Wakayama Prefecture

Japanese: 和歌山[県] - わかやま

A prefecture in the southwest of the Kinki region. The prefectural capital is Wakayama City. Area: ^{4,724.69 km2} . Population: 1,002,198 (2010). [History] Formerly part of Kii Province, it borders the Kinai region and was developed since ancient times, focusing on the coast and Mount Koya. In the Middle Ages, the power of Mount Koya, the Kumano Sanzan, and Negoro-ji Temple increased, and later several dozen small feudal lords took control. After Tokugawa Yorinobu established his castle in Wakayama in 1619, the area was the domain of the Kii Tokugawa clan with a stipend of 555,000 koku throughout the Edo period. In 1871, the three clans of Wakayama, Shingu, and Tanabe became a prefecture and were unified into Wakayama Prefecture in the same year. [Nature] Kii Province was often called Kinokuni (wooden country), and most of it was mountainous, the Kii Mountain Range. The Izumi Mountains run east to west on the northern border, and to the south, the Kinokawa River flows west along the Median Tectonic Line, with the Wakayama Plain spreading in its basin. The Arida River, Hidaka River, Hiki River, Kozagawa River, and Kumano River cut through the Kii Mountains, but none of them have developed a basin plain except at their mouths. The western coast facing the Kii Channel forms a ria coast. Cape Shionomisaki protrudes from the southern end. Nanki (southern part) has a marine climate due to the influence of the Kuroshio Current flowing northeast, and is warm and rainy, while Kihoku (northern part) has a Seto Inland Sea climate and relatively little rain. There is a significant temperature difference between the coast and inland. [Industry] The population composition by industry is 10.4% primary, 23.1% secondary, and 64.8% tertiary (2005). The arable land area is 7.7%, of which 32% (2003) is paddy fields, mainly in the Wakayama Plain, and the prefecture is not self-sufficient in rice. Orchards account for 61.5% (2003), and the prefecture has long been famous for its citrus production, with cultivation occurring in various areas, including on the slopes of the Arida River and Kinokawa River basins. Since the liberalization of orange imports, the prefecture has been switching to plums, fuyu persimmons, and peaches. Naka County produces a lot of onions, and the Nanki Coast produces a lot of peas. With 81% of the prefecture's land area covered by forests, the prefecture is known for its forest products, with beautiful forests of cedar, cypress, red pine, and black pine growing there, which are cut down for lumber and pulp, and Shingu and Gobo are major distribution centers. There are also many specialty palm trees, shiitake mushrooms, and bamboo shoots. The prefecture is rich in good ports such as Katsuura, Kushimoto, and Tanabe, and the fishing industry is thriving. Deep-sea fishing is well developed, with large catches of bonito, tuna, mackerel, yellowtail, and saury. Yellowtail fixed net fishing along the coast of Kumano-Nada is also famous. The fisheries research institutes of Kinki University in the prefecture have successfully commercialized sea bream and flounder farming, and sweetfish farming is also thriving. Taiji and Koza once prospered through whaling. Industries include lumber in Tanabe and Shingu, chemicals in Gobo, and light industries such as traditional shell buttons, palm bark products, freeze-dried tofu, and lacquerware. As an extension of the Hanshin industrial belt, steel is located in Wakayama and Kainan, and heavy chemical industries such as oil refining are located in Shimotsu and Hatsushima. In recent years, efforts have been made to attract factories for machinery, precision equipment, food, and other products. The area is rich in tourist attractions, including the Kumano Sanzan, Dorokyo Gorge, and Shionomisaki in Yoshino-Kumano National Park, Tomogashima and Wakaura in Setonaikai National Park, Mount Koya, Ryujin Onsen, the tropical scenery of the Nanki Coast, Shirahama Onsen, and Tsubaki Onsen. The Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range, which also stretch into Nara and Mie prefectures, were registered as a World Heritage Site in 2004. [Transportation] The Kisei Main Line and National Route 42 run along the coast, the Wakayama Line and National Route 24 run along the Kinokawa River, and the Hanwa Expressway runs from Osaka to Kainan City. The Kinki Expressway Wakayama Line was opened in its entirety in 1994. The Nankai Electric Railway runs from Osaka to the area around Wakayama City and Mount Koya, but travel to most of the mountainous areas is inconvenient as it relies on bus transportation from coastal cities.
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Source : Heibonsha Encyclopedia About MyPedia Information

