Wakayama Prefecture

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**Wakayama Prefecture (和歌山県 *Wakayama-ken*)**

Capital	Wakayama (city)
Region	Kinki
Island	Honshū
Governor	Yoshiki Kimura
Area	4,725.67 km² (30^th)
- % water	0.04%
Population (October 1, 2005)
- Population	1,036,061 (39^th)
- Density	219 /km²
Districts	6
Municipalities	31
ISO 3166-2	JP-30
Website	www.wakayama.lg.jp/ english/
Prefectural Symbols
- Flower	Ume blossom (Prunus mume)
- Tree	Ubame oak (Quercus phillyraeoides)
- Bird	Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonica)
Symbol of Wakayama Prefecture

Wakayama Prefecture (和歌山県, Wakayama-ken^?) is part of the Kii Peninsula in the Kinki region on Honshū island, Japan. The capital is the city of Wakayama.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Economy
4 Demographics
5 Culture
6 Tourism
7 Prefectural symbols
8 Miscellaneous topics
9 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Geography

Image:WakayamaMapCurrent.png

[edit] Cities

Nine cities are located in Wakayama Prefecture:

[edit] Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each district:

[edit] Mergers

(as of April 1, 2006)

On October 1, 2004, the village of Minabegawa and the town of Minabe {both from Hidaka District) merged to form the new town of Minabe.

On April 1, 2005, the town of Kushimoto from Nishimuro District merged with the town of Koza from Higashimuro District to form the town of Kushimoto (now part of Higashimuro District).

On April 1, 2005, the city of Kainan and the town of Shimotsu from Kaisou District merged to form the new city of Kainan.

On May 1, 2005, the towns of Kawabe, Nakatsu and Miyama from Hidaka District merged to form the new town of Hidakagawa.

On May 1, 2005, the city of Tanabe, the village of Ryujin from Hidaka District, the town of Nakahechi and the village of Oto from Nishimuro District and town of Hongu from Higashimuro District merged to form the new city of Tanabe.

On October 1, 2005, the village of Hanazono from Ito District merged into the town of Katsuragi.

On October 1, 2005, the city of Shingu and the town of Kumanogawa from Higashimuro District merged to form the new city of Shingu.

On November 11, 2005, the towns of Uchita, Kokawa, Naga, Momoyama and Kishigawa from Naga District merged to form the new city of Kinokawa.

On January 1, 2006, the towns of Kanaya, Kibi and Shimizu from Arida District merged to form the new town of Aridagawa.

On January 1, 2006, the towns of Misato and Nokami from Kaisou District merged to form the new town of Kimino.

On March 1, 2006, the city of Hashimoto and the town of Koyaguchi from Ito District merged to form the new city of Hashimoto.

On March 1, 2006, the towns of Hikigawa and Shirahama (both from Nishimuro District) merged to form the new town of Shirahama.

[edit] Other changes

On April 1, 2006, the town of Iwade from Naga District was promoted to city status. Naga District was dissolved with this change in status.

[edit] Economy

Wakayama-Ken supplies most of Japan with its high production of mikans (Mandarin Oranges) in October of every year.

[edit] Demographics

[edit] Culture

Mount Koya (高野山; -san) in the Ito District is the headquarters of the Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism. It is home to one of the first Japanese style buddhist temples in Japan and remains a site of pilgrimage and an increasingly popular tourist destination as people flock to see its ancient temples set amidst the towering cedar trees at the top of the mountain.

The Kumano Shrines are located on the southern tip of the prefecture.