Kanagawa Prefecture

   

Kanagawa prefecture (神奈川県)

Kanagawa prefectural symbol
Kanagawa prefectural symbol

CapitalYokohama
Region:Kanto
Island:Honshu
Area

 - Total
 - % water

Ranked 43rd

2,415.42 km²
2.3%

Population

 - Total (Jan 1, 2000)
 - Density

Ranked 3rd

8,639,665
3,577/km²

Districts:7
Municipalities:37
ISO 3166-2:JP-14
Symbols
Pref. Flower:Golden-rayed lily
(Lilium auratum)
Pref. Tree:Ginkgo tree
(Ginkgo biloba)
Pref. Bird:Common gull
(Larus canus)
Image:Japan_kanagawa_map_small.png

Kanagawa prefecture (神奈川県; Kanagawa-ken) is a geographic and political area located in the Kanto region on Honshu island, Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Yokosuka Port commanding the mouth of Tokyo Bay is headquartered by the U.S. 7th Fleet.

This prefecture is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.

History

  • Most of the prefecture belonged to Sagami Province and some parts of Musashi Province in ancient Japan.
  • In the medieval age, samurai clans in Eastern Japan took military supremacy and established the shugunate government at Kamakura in central Sagami.
  • In the early modern age, the western part of Sagami Province was governed by a feudal lord with a castle in Odawara, and the eastern part was directly governed by the Tokugawa Shogunate in Edo or today's Tokyo.
  • Under foreign pressure, Japan opened Yokohama Port to foreign traders in 1859. Yokohama developed into a modern and prosperous port in the modern age.
  • Yokosuka City commanding a strategic locattion at the mouth of Tokyo Bay developed as a naval port during the age of militarism. The port is still headquartered by the U.S. 7th Fleet and the Japanese Self-Defence Fleet.
  • Urban areas including Yokohama and Kawasaki were heavily damaged by the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 and the heavy bombing in 1945.

Geography

Cities

Towns and Villages

Economy

Demographics

Culture

Tourism

Prefectural symbols

Miscellaneous topics

Kanagawa is well known for the popularity of soccer. It is also the prefecture in which the manga Love Hina takes place.

External links



de:Präfektur Kanagawa es:Prefectura de Kanagawa eo:Kanagaŭa (prefektujo) fr:Préfecture de Kanagawa ja:神奈川県

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