Japanese:

近畿地方南西部の県。県庁所在地は和歌山市。4724.69km²。100万2198人（2010）。〔沿革〕　かつての紀伊国にあたり，畿内に隣接するため，海岸部と高野山を中心に古くから開発された。中世には高野山，熊野三山，根来(ねごろ)寺の権力が増大，のち数十の小領主が割拠した。1619年徳川頼宣の和歌山居城後，江戸期を通じ紀伊徳川藩55万5000石の領地であった。1871年和歌山，新宮，田辺の３藩が県となり同年和歌山県に統一。〔自然〕　紀伊国は木国(きのくに)といわれるほどで，大部分は紀伊山地の山地帯である。北境に和泉山脈が東西に走り，その南に中央構造線に沿って紀ノ川が西流，流域に和歌山平野が広がる。紀伊山地を刻んで有田川，日高川，日置(ひき)川，古座川，熊野川などが流れるが，いずれも河口部を除き流域平野は発達しない。紀伊水道に面する西部の海岸はリアス式海岸をなす。南端に潮岬が突出。南紀（南部）は北東流する黒潮の影響で海洋性気候を呈し温暖多雨，紀北（北部）は瀬戸内式気候で比較的少雨。沿岸部と内陸部の気温差が著しい。〔産業〕　産業別人口構成は第１次10.4％，第２次23.1％，第３次64.8％（2005）。耕地面積は7.7％で，その32％（2003）が和歌山平野を中心とする水田で，米の自給はできない。樹園地は61.5％（2003）を占め，古くからミカン類の多産地として有名で，有田川，紀ノ川などの流域の傾斜地をはじめ各地で栽培される。オレンジの輸入自由化以後ウメ，富有柿，モモへの転換が進んでいる。那賀郡のタマネギ，南紀海岸のエンドウの産が多い。県域の81％を林野が占める林産県で，スギ，ヒノキ，アカマツ，クロマツの美林が生育，製材・パルプ用材として切り出され，新宮，御坊などが大集散地をなす。特産のシュロや，シイタケ，たけのこも多い。勝浦，串本，田辺などの良港に富み水産業が盛んで，遠洋漁業が発達，カツオ，マグロ，サバ，ブリ，サンマの水揚げが多い。熊野灘沿岸のブリ定置網漁も有名。県下にある近畿大学の各水産研究所では，タイ，ヒラメの養殖実用化に成功，アユの養殖も盛ん。太地，古座はかつて捕鯨で栄えた。工業は田辺，新宮の製材，御坊の化学などのほか，在来の貝ボタン，シュロ皮製品，高野豆腐，漆器などの軽工業があるが，阪神工業地帯の延長として和歌山，海南に鉄鋼，下津・初島地区に石油精製などの重化学工業が立地，近年機械，精密機器，食品などの工場誘致が進められている。吉野熊野国立公園の熊野三山，瀞(どろ)峡，潮岬，瀬戸内海国立公園の友ヶ島，和歌浦，高野竜神国定公園の高野山，竜神温泉，南紀海岸の南国的景観と白浜温泉，椿温泉など観光資源が豊富である。奈良県，三重県にもまたがる〈紀伊山地の霊場と参詣道〉は2004年世界文化遺産に登録された。〔交通〕　海岸沿いに紀勢本線と国道42号線，紀ノ川沿いに和歌山線と国道24号線が通じ，大阪から海南市まで阪和自動車道が通じる。1994年近畿自動車道和歌山線が全線開通した。和歌山市周辺と高野山へは大阪から南海電鉄が通じるが，大部分を占める山間部は沿岸諸都市からのバス交通にたよるため不便である。
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