Fukushima [Prefecture] - Fukushima

Japanese: 福島[県] - ふくしま

The southernmost prefecture in the Tohoku region. Facing the Pacific Ocean to the east. The prefectural capital is Fukushima City. 13,783.74 ^km2 . 2,029,064 people (2010). Its area is the second largest among all prefectures after Iwate Prefecture. [History] It was located in the southernmost part of the former Mutsu Province, and in ancient times, Shirakawa Barrier and Nakoso Barrier were established as gateways to Oshu. During the Heian period, the Oshu Fujiwara clan ruled the area, and after the Kamakura period, the Iwaki, Yuki, Soma, Ashina, Sawara, and Nikaido clans fought over the area, and during the Sengoku period, the Date clan also advanced into the area. During the Edo period, the area was divided into tenryo and small domains, except for the Matsudaira clan's Aizu domain. In 1871, it was divided into three prefectures: Taira, Nihonmatsu, and Wakamatsu. In the same year, Taira Prefecture was renamed Iwamae Prefecture and Nihonmatsu Prefecture was renamed Fukushima Prefecture, and in 1876, the three prefectures merged to become Fukushima Prefecture. [Nature] The Abukuma Highlands, Ou Mountains, and Echigo Mountains run north to south from the east, dividing the area into Hamadori in the east, Nakadori in the center, and Aizu in the west. The Abukuma Highlands are a low-relief mountain range on an elevated peneplain, containing many small basins. Parallel to the Ou Mountains are Mount Bandai, Mount Azuma, Mount Adatara, and other mountains that belong to the Nasu volcanic belt, and many lakes and marshes are scattered here, including Lake Inawashiro. The Echigo Mountains form the border with Niigata Prefecture, and the Agano River flows westward, forming a gorge. Hamadori consists of coastal plains and hills along the Pacific coast, while the Abukuma River flows north in Nakadori, and there are the Sukagawa, Koriyama, and Fukushima basins. The climate of Hamadori is Pacific coastal, Nakadori inland, and Aizu is Japan Coast climate, with high summer temperatures in basins such as Aizu and Inawashiro, and heavy snowfall in mountainous areas. [Industry] The population composition by industry is 9.2% for the first generation, 30.7% for the second generation, and 59.3% for the third generation (2005). 70% of the cultivated land area of 1,540 ^km2 is paddy fields (2003), and rice is mainly produced in the Aizu, Inawashiro, and Koriyama basins and Hamadori. Tobacco and konjac are produced in the Abukuma highlands, and apples, pears, and peaches are produced in the Fukushima basin. Silkworm farming is also carried out, and the prefecture has the second highest cocoon yield in the country (2003) after Gunma Prefecture. Dairy farming is thriving in the Abukuma highlands. As for vegetables, cucumbers and tomatoes are among the top producers in the country. Forest land accounts for about 70% of the prefecture, and many of the forests are natural, both nationally and privately owned. The southern part of the Abukuma highlands and the Yamizo mountain range are widely planted with Japanese cedars, and the prefecture is called the "Yoshino of Tohoku." In the fishing industry, offshore and deep-sea fishing is carried out mainly in Ena and Onahama in the southern part of Hamadori, while oyster and seaweed farming is popular in Matsukawaura in the north. Mining flourished in the Iwaki area as a coal-producing region of the Joban coalfield until the 1950s, but it closed in 1976. There are undersea gas fields off the coast of Joban. In 1964, the Joban-Koriyama area was designated a new industrial city, and developed into the prefecture's largest industrial city, focusing on chemicals and electrical equipment. Fukushima and Koriyama were originally silk-raising areas, and the silk industry was thriving, but since the 1960s, heavy chemical and food industries have developed, and metal industries using electricity have been established in Koriyama, Aizuwakamatsu, and Kitakata. The value of manufactured goods shipped was 5.22 trillion yen (2003), ranking first in the Tohoku region. Local specialties include hobara and Yanagawa stockinettes, Kawamata silk and synthetic wide cloth, Aizuwakamatsu lacquerware, and Soma ceramics. In addition to the power source of the Tadami River system in the Aizu region, thermal and nuclear power plants are located in the coastal areas of Hamadori, making Fukushima one of the leading electricity supply prefectures in the country. In addition, Fukushima is rich in tourist resources such as Mt. Bandai, Lake Inawashiro, and Bandai Plateau, which are part of Bandai-Asahi National Park, Mt. Hiuchigatake and Lake Ozenuma, which are part of Oze National Park, as well as hot springs in Iizaka and Higashiyama. [Transportation] The main routes are the Tohoku Main Line and Shinkansen, which connect to Nakadori, National Route 4, the Tohoku Expressway, and the Joban Line and National Route 6, which connect to Hamadori. The Ou Main Line (Yamagata Shinkansen) and Abukuma Express Line branch off from Fukushima, the Ban'etsu East Line, West Line, and Suigun Line from Koriyama, and the Tadami Line and Aizu Railway from Aizuwakamatsu. Other expressways include the Joban Expressway, which connects Fukushima with Ibaraki Prefecture, and the Ban'etsu Expressway, which connects Fukushima with Niigata Prefecture. In 1993, Fukushima Airport opened in Sukagawa City. In March 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred, causing severe damage in many areas of the prefecture, especially the Hamadori region, due to the violent shaking and huge tsunami. In addition, the Fukushima Daiichi and Daini Nuclear Power Plants leaked radioactive materials, forcing the evacuation of municipalities surrounding the plants and forcing the mass relocation of residents and municipal functions.
→Related topics Tohoku region | Hamadori | Fukushima Basin

