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| Capital | Kagoshima |
| Region: | Kyushu |
| Island: | Kyushu |
| Area - Total |
Ranked 10th 9,132.42 km² |
| Population |
Ranked 24th 1,786,214 |
| Districts: | 12 |
| Municipalities: | 96 |
| ISO 3166-2: | JP-46 |
| Symbols | |
|---|---|
| Pref. Flower: | Miyamakirishima (Rhododendron kiusianum) |
| Pref. Tree: | Camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora) |
| Pref. Bird: | Lidth's jay (Garrulus lidthi) |
Kagoshima prefecture (鹿児島県 Kagoshima-ken) is located on Kyushu island, Japan. The capital is the city of Kagoshima.
Kagoshima Prefecture occupies the part of Kyushu that was formerly the provinces of Satsuma and Osumi. During the Edo period, the powerful tozama daimyo Shimazu clan held this territory as the Satsuma Han.
Satsuma played a central role in the Meiji Restoration, and during the early Meiji Era, Saigo Takamori was a member of the ruling oligarchy. Subsequently, he became disaffected, and led a rebellion, the Satsuma Rebellion, which ended in his defeat in 1877 in Kagoshima.
Kagoshima prefecture is located at the southwest tip of Kyushu, and includes the Ryukyu Islands north of Okinawa. Surrounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, Kumamoto prefecture to the north, and Miyazaki prefecture to the east, it has 2,632 km of coastline (including the 28 islands). Its position made it a 'gateway' to Japan at various times in history. The islands include Tanegashima (the location of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Japan's spacecraft-launch facilities), Yakushima and Amami Ōshima.
The prefecture boasts active and dormant volcanoes, including the great Sakurajima, which towers out of the bay opposite Kagoshima city. A steady trickle of smoke and ash emerges from the caldera, punctuated by louder mini-eruptions on an almost daily basis. On some days in Kagoshima city an umbrella is advisable to ward off the ash. Sakurajima is one of Japan's most active volcanoes. Major eruptions occurred in 1914, when the island mountain spilled enough material to become permanently connected to the mainland, and a lesser eruption in 1960. Volcanic materials in the soil make Sakurajima a source for world record daikon (radishes), roughly the size of a basketball. Many beaches around Kagoshima Bay (Kinkowan) are littered with well-worn pumice stones. A crater lake in the south western tip of the prefecture, near the spa town of Ibusuki, is home to a rare species of giant eel.
GPP: 4,834,400m Yen
Agricultural products: Sweet potato, Radish, Satsuma pottery, Pongee rice.
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