Gunma Prefecture

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is located in the Kanto region on Honshu island, Japan. The capital is Maebashi.

History

In the past, Gunma was joined with Tochigi Prefecture and called Kenu Province. This was later divided into Kami-kenu (Upper Kenu, Gunma) and Shimo-kenu (Lower Kenu, Tochigi). The area is sometimes referred to as Jomo (上毛, Jōmō). For most of Japanese history, Gunma was known as the province of Kozuke.

Geography

Gunma is the northwestern-most prefecture of the Kanto, and is mostly mountainous in the north, with more of the population concentrated in the southern half facing Saitama Prefecture. It has a colder climate more like the Hokuriku region than the lower parts of the Kanto.

Gunma is said to be shaped like a crane in flight (Jomo Karuta).

Cities

12 cities are located in Gunma Prefecture.

Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each district.

ǂScheduled to dissolve after the mergers

Mergers

(as of Mar 27, 2006)

On April 1, 2003, the town of Manba and the village of Nakasato from Tano District merged to form the new town of Kanna. (Merger Information Page)

On December 5, 2004, the town of Ogo and the villages of Kasukawa and Miyagi from Seta District merged into the expanded city of Maebashi.

On January 1, 2005, the towns of Akabori and Sakai and the village of Azuma from Sawa District merged with city of Isesaki to create the new city of Isesaki.

On February 13, 2005, the villages of Shirasawa and Tone from Tone District merged into the expanded city of Numata.

On March 28, 2005, the towns of Nitta, Ojima, and Yabuzukahon merged with the old city of Ota to form the city of Ota.

On June 13, 2005, the villages of Niisato and Kurohone from Seta District merged into the expanded city of Kiryu.

On October 1, 2005, the village of Niiharu and the former towns of Tsukiyono and Minakami merged to form the new town of Minakami.

On January 1, 2006, the town of Onishi merged into the expanded city of Fujioka.

On January 23, 2006, the municipalities of Gunma, Kurabuchi and Misato from Gunma District and the town of Shin from Tano District merged into the expanded city of Takasaki.

On February 20, 2006, the municipalities of Ikaho, Komochi and Onogami from Kitagunma District and the villages of Akagi and Kitatachibana from Seta District merged with the city of Shibukawa to create the new city of Shibukawa.

On March 18, 2006, the town of Matsuida from Usui District merged with the city of An'naka to create the new city of An'naka. Usui District was dissolved as a result of this merger.

On March 27, 2006, the towns of Omama and Kasakake and the village of Azuma merged to form the city of Midori. Nitta District and Yamada District were dissolved as a result of this merger.

On March 27, 2006, the town of Myogi from Kanra District merged with the city of Tomioka to create the new city of Tomioka.

On March 27, 2006, the towns of Agatsuma and Azuma from Agatsuma District merged to form the new town of Higashiagatsuma.

Future Mergers

The city of Takasaki is scheduled to merge with the town of Haruna from Gunma District on October 1, 2006.

Economy

Gunma's modern industries include transport equipment and electrical equipment, concentrated around Maebashi and the eastern region nearest Tokyo. More traditional industries include silk and agriculture.

Demographics

Culture

Tourism

Many places in Gunma are famous for their hot spring resorts. Another draw to the mountainous Gunma is the ski resorts.

Prefectural symbols

The prefectural symbol consists of the first kanji of the word 'Gunma' surrounded by three stylized mountains symbolizing the three important mountains of Gunma Prefecture: Mount Haruna, Mt. Akagi, and Mt. Myogi.

Miscellaneous topics

The street racing manga/anime Initial D takes place in Gunma Prefecture.

Gunma Prefecture is the setting for the ファイト (朝ドラ) (ファイト). The city of Takasaki is the hometown of heroine Kido Yuu.

It is generally held within Japan that women from Gunma are of particularly strong temperament, and wield more power over their husbands than anywhere else in Japan.

External links

Kanto region | Gunma Prefecture | Prefectures of Japan

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Gunma Prefecture".

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