Kyūshū

Infobox Islands
name = Kyūshū


image caption = Kyūshū region of Japan and the current prefectures on the island of Kyūshū
locator

native name = 九州
native name link = Japanese language
location = East Asia
coordinates =
archipelago = Japanese Archipelago
area = 35,640 km²
rank = 37th
highest mount = Kujū-san [ [http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=10923 Kujū-san, Japan] ]
elevation = 1,788 m
country = Japan
country admin divisions title = Prefectures
country admin divisions = Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Ōita, Saga
country largest city = Fukuoka
country largest city population = 1,400,000
population = 13,231,995
density = 332.38
ethnic groups = Japanese

nihongo|Kyūshū|九州|Nine Provinces ["Nine Provinces" may also refer to Jiuzhou, a historical division of China] or Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include Kyūkoku (九国 "Nine States"), Chinzei (鎮西 "West of the Pacified Area"), and Tsukushi-no-shima (筑紫島 "Island of Tsukushi"). The historical regional name Saikaidō (西海道 "West Sea Circuit") referred to Kyūshū and its surrounding islands.

Kyūshū has a population of 13,231,995 (2006) and covers 35,640 km².

Geography

The island is mountainous, and Japan's most active volcano, Mt Aso at 1,591 m, is on Kyūshū. There are many other signs of tectonic activity, including numerous areas of hot springs. The most famous of these are in Beppu, on the east shore, and around Mt. Aso, in central Kyūshū.

The name "Kyūshū" comes from the nine ancient provinces of Saikaidō situated on the island: Chikuzen, Chikugo, Hizen, Higo, Buzen, Bungo, Hyūga, Osumi, and Satsuma.

Today’s Kyūshū Region (九州地方 "kyūshū-chihō") is a politically defined region that consists of seven prefectures on Kyūshū and Okinawa Prefecture to the south:
*Fukuoka Prefecture
*Kagoshima Prefecture
*Kumamoto Prefecture
*Miyazaki Prefecture
*Nagasaki Prefecture
*Ōita Prefecture
*Saga Prefecture

The world’s 37th largest island by area, Kyūshū is smaller than Spitsbergen but larger than New Britain and Taiwan. By population, it ranks 13th, having fewer inhabitants than Borneo or Sulawesi, but more than Salsette or Cuba.

By population, the largest city on the island is Fukuoka with its 1.4 million inhabitants; Fukuoka is a major business center with a large international airport as well as one of the five stock exchanges in Japan. Kitakyūshū is a designated city and major center for heavy industries, populated by slightly less than a million. Kumamoto and Kagoshima are the island’s third and fourth largest cities with over half a million people each. Nagasaki has one of Japan’s oldest international ports, which was the only gateway to the outside world during the Edo period, from the mid 16th to the mid 18th centuries. Nagasaki is also famous for being hit by one of the atom bombs at the end of WWII.

Economy and climate

Parts of Kyūshū have a subtropical climate, particularly Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures. Major agricultural products are rice, tea, tobacco, sweet potatoes, and soy; silk is also widely produced. The island is noted for various types of porcelain, including Arita, Imari, Satsuma, and Karatsu. Heavy industry is concentrated in the north around Kitakyushu, Nagasaki, and Oita and includes chemicals and metal processing.

Education

Major universities and colleges in Kyūshū:
*National universities
**Kyushu University [http://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/] - One of seven former "Imperial Universities"
**Kyūshū Institute of Technology [http://www.kyutech.ac.jp/english/index.html]
**Saga University
**Nagasaki University
**Kumamoto University
**Oita University
**Miyazaki University
**Kagoshima University
**National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya
**University of the Ryūkyūs
*Universities run by local governments
**University of Kitakyushu
**Kyushu Dental College
**Fukuoka Women's University
**Fukuoka Prefectural University
**Siebold University of Nagasaki
**Nagasaki Prefectural University
**Oita University of Nursing and Health Sciences
**Prefectural University of Kumamoto
**Miyazaki Municipal University
**Miyazaki Prefectural Nursing University
**Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts
*Major private universities
**Fukuoka University - University with the largest number of students in Kyūshū
**Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University [http://www.apu.ac.jp/home/]
**Seinan Gakuin University
**Kyūshū Sangyo University - Baseball Team won the National Championship in 2005
**University of Occupational and Environmental Health
**Kurume University

ee also

* Geography of Japan
* List of regions in Japan

Notes and references