Nara
奈良市 | |
|---|---|
| Nara City | |
From top left: Todai-ji, Toshodai-ji, Yakushi-ji, the sika deer in Nara Park, the garden of the former Daijyo-in and Kasuga-Taisha | |
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Flag_of_Nara,_Nara.svg) Flag &sq=&lang=&file=File:Emblem_of_Nara,_Nara.svg) Seal | |
 Location of Nara in Nara Prefecture | |
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Nara_in_Nara_Prefecture_Ja.svg) | |
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Japan_location_map_with_side_map_of_the_Ryukyu_Islands.svg)  Nara Location in Japan | |
| Coordinates: 34°41′04″N 135°48′18″E / 34.68444°N 135.80500°E | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Kansai |
| Prefecture | Nara Prefecture |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Gen Nakagawa |
| Area | |
• Total | 276.84 km2 (106.89 sq mi) |
| Population (2022) | |
• Total | 367,353[1] |
| Time zone | UTC+09:00 (JST) |
| City hall address | 1-1-1 Nijō-ōji, Nara-shi, Nara-ken 630-8580 |
| Website | City of Nara |
| Symbols | |
| Bird | Japanese bush warbler |
| Flower | Nara yaezakura |
| Tree | Quercus gilva |
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| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
| Official name | Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara |
| Includes | |
| Criteria | Cultural: (ii)(iii)(iv)(vi) |
| Reference | 870 |
| Inscription | 1998 (22nd Session) |
| Area | 617 ha (1,520 acres) |
| Buffer zone | 1,962.5 ha (4,849 acres) |
Nara (奈良市, Nara-shi, [naꜜɾa] ) is the capital city of Nara Prefecture, Japan. As of 2022[update], Nara has an estimated population of 367,353 according to World Population Review, making it the largest city in Nara Prefecture and sixth-largest in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara is a core city located in the northern part of Nara Prefecture bordering the Kyoto Prefecture.
Nara was the capital of Japan during the Nara period from 710 to 794 as the seat of the Emperor before the capital was moved to Kyoto. Nara is home to eight temples, shrines, and ruins, specifically Tōdai-ji, Saidai-ji, Kōfuku-ji, Kasuga Shrine, Gangō-ji, Yakushi-ji, Tōshōdai-ji, and the Heijō Palace, together with Kasugayama Primeval Forest, collectively form the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.