 | Chiba Prefecture: Encyclopedia - Chiba Prefecture
Chiba Prefecture
Chiba Prefecture (千葉県 Chiba-ken) is located in the Greater Tokyo Area of Honshu Island, Japan. Its capital is Chiba City.
Chiba Prefecture - History
Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture. Historically, the prefecture constituted three provinces of Awa, Kazusa, and Shimousa.
Chiba Prefecture - Geography
Chiba borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north at the Tone River, Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture to the west at the Edo River, the Pacific Ocean to the east and Tokyo Bay around its southern boundary. Most of Chiba lies on the hilly Boso Peninsula, a rice farming region: the east coast, known as the Ninety-Nine League Plain, is an especially productive area. The most populous zone, in the northwest of the prefecture, is part of the Kanto plain that extends into the urban agglomeration of Tokyo and Saitama.
Chiba Prefecture - Cities
- Abiko
- Asahi
- Chiba (capital)
- Chuo-ku
- Hanamigawa-ku
- Inage-ku
- Midori-ku
- Mihama-ku
- Wakaba-ku
- Choshi
- Funabashi
- Futtsu
- Ichihara
- Ichikawa
- Inzai
- Isumi
- Kamagaya
- Kamogawa
- Kashiwa
- Katsuura
- Kimitsu
- Kisarazu
- Matsudo
- Mobara
- Nagareyama
- Narashino
- Narita
- Noda
- Sakura
- Sawara
- Shiroi
- Sodegaura
- Tateyama
- Tomisato
- Togane
- Urayasu
- Yachimata
- Yachiyo
- Yotsukaido
- Yokaichiba
Chiba Prefecture - Towns and villages
These are the towns and villages in each district.
- Awa District
- Chikura
- Kyonan
- Maruyama
- Miyoshi
- Shirahama
- Tomiura
- Tomiyama
- Wada
- Chosei District
- Chonan
- Chosei
- Ichinomiya
- Mutsuzawa
- Nagara
- Shirako
- Inba District
- Isumi District
- Katori District
- Kozaki
- Kurimoto
- Omigawa
- Shimofusa
- Taiei
- Tako
- Tonosho
- Yamada
- Sanbu District
- Hasunuma
- Kujukuri
- Matsuo
- Narutō
- Oamishirasato
- Sanbu
- Shibayama
- Yokoshiba
- Sousa District
Chiba Prefecture - Mergers
(as of January 1, 2006)
On June 6, 2003 the town of Sekiyado from Higashikatsushika District merged into the city of Noda. (Merger information page)
On February 11, 2005 the town of Amatsukominato from Awa District merged into the city of Kamogawa.
On March 28, 2005 the town of Shonan from Higashikatsushika District merged into the city of Kashiwa. Higashikatsushika District was dissolved as a result of this merger. (Merger information page)
On July 1, 2005 the town of Hikata from Katori District and the towns of Iioka and Unakami from Kaijo District merged into the city of Asahi. Kaijo District was dissolved as a result of this merger. (Merger information page)
- Merger: Isumi, Misaki and Ohara
On December 5, 2005 the towns of Isumi, Misaki and Ohara from Isumi District merged to form the city of Isumi.
Chiba Prefecture - Economy
Chiba is one of Japan's largest industrial areas, thanks to its long coastline on Tokyo Bay. After Chiba was chosen as the site for a major Kawasaki Steel factory in 1950, the prefectural government embarked on a large-scale land reclamation program that dredged up large plots of waterfront property for factories, warehouses, and docks. Chemical production, petrochemical refining, and machine production are the three main industries in Chiba today: together, they account for forty-five percent of the prefecture's exports. In recent years, the government has funded more than eighty industrial parks to bring development further inland as well.
The prefecture also boasts Japan's second-highest agricultural output: among all the prefectures, only Hokkaido produces more agricultural products, and Chiba leads Hokkaido in vegetable production. Chiba's fisheries are also productive, catching many of Japan's flatfish, halibut, and lobster. Seaweed is harvested in large quantities from Tokyo Bay.
Chiba Prefecture - Demographics
Chiba's population is one of the wealthiest in Japan due to the prefecture's strong commercial and industrial sectors. Per capita GDP is ¥3.1 million (US$28,600), the fifth-highest in the country. 70% of the population is employed in the service sector, with 25% in industry and 5% in agriculture.
Chiba Prefecture - Culture
Chiba Prefecture - Tourism
Most Tokyo-bound visitors land in Narita International Airport, which is situated in Narita in the north of the prefecture, and connected to Tokyo by the JR Narita Express and the private Keisei Electric Railway.
The Tokyo Disney Resort is located in Urayasu near the western border of the prefecture.
Chiba is linked to Tokyo by several railway lines: the main trunk lines are the Keiyo Line and Sobu Line. The Musashino Line connects Chiba to Saitama and northern Tokyo. Southern Chiba is connected to Kanagawa Prefecture by the Tokyo Wan Aqua-Line bridge-tunnel.
Chiba Prefecture - Prefectural symbols
Chiba's Meibutsu (名物 lit: famous thing) is peanuts. Most of Japan's peanuts are harvested here and are also processed into peanut oils.
Chiba Prefecture - Miscellaneous topics
Other related archives1873, 2003, 2005, 2006, Abiko, Amatsukominato, Asahi, Awa, Awa District, Boso Peninsula, Chiba, Chiba City, Chikura, Chonan, Chosei, Chosei District, Choshi, December 5, February 11, Funabashi, Futtsu, Greater Tokyo Area, Hasunuma, Higashikatsushika District, Hikari, Hikata, Hokkaido, Honshu Island, Ibaraki Prefecture, Ichihara, Ichikawa, Ichinomiya, Iioka, Inba, Inba District, Inzai, Isumi, Isumi District, January 1, Japan, July 1, June 15, June 6, Kaijo District, Kamagaya, Kamogawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, Kanto plain, Kashiwa, Katori District, Katsuura, Kazusa, Keisei Electric Railway, Keiyo Line, Kimitsu, Kisarazu, Kozaki, Kujukuri, Kurimoto, Kyonan, March 28, Maruyama, Matsudo, Matsuo, Mihama-ku, Misaki, Miyoshi, Mobara, Motono, Musashino Line, Mutsuzawa, Nagara, Nagareyama, Narashino, Narita, Narita Express, Narita International Airport, Narutō, Noda, Nosaka, Oamishirasato, Ohara, Omigawa, Onjuku, Otaki, Pacific Ocean, Saitama Prefecture, Sakae, Sakura, Sanbu, Sanbu District, Sawara, Seaweed, Shibayama, Shimofusa, Shimousa, Shirahama, Shirako, Shiroi, Shisui, Shonan, Sobu Line, Sodegaura, Sousa District, Taiei, Tako, Tateyama, Togane, Tokyo, Tokyo Bay, Tokyo Disney Resort, Tokyo Wan Aqua-Line, Tomisato, Tomiura, Tomiyama, Tonosho, Unakami, Urayasu, Wada, Yachimata, Yachiyo, Yamada, Yokaichiba, Yokoshiba, Yotsukaido, district, flatfish, halibut, lobster, peanuts, provinces, rice
 Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Chiba Prefecture", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki |
