 Hyōgo Prefecture (兵庫県, Hyōgo-ken) - A
prefecture of Japan located in the Kinki region on Honshū
island. The capital is Kobe.
The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as
Hiogo.
Hyōgo has coastlines on two seas: to the north, the Sea of
Japan, to the south, the Inland Sea. The northern portion is
sparsely populated, except for the city of Toyooka, and the
central highlands are only populated by tiny villages. Most
of Hyōgo's population lives on the southern coast, which is
part of the Osaka-Kyoto-Kobe metropolitan area. Awaji Island
is an island in the Inland Sea, lying between Honshū and
Shikoku.
Summertime weather throughout Hyōgo is hot and humid. During
the winter, the north side tends to get lots of snow, while
the south side only gets occasional flurries.
Hyōgo borders on Osaka Prefecture, Kyoto Prefecture, Tottori
Prefecture and Okayama Prefecture.
 Present-day Hyōgo Prefecture includes the former provinces
of Harima, Tajima, Awaji, and parts of Tamba and Settsu.
In 1180, near the end of the Heian Period, Emperor Antoku,
Taira no Kiyomori, and the Imperial court moved briefly to
Fukuhara, in what is now the city of Kobe. There the capital
remained for five months.
Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is in the city
of Himeji.
The Ako Han, home of the 47 Ronin, is in Hyōgo Prefecture.
Southern Hyōgo Prefecture was severely devastated by the
magnitude 7.2 Great Hanshin earthquake of 1995, which
destroyed major parts of Kobe and Awaji, as well as
Takarazuka and neighboring Osaka prefecture, killing nearly
5500 people.
Twenty-nine cities are located in Hyōgo Prefecture:
Aioi
Akashi
Akō
Amagasaki
Asago
Ashiya
Awaji
Himeji
Itami
Kakogawa
Kasai
Kato
Kawanishi
Kobe (capital)
Chūō-ku
Higashinada-ku
Hyōgo-ku
Kita-ku
Nada-ku
Nagata-ku
Nishi-ku
Suma-ku
Tarumi-ku
Miki
Minamiawaji
Nishinomiya
Nishiwaki
Ono
Sanda
Sasayama
Shisō
Sumoto
Takarazuka
Takasago
Tamba
Tatsuno
Toyooka
Yabu
Information source: “Hyōgo Prefecture.” wikipedia.org. Article
date: 1 Mar. 2008. Retrieved: Wikipedia. 4 Mar. 2008 <Hyōgo Prefecture>. |
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