Shizuoka Prefecture

Shizuoka Prefecture
	Shizuoka Prefecture
Japanese:	静岡県
	Shizuoka-ken
Capital	Shizuoka
Region	Chūbu
Island	Honshū
Governor	Yoshinobu Ishikawa
Area (rank)	7,779.63 km² (13th)
- % water	2.6%
	Population (October 1, 2005)
- Population	3,792,457 (10th)
- Density	487 /km²
Districts	9
Municipalities	42
ISO 3166-2	JP-22
Website	[http://www.pref.shizuoka.jp/a_foreign/english/ www.pref.shizuoka.jp/; a_foreign/english/]
	Prefectural Symbols
- Flower	Azalea (Rhododenron)
- Tree	Sweet Osmanthus (Osmanthus fragrans var. aurantiacus)
- Bird	Japanese Paradise Flycatcher (Terpsiphone atrocaudata)
- Fish	{{{Fish}}}
	File:PrefSymbol-Shizuoka.png; Symbol of Shizuoka Prefecture
	Template ■ Discussion ■ WikiProject Japan

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Shizuoka Prefecture (静岡県, Shizuoka-ken^?) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.

History

Shizuoka prefecture was previously divided into Tōtōmi Province, Suruga Province and Izu Province, and it was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun. Tokugawa Ieyasu held the region until he conquered the lands of the Hōjō clan in the Kantō region and placed land under the stewardship of Oda Nobunaga. After becoming shogun, Tokugawa took the land back for his family and put the area around modern-day Shizuoka city under the direct supervision of the shogunate. With the creation of Shizuoka han in 1868, it once again became the residence of the Tokugawa family.

Geography

Map of Shizuoka Prefecture.

Shizuoka prefecture is an elongated region following the coast of the Pacific Ocean at the Suruga Bay. In the west, the prefecture extends deep into the Japan Alps. In the east, it becomes a narrower coast bounded in the north by Mount Fuji, until it comes to the Izu Peninsula, a popular resort area pointing south into the Pacific.

Tokai earthquakes

Every 100 to 150 years, an earthquake of disastrous proportions called the Tokai Earthquake hits Shizuoka. The most recent earthquake was in 1854.

Cities

Twenty-three cities are located in Shizuoka:

Towns

Towns in each district:

Fuji District

Shibakawa

Haibara District

Kawanehon

Yoshida

Hamana District

Arai

Kamo District

Shūchi District

Mori

Suntō District

Nagaizumi

Oyama

Shimizu

Tagata District

Kannami

Mergers

Main article: List of mergers in Shizuoka Prefecture

Future mergers

Around March 31, 2010, the city of Shimoda and three municipalities in Kamo district (Kawazu, Matsuzaki, and Minamiizu) will merge. Arai, Hamana District will merge into Kosai, and Hamana district will cease to exist.^[1]