Fukuoka
Designated city in Kyushu, Japan / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Fukuoka (Japanese: 福岡市, Hepburn: Fukuoka-shi, pronounced [ɸɯ̥kɯokaꜜɕi]) ([ɸɯ̥kɯꜜoka] ⓘ) is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancient times. The area has long been considered the gateway to the country, as it is the nearest point among Japan's main islands to the Asian mainland. Although humans occupied the area since the Jomon period, some of the earliest settlers of the Yayoi period arrived in the Fukuoka area. The city rose to prominence during the Yamato period. Because of the cross-cultural exposure, and the relatively great distance from the social and political centers of Kyoto, Osaka, and later, Edo (Tokyo), Fukuoka gained a distinctive local culture and dialect that has persisted to the present.
Fukuoka
福岡市 | |
|---|---|
| Fukuoka City | |
.JPG)      Clockwise from top: Seaside Momochi within Fukuoka Tower; Tenjin area in Chūō-ku; Fukuoka Castle; Hakozaki Shrine; Hakata Station; Bayside Place Hakata Port; and Fukuoka PayPay Dome | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location of Fukuoka in Fukuoka Prefecture | |
  Fukuoka Location in Japan | |
| Coordinates: 33°35′24″N 130°24′06″E | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Kyushu |
| Prefecture | Fukuoka Prefecture |
| First official recorded | 57 AD |
| City Settled | April 1, 1889 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Sōichirō Takashima (since December 2010) |
| Area | |
| • Designated city | 343.39 km2 (132.58 sq mi) |
| Population (June 1, 2021) | |
| • Designated city | 1,603,543 |
| • Density | 4,700/km2 (12,000/sq mi) |
| • Metro [1] (2015) | 2,565,501 (5th) |
| Time zone | UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time) |
| – Tree | Camphor laurel |
| – Flower | Camellia |
| – Bird | Black-headed gull |
| Website | www |
| Fukuoka | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.svg){kind=small} "Fukuoka" in kanji | |||||
| Japanese name | |||||
| Kanji | 福岡 | ||||
| Hiragana | ふくおか | ||||
| Katakana | フクオカ | ||||
| |||||
Fukuoka is the most populous city on Kyūshū island, followed by Kitakyushu. It is the largest city and metropolitan area west of Keihanshin. The city was designated by government ordinance on April 1, 1972. Greater Fukuoka, with a population of 2.5 million people (2005 census), is part of the heavily industrialized Fukuoka–Kitakyushu zone.
As of 2015[update], Fukuoka is Japan's fifth largest city, having passed the population of Kobe.[2] In July 2011, Fukuoka surpassed the population of Kyoto. Since the founding of Kyoto in 794, this marks the first time that a city west of the Kansai region has a larger population than Kyoto.