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	35,640 km2 (13,761 sq mi)
Area rank	37th
Highest elevation	1,788 m (5,866 ft)
Highest point	Kujū-san[1]
Country
Japan
Prefectures	Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Ōita, Saga
Largest city	Fukuoka
Demographics
Population	13,231,995
Density	332.38 /km2 (860.86 /sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Japanese

Kyushu (九州, Kyūshū^?, lit. "Nine Provinces") is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands.^[2] 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 is 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.^[3]

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

Geography[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

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 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 and also Okinawa Prefecture to the south:

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

The world's 37th largest island by area, Kyushu is smaller than Spitsbergen but larger than New Britain and Taiwan. By population, it ranks 13th, having fewer inhabitants than Borneo or Sulawesi, but more than Salsette (Mumbai) or Cuba.

Economy and environment[link]

Map of Kyushu region with prefectures

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%.^[4]

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.^[5]

Education[link]

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

See also[link]

Look up Kyushu in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Japan portal

• Azumi people, an ancient group of people who inhabited parts of northern Kyūshū
• Geography of Japan
• Group Kyushu
• Kanmonkyo Bridge, that connects Kyūshū with Honshū
• Kyushu National Museum
• List of regions in Japan
• Hoenn

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 10-ISBN 0-674-01753-6; 13-ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 58053128

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