Chiba Prefecture - Chiba

Japanese: 千葉[県] - ちば

A prefecture in the southeastern part of the Kanto region. The prefectural capital is Chiba City. It has an area of 5,157.65 ^km2 and a population of 6,216,289 (2010). [History] It is part of the area that was formerly Shimousa Province, Kazusa Province, and Awa Province. In the Middle Ages, the Chiba, Kazusa, and Satomi clans wielded power, and in the early modern period, it was divided into the Tenryo, Sakura Domain, and many other small domains and Hatamoto fiefs. In 1868, Kazusa-Awa and Shimousa Prefectures were established, and the following year Katsushika and Miyatani Prefectures were established. In 1871, the feudal domains were abolished and prefectures were established, leaving four Awa Prefectures, eleven Kazusa Prefectures, and seven Shimousa Prefectures. They were then merged into Kisarazu and Inba Prefectures, most of which became Chiba Prefecture. [Nature] It occupies the entirety of the Boso Peninsula, facing Tokyo Bay to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east, bordering Ibaraki Prefecture across the Tone River to the north, and Tokyo Prefecture across the Edo River to the northwest. The northern half is made up of the Shimousa Plateau, the Tone River, Edo River, and Tokyo Bay coasts, and the Kujukuri Plain, and forms part of the Kanto Plain. The southern half is made up of the low mountainous Boso Hills, and the coast is made up of fault cliffs and rocky coasts. The northern half has an inland climate typical of northern Kanto, but the southern half is warm and rainy, with some frost-free areas. [Industry] The population breakdown by industry is 3.7% primary, 21.7% secondary, and 72.0% tertiary (2005). 26.1% of the total area is cultivated, of which about 59% is rice paddy (2003). In addition to rice, sweet potatoes and peanuts are produced in abundance. Flower and vegetable cultivation and dairy cattle raising are also widespread, and the prefecture ranks first in vegetable shipments in the Tokyo market. The loquats of Tomiura are a specialty fruit. Rapid urbanization since the 1960s has led to an increase in greenhouse horticulture and tourist farms in urban suburbs, and a strong trend toward diversification. Forestry is sluggish, but the cedars of Sanbu and the bamboos of the southern part of the prefecture are famous. The fishing industry is ninth in the nation in terms of catch volume (1993). Inshore fishing is particularly thriving, with sardines, mackerel, and pacific saury caught, and Choshi, Ohara, Katsuura, Chikura, Kamogawa, and Funagata (Tateyama City) are the main fishing ports. Seaweed and shellfish farming along the coast of Tokyo Bay has declined sharply since reclamation and water pollution since around 1950. Mining includes natural gas in Mobara and other areas. In terms of industry, traditional industries such as brewing such as soy sauce in Noda and Choshi, mirin in Nagareyama, and sake around Sawara, small-scale seafood processing, and Kazusa cotton production are still in operation, but since 1951, land reclamation has progressed mainly around the Tokyo Bay coast in Chiba and Ichihara, and the prefecture has undergone a major transformation. With the construction of steelworks and thermal power plants, many large factories have moved in, and the Keiyo Industrial Area has been developed from Urayasu City in the north to Futtsu City in the south. The prefecture's total manufacturing shipment value was 10.8887 trillion yen (2003), making it one of the leading industrial prefectures in the country. There are many scenic spots and swimming beaches in the Suigo Tsukuba Quasi-National Park and Minami Boso Quasi-National Park, and Naritasan Shinshoji Temple and Katori Shrine are also popular destinations. Tokyo Disneyland opened in Urayasu City in 1983, and Tokyo DisneySea opened in September 2001, making it a suburban resort area. [Transportation] Chiba Prefecture is a peninsula, but it is surrounded by water on all four sides, so it had an island-like character before land transportation routes were developed. The main transportation lines connecting Tokyo and the main part of the prefecture are the Sobu Main Line, Keiyo Line, Keisei Electric Railway Line, Tozai Subway Line, Shinjuku Line, Hokuso Development Railway, Higashi-Kanto Expressway, and Keiyo Road. Large housing complexes have been developed in the cities along the lines, such as Ichikawa, Funabashi, Narashino, and Kashiwa, and they are rapidly developing as satellite cities of Tokyo. The Sotobo and Uchibo lines circle the Boso Peninsula, and other lines include the Narita Line, Joban Line, and private railway lines such as Shin-Keisei, Tobu, Isumi Railway, and Kominato Railway. There is a ship service between Kanaya and Kurihama, and Narita International Airport (formerly New Tokyo International Airport) opened in Narita City in 1978. In December 1997, the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line opened across Tokyo Bay between Kisarazu and Kawasaki in Kanagawa Prefecture. In March 2011, the Tohoku Pacific Ocean Earthquake (Great East Japan Earthquake) occurred, causing severe damage throughout the prefecture, particularly in coastal areas, due to violent shaking and a massive tsunami.
→ Related topics Kanto region

