Hiroshima Prefecture

The area around Hiroshima was formerly divided into Bingo Province and Aki Province.[3] This location has been a center of trade and culture since the beginning of Japan's recorded history. Hiroshima is a traditional center of the Chūgoku region and was the seat of the Mōri clan until the Battle of Sekigahara.

Together with Nara and Tokyo, Hiroshima is one of the three prefectures with more than one UNESCO World Heritage Site. The two such sites in Hiroshima Prefecture are:

• The Atomic Dome in Hiroshima, one of the few remnants of prewar Hiroshima following the atomic bombing in 1945;
• The Itsukushima Shrine in Miyajima, famed for filling with water and appearing to "float" during high tide.

Map of Hiroshima Prefecture
     Government Ordinance Designated City      City      Town

Fukuyama

Onomichi

Higashihiroshima

Mihara

Hiroshima prefecture lies in the middle of Japan. Most of the prefecture consists of mountains leading towards Shimane Prefecture; and rivers produce rich plains near the coast.

The province faces Shikoku across the Seto Inland Sea. Hiroshima Bay opens on the Inland Sea.[4] The prefecture also includes many small islands.

The sheltered nature of the Inland Sea makes Hiroshima's climate very mild.

As of 1 April 2014, 4% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks (the lowest percentage of any prefecture), namely Setonaikai National Park; Hiba-Dōgo-Taishaku and Nishi-Chūgoku Sanchi Quasi-National Parks; and six Prefectural Natural Parks.[5]

Cities

See also: List of cities in Hiroshima Prefecture by population

Fourteen cities are located in Hiroshima Prefecture:

Name		Area (km2)	Population	Map
Rōmaji	Kanji
Akitakata	安芸高田市	538.17	31,565
Etajima	江田島市	100.97	24,596
Fuchū	府中市	195.71	43,932
Fukuyama	福山市	518.14	468,812
Hatsukaichi	廿日市市	489.36	117,106
Higashihiroshima	東広島市	635.32	185,418
Hiroshima (capital)	広島市	906.68	1,199,391
Kure	呉市	352.8	228,030
Mihara	三原市	471.03	97,324
Miyoshi	三次市	778.19	53,616
Onomichi	尾道市	284.85	141,811
Ōtake	大竹市	78.57	27,684
Shōbara	庄原市	1,246.6	35,870
Takehara	竹原市	118.3	26,035

Towns

These are the towns in each district:

Name		Area (km2)	Population	District	Type	Map
Rōmaji	Kanji
Akiōta	安芸太田町	342.25	6,585	Yamagata District	Town
Fuchū	府中町	10.45	52,056	Aki District
Jinsekikōgen	神石高原町	381.81	9,427	Jinseki District
Kaita	海田町	13.81	29,082	Aki District
Kitahiroshima	北広島町	645.86	19,115	Yamagata District
Kumano	熊野町	33.62	24,000	Aki District
Ōsakikamijima	大崎上島町	43.24	7,801	Toyota District
Saka	坂町	15.64	13,265	Aki District
Sera	世羅町	278.29	19,213	Sera District

Hiroshima's main industries include automobiles (Mazda is headquartered there) and tourism in two World Heritage Sites: the A-Bomb dome and Itsukushima Shrine.

Components of the economy are primary industry, secondary industry, and tertiary industry, which compose 0.6%, 32.6%, and 66.2% in 2015. There is 0.6% of unclassified production.[7]

Value of production of manufacturing is 10,343 billion yen in 2016, which is the 10th largest in Japan. After 2012, production of manufacturing is continuously increasing in 2015.[8]

Similar to the rest of Japan, most people in the Hiroshima Prefecture are Shinto or Buddhist. in 1996 51.2% of the population was Buddhist, 2 were affiliated with Shinto Sects, 44.8% practiced Folk Shinto, and 2% were Christian.[9]

Mazda Stadium

The sports teams listed below are based in Hiroshima.

• 
  Itsukushima Shrine and Torii Gate (Hatsukaichi)
• 
  Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Hiroshima City)
• 
  Taishaku Valley (Shobara)
• 
  Road of longing (Shokei no michi) in Takehara on October
• 
  Hiroshima Castle
• 
  Tomonoura (Fukuyama)

• Onomichi Port Festival - held in April
• Hiroshima Flower Festival - held from May 3 to 5
• Fukuyama Rose Festival - held in May
• Enryuji Tokasan Festival - held in June
• Gion Festival of Onomichi - held in July
• Innoshima Water-naval Festival - held in August
• Miyajima Under-water Firework Festival - held on August 14
• Yassa Festival of Mihara - held in August
• Saijo Sake Festival - held in October
• Onomichi Becher Festival - held on November 3
• Hiroshima Ebisu Festival - held from November 18 to 20

• Sichuan Province, China[10]
• Hawaii, United States of America[11]

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

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hiroshima Prefecture.

• Official Hiroshima Prefecture homepage
• Life in Hiroshima and other Japan-related Articles
• Hiroshima Weather Forecast
• National Archives of Japan ... Hiroshima map (1891)
• National Archives of Japan: Itsukushima kakei, illustrated scroll describing Itsukushima, text by Kaibara Ekiken (circa 1720)
• hiroshima-navi

34°26′N 132°45′E