Ibaraki Prefecture

Ibaraki Prefecture
茨城県
Japanese transcription(s)
 • Japanese茨城県
 • RōmajiIbaraki-ken
Flag of Ibaraki Prefecture
Official logo of Ibaraki Prefecture
Anthem: Ibaraki kenmin no uta [ja]
Location of Ibaraki Prefecture
Country Japan
IslandHonshu
RegionKantō
PrefectureIbaraki
CapitalMito
SubdivisionsDistricts: 7, Municipalities: 44
Government
 • GovernorKazuhiko Ōigawa
Area
 • Total
6,097.19 km2 (2,354.14 sq mi)
 • Rank24th
Population
 (July 1, 2023)
 • Total
2,828,086
 • Rank11th
 • Density460/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
 • Dialect
Ibaraki dialect
GDP
 • TotalJP¥ 14,092 billion
US$ 129.3 billion (2019)
ISO 3166 codeJP-08
Websitewww.pref.ibaraki.jp
Symbols of Ibaraki Prefecture
BirdEurasian Skylark (Alauda arvensis)
FlowerRose (Rosa)
TreeUme tree (Prunus mume)
Ibaraki Prefectural Office and Headquarters in Mito

Ibaraki Prefecture (茨城県, Ibaraki-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu.[3] Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,828,086 (1 July 2023) and has a geographic area of 6,097.19 square kilometres (2,354.14 square miles). Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, Tochigi Prefecture to the northwest, Saitama Prefecture to the southwest, Chiba Prefecture to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the east.

Mito, the capital, is the largest city in Ibaraki Prefecture. Other major cities include Tsukuba, Hitachi, and Hitachinaka.[4] Ibaraki Prefecture is located on Japan's eastern Pacific coast to the northeast of Tokyo, and is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, the most populous metropolitan area in the world. Ibaraki Prefecture features Lake Kasumigaura, the second-largest lake in Japan; the Tone River, Japan's second-longest river and largest drainage basin; and Mount Tsukuba, one of the most famous mountains in Japan. Ibaraki Prefecture is also home to Kairaku-en, one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan, and is an important center for the martial art of Aikido.

  1. ^ "Natto: Japanese History of a Modern-Day Superfood". NYrture, 2020-01-14. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  2. ^ "2020年度国民経済計算(2015年基準・2008SNA) : 経済社会総合研究所 - 内閣府". 内閣府ホームページ (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  3. ^ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Ibaraki-ken" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 367, at Google Books; "Kantō" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 479, at Google Books.
  4. ^ Nussbaum, "Mito" at Japan Encyclopedia, p. 642, at Google Books.