Source : Heibonsha Encyclopedia About MyPedia Information

Japanese:

東北地方最南部の県。東は太平洋に面する。県庁所在地は福島市。１万3783.74km²。202万9064人（2010）。面積は都府県中では岩手県に次いで大きい。〔沿革〕　かつての陸奥(むつ)国の最南部にあたり，古代，奥羽への関門として白河関，勿来(なこそ)関が置かれた。平安時代は奥州藤原氏，鎌倉時代以後は岩城，結城(ゆうき)，相馬，芦名，佐原，二階堂の諸氏らが割拠，戦国時代には伊達氏も進出した。江戸時代は松平氏の会津藩以外は天領，小藩に分割されていた。1871年平，二本松，若松の３県となり，同年平県は磐前県，二本松県は福島県と改称，1876年３県が合併し福島県となった。〔自然〕　東から阿武隈高地，奥羽山脈，越後山脈が南北に走り，これらの山地によって東の浜通り，中央の中通り，西の会津地方に分けられる。阿武隈高地は隆起準平原の低起伏の山地で，多くの小盆地をいだく。奥羽山脈に並行して那須火山帯に属する磐梯山，吾妻(あづま)山，安達太良(あだたら)山などがあり，猪苗代湖をはじめ多くの湖沼が点在。越後山脈は新潟県との境をなし，阿賀野川が峡谷をつくって西流する。浜通りは太平洋岸の海岸平野と丘陵からなり，中通りには阿武隈川が北流し，須賀川・郡山・福島各盆地がある。気候は浜通りは太平洋岸式，中通りは内陸性，会津地方は日本海岸式気候で，会津，猪苗代などの盆地部は夏高温，山地地域は積雪が多い。〔産業〕　産業別人口構成は第１次9.2％，第２次30.7％，第３次59.3％（2005）。耕地面積1540km²の70％が水田で（2003），会津・猪苗代・郡山の諸盆地，浜通りに米産が多い。阿武隈高地ではタバコ，コンニャク，福島盆地ではリンゴ，ナシ，モモの産が多く，養蚕も行われ群馬県に次いで全国２位（2003）の収繭量がある。酪農は阿武隈高地で盛んである。野菜ではキュウリ，トマトの生産が全国でも上位にある。林野面積は県域の約７割を占めており国有・民有林ともに天然林が多く，阿武隈高地南部と八溝山地ではスギの造林地が広く〈東北の吉野〉と呼ばれる。水産業では浜通り南部の江名，小名浜などを中心に沖合・遠洋漁業が行われ，北部の松川浦ではカキ・ノリ養殖が盛ん。鉱業はいわき地区は1950年代まで常磐炭田の産炭地として繁栄したが，1976年閉山。常磐沖に海底ガス田がある。1964年常磐・郡山地区として新産業都市に指定され，化学，電気機器などを中心とした県内一の工業都市に発展した。福島，郡山はもと養蚕地帯を背景に製糸工業が盛んであったが，1960年代以降，重化学工業，食品工業が進展し，郡山，会津若松，喜多方には電力利用の金属工業などが立地する。製造品出荷額では５兆2204万円（2003）を上げ，東北地方１位を占めている。保原，梁川のメリヤス，川俣の絹・化繊広幅物，会津若松の漆器，相馬の陶磁器などの特産物がある。会津地方の只見川水系の電源地帯に加え，浜通りの臨海部には火力・原子力発電所が立地し，福島は全国有数の電力供給県となった。また磐梯朝日国立公園に属する磐梯山，猪苗代湖，磐梯高原や，尾瀬国立公園に属する燧ヶ岳，尾瀬沼のほか飯坂，東山の温泉など観光資源に富む。〔交通〕　中通りに通じる東北本線・新幹線と，国道４号線，東北自動車道，浜通りに通じる常磐線と国道６号線が幹線であり，福島からは奥羽本線（山形新幹線），阿武隈急行が，郡山から磐越東線・西線，水郡線，会津若松から只見線，会津鉄道が分岐する。ほかに高速道路では茨城県と結ぶ常磐自動車道，新潟県と結ぶ磐越自動車道が通じる。また1993年福島空港が須賀川市に開港した。　2011年３月，東北地方太平洋沖地震（東日本大震災）が発生，浜通りを中心に県内の多くの地域で激しい揺れと巨大な津波により甚大な被害が出る。またこれに伴って発生した福島第一・第二原子力発電所の放射性物質漏えい事故により，発電所周辺自治体では避難を余儀なくされ，住民や自治体機能そのものを集団移転させる事態に陥った。
→関連項目東北地方｜浜通り｜福島盆地

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