Source : Heibonsha Encyclopedia About MyPedia Information

Japanese:

関東地方南東部の県。県庁所在地は千葉市。5157.65km²。621万6289人（2010）。〔沿革〕　かつての下総(しもうさ)国の大半・上総(かずさ)国・安房(あわ)国の地域にあたる。中世には千葉氏，上総氏，里見氏が勢力をふるい，近世には天領，佐倉藩のほか多くの小藩，旗本知行地に分断されていた。1868年上総安房・下総２県，翌年葛飾(かつしか)・宮谷２県を設置，1871年廃藩置県により安房４県，上総11県，下総７県となり，次いで木更津・印旛(いんば)２県に統合，その大半が千葉県となった。〔自然〕　房総半島全域を占め，西は東京湾，東は太平洋に面し，北は利根川を境に茨城県，北西は江戸川を境に東京都に接する。北半部は下総台地，利根川・江戸川・東京湾沿岸，九十九里平野などからなり，関東平野の一部をなす。南半部は低山性の房総丘陵で，海岸は断層崖や岩石海岸をなす。北半部は北関東型の内陸性気候であるが，南半部は温暖多雨で，無霜地域もみられる。〔産業〕　産業別人口構成は第１次3.7％，第２次21.7％，第３次72.0％（2005）。総面積の26.1％が耕地化され，その約59％は水田（2003）。米のほか，サツマイモ，ラッカセイの産が多く，花卉(かき)や野菜の栽培，乳牛飼育も普及，野菜出荷は東京市場で首位を占める。果樹では富浦のビワが特産。1960年代からの急速な都市化の影響で，都市近郊では施設園芸や観光農園が増加し，多角化の傾向が強くなっている。林業は不振であるが，山武のスギ，県南のタケが有名。水産業は，漁獲量で全国９位（1993）。近海漁業が特に盛んで，イワシ，サバ，サンマなどを漁獲，銚子，大原，勝浦，千倉，鴨川，船形（館山市）などが主要漁港。東京湾岸のノリ・貝類養殖は1950年ごろからの埋立や水質汚染で激減した。鉱業では茂原などの天然ガスがある。工業では野田・銚子の醤油，流山のみりん，佐原周辺の清酒などの醸造業，小規模な水産加工，上総木綿の生産など在来工業が行われるが，1951年以後千葉・市原両市の東京湾岸を中心に埋立が進み，大きく変貌した。製鉄所，火力発電所の立地を機に多くの大工場が進出，北の浦安市から南の富津市にかけて京葉工業地域が造成されて，県全体の製造品出荷額では10兆8887億円（2003）を上げ，全国有数の工業県となっている。水郷筑波国定公園・南房総国定公園に含まれる景勝地，海水浴場が多く，成田山新勝寺，香取神宮も参拝客が多い。1983年には浦安市に東京ディズニーランド，2001年９月に東京ディズニーシーが開園，都市近郊型リゾート地となっている。〔交通〕　千葉県は半島ではあるが，四周を全て水域で囲まれるため，陸上の交通路が発達する以前は，島的な性格を持っていた。総武本線，京葉線，京成電鉄線，地下鉄東西線，新宿線，北総開発鉄道，東関東自動車道，京葉道路など東京都と県主要部を結ぶ交通機関が幹線で，沿線の市川，船橋，習志野，柏などの市域は大型住宅団地が造成され，東京都の衛星都市として発展が著しい。外房・内房線が房総半島をめぐり，他に成田線，常磐線など，また新京成・東武・いすみ鉄道・小湊鉄道などの私鉄線が通じる。金谷〜久里浜に船便があり，成田市に1978年開港の成田国際空港（旧，新東京国際空港）がある。1997年12月には東京湾をまたいで，木更津と神奈川県川崎との間に東京湾アクアラインが開通した。　2011年３月，東北地方太平洋沖地震（東日本大震災）が発生，海沿いの地域を中心に県内各地で激しい揺れと巨大な津波により大きな被害が出る。
→関連項目関東地方

出典　株式会社平凡社百科事典マイペディアについて　情報

<<: Chiba [city] - Chiba

>>: Porphyridium cruentum Naegeli - Porphyridium cruentum Naegeli