Ehime Prefecture

"Ehime" redirects here. For the school ship, see Ehime Maru and USS Greeneville collision.
Ehime Prefecture
愛媛県
Prefecture
Japanese transcription(s)
 • Japanese 愛媛県
 • Rōmaji Ehime-ken

Flag
Symbol of Ehime Prefecture
Country Japan
Region Shikoku
Island Shikoku
Capital Matsuyama
Government
 • Governor Tokihiro Nakamura (since December 2010)
Area
 • Total 5,676.44 km2 (2,191.69 sq mi)
Area rank 26th
Population (November 1, 2010)
 • Total 1,430,086
 • Rank 27th
 • Density 251.93/km2 (652.5/sq mi)
ISO 3166 code JP-38
Districts 7
Municipalities 20
Flower Satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu)[1]
Tree Pine (Pinus)[1]
Bird Japanese robin (Erithacus akahige)[1]
Fish Red sea bream (Pagrus major)[1]
Website www.pref.ehime.jp/index-e.htm

Ehime Prefecture (愛媛県 Ehime-ken) is a prefecture in northwestern Shikoku, Japan.[2] The capital is Matsuyama.[3]

History

Until the Meiji Restoration, Ehime Prefecture was known as Iyo Province.[4] Since before the Heian period, the area was dominated by fishermen and sailors who played an important role in defending Japan against pirates and Mongolian invasions.

After the Battle of Sekigahara, the Tokugawa shogun gave the area to his allies, including Kato Yoshiaki who built Matsuyama Castle, forming the basis for the modern city of Matsuyama.

The name Ehime comes from the kuniumi part of the Kojiki where Iyo Province is mythologically named Ehime "lovely princess."[5]

In 2012, a research group from the University of Tokyo and Ehime University said they had discovered rare earth deposits in Matsuyama.[6]

Geography

Located in the northwestern part of Shikoku, Ehime faces the Seto Inland Sea to the north and is bordered by Kagawa and Tokushima in the east and Kōchi in the south.

The prefecture includes both high mountains in the inland region and a long coastline, with many islands in the Seto Inland Sea. The westernmost arm of Ehime, the Sadamisaki Peninsula, is the narrowest peninsula in Japan.

As of April 1, 2012, 7% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Ashizuri-Uwakai and Setonaikai National Parks; Ishizuchi Quasi-National Park; and seven Prefectural Natural Parks.[7]

Cities

Map of Ehime Prefecture.
Matsuyama
Uwajima

Eleven cities are located in Ehime Prefecture:

Towns and villages

These are the towns in each district:

Ehime agency
Matsuyama Castle

Mergers

Former districts:

Economy

The coastal areas around Imabari and Saijō host a number of industries, including dockyards of Japan's largest shipbuilder, Imabari Shipbuilding. Chemical industries, oil refining, paper and cotton textile products also are a feature of the prefecture. Rural areas mostly engage in agricultural and fishing industries, and are particularly known for citrus fruits such as mikan (tangerine) and iyokan and cultured pearls.

Ikata's nuclear power plant produces a large portion of Shikoku's electricity.

Education

University

National

Prefectural

Private

Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Ehime.

Football (soccer)

Baseball

Culture

The oldest extant hot spring in Japan, Dogo Onsen, is located in Matsuyama. It has been used for over two thousand years.

Iyo dialect, one of the Shikoku dialects, is the dialect spoken in Ehime Prefecture.

Museums

Transport

Rail

Tramway

Road

Expressway

Kurushima Strait Bridge on the Shimanami Kaidō

National highways

Ports

Airport

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 愛媛県の紹介 ＞ 愛媛県のシンボル. Ehime prefectural website (in Japanese). Ehime Prefecture. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  2. ↑ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Ehime" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 170, p. 170, at Google Books.
  3. ↑ Nussbaum, "Matsuyama" at p. 621, p. 621, at Google Books.
  4. ↑ Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" at p. 780, p. 780, at Google Books.
  5. ↑ Chamberlain, Basil Hall. 1882. A translation of the "Ko-ji-ki" or Records of ancient matters. section V
  6. ↑ "Japan Discovers Domestic Rare Earths Reserve". BrightWire.
  7. ↑ "General overview of area figures for Natural Parks by prefecture" (PDF). Ministry of the Environment. Retrieved 19 August 2012.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ehime prefecture.

Coordinates: 33°50′N 132°50′E / 33.833°N 132.833°E / 33.833; 132.833

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