kanmonkyo Bridge, that connects Kyūshū with Honshū
• Kyushu National Museum
• List of regions in Japan
• Kyushu dialects
  • Hichiku dialect, Hōnichi dialect and Kagoshima dialect

References

• Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 58053128