| Ehime Prefecture | |||||||||||||||
| Settlement Type: | Prefecture | ||||||||||||||
| Translit Lang1: | Japanese | ||||||||||||||
| Translit Lang1 Type: | Japanese | ||||||||||||||
| Translit Lang1 Info: | Japanese: 愛媛県 | ||||||||||||||
| Translit Lang1 Type1: | Rōmaji | ||||||||||||||
| Translit Lang1 Info1: | Japanese: Ehime-ken | ||||||||||||||
| Flag Size: | 100px | ||||||||||||||
| Image Blank Emblem: | Emblem of Ehime prefecture.svg | ||||||||||||||
| Blank Emblem Size: | 80px | ||||||||||||||
| Blank Emblem Type: | Emblem | ||||||||||||||
| Subdivision Type: | Country | ||||||||||||||
| Subdivision Name: | Japan | ||||||||||||||
| Subdivision Type1: | Region | ||||||||||||||
| Subdivision Name1: | Shikoku | ||||||||||||||
| Subdivision Type2: | Island | ||||||||||||||
| Subdivision Name2: | Shikoku | ||||||||||||||
| Seat Type: | Capital | ||||||||||||||
| Seat: | Matsuyama | ||||||||||||||
| Parts Type: | Subdivisions | ||||||||||||||
| Parts Style: | para | ||||||||||||||
| P1: | Districts 7 | ||||||||||||||
| P2: | Municipalities 20 | ||||||||||||||
| Leader Title: | Governor | ||||||||||||||
| Leader Name: | Tokihiro Nakamura (since December 2010) | ||||||||||||||
| Area Total Km2: | 5,676.23 | ||||||||||||||
| Area Rank: | 26th | ||||||||||||||
| Population Total: | 1,334,841 | ||||||||||||||
| Population As Of: | October 1, 2020 | ||||||||||||||
| Population Rank: | 28th | ||||||||||||||
| Population Density Km2: | auto | ||||||||||||||
| Demographics Type2: | GDP | ||||||||||||||
| Demographics2 Footnotes: | [1] | ||||||||||||||
| Demographics2 Title1: | Total | ||||||||||||||
| Demographics2 Info1: | JP¥ 5,148 billion US$ 47.2 billion (2019) | ||||||||||||||
| Iso Code: | JP-38 | ||||||||||||||
| Module: |
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| Anthem: | Ehime no uta | ||||||||||||||
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku.[4] Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,334,841[5] and has a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Tokushima Prefecture to the east, and Kōchi Prefecture to the southeast.
Matsuyama is the capital and largest city of Ehime Prefecture and the largest city on Shikoku, with other major cities including Imabari, Niihama, and Saijō.[6]
Notable past Ehime residents include three Nobel Prize winners: they are Kenzaburo Oe (1994 Nobel Prize in Literature), Shuji Nakamura (2014 Nobel Prize in Physics), and Syukuro Manabe (2021 Nobel Prize in Physics).
See also: Historic Sites of Ehime Prefecture.
Until the Meiji Restoration, Ehime Prefecture was known as Iyo Province.[7] Since before the Heian period, the area was dominated by fishermen and sailors who played an important role in defending Japan against pirates and Mongolian invasions.
After the Battle of Sekigahara, the Tokugawa shōgun gave the area to his allies, including Katō Yoshiaki who built Matsuyama Castle, forming the basis for the modern city of Matsuyama.
The name Ehime comes from the kuniumi part of the Kojiki where Iyo Province is mythologically named Ehime, "lovely princess".[8]
In 2012, a research group from the University of Tokyo and Ehime University said they had discovered rare earth deposits in Matsuyama.[9]
Located in the northwestern part of Shikoku, Ehime faces the Seto Inland Sea to the north and is bordered by Kagawa and Tokushima in the east and Kōchi in the south.
The prefecture includes both high mountains in the inland region and a long coastline, with many islands in the Seto Inland Sea. The westernmost arm of Ehime, the Sadamisaki Peninsula, is the narrowest peninsula in Japan.
As of 31 March 2020, 7 percent of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Ashizuri-Uwakai and Setonaikai National Parks; Ishizuchi Quasi-National Park; and Hijikawa, Kinshako, Okudōgo Tamagawa, Sadamisaki Hantō-Uwakai, Saragamine Renpō, Sasayama, and Shikoku Karst Prefectural Natural Parks.[10]
See also: List of cities in Ehime Prefecture by population.
Eleven cities are located in Ehime Prefecture:
These are the towns in each district:
| Name | Area (km2) | Population (2020)[12] | District | Map | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rōmaji | Kanji | |||||
| Ainan | 愛南町 | 239.58 | 19,601 | Minamiuwa District | ||
| Ikata | 伊方町 | 94.37 | 8,397 | Nishiuwa District | ||
| Kamijima | 上島町 | 30.38 | 6,509 | Ochi District | ||
| Kihoku | 鬼北町 | 241.87 | 9,682 | Kitauwa District | ||
| Kumakōgen | 久万高原町 | 583.66 | 7,404 | Kamiukena District | ||
| Masaki | 松前町 | 20.41 | 29,630 | Iyo District | ||
| Matsuno | 松野町 | 98.5 | 3,674 | Kitauwa District | ||
| Tobe | 砥部町 | 101.57 | 20,480 | Iyo District | ||
| Uchiko | 内子町 | 299.5 | 15,322 | Kita District | ||
See main article: List of mergers in Ehime Prefecture.
Former districts:
The coastal areas around Imabari and Saijō host a number of industries, including dockyards of Japan's largest shipbuilder, Imabari Shipbuilding. Chemical industries, oil refining, paper and cotton textile products also are a feature of the prefecture. Rural areas mostly engage in agricultural and fishing industries, and are particularly known for citrus fruits such as mikan (mandarin orange), iyokan and cultured pearls.
Ikata Nuclear Power Plant produces a large portion of Shikoku Electric Power.
The sports teams listed below are based in Ehime.
Football (soccer)
Baseball
Basketball
The oldest extant hot spring in Japan, Dōgo Onsen, is located in Matsuyama. It has been used for over two thousand years.
These are television shows and movies set in Ehime Prefecture.
There are major festivals in Ehime Prefecture.
These are Hot Springs in Ehime Prefecture.
Iyo dialect is a Japanese dialect spoken in Ehime Prefecture. Nanyo is influenced by the Kyushu dialect, and Chuyo and Toyo are influenced by the Kinki dialect.
Ehime Prefecture is making use of its long tradition of involvement with people overseas through international exchanges in areas such as the economy, culture, sports and education.[13]
Dalian (China) Liaoning (China)
British Columbia (Canada)
Queensland (Australia) New South Wales (Australia)
Hawaii (United States)