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Japan Kyushu
Kyushu, meaning "nine provinces" (from its ancient
administrative structure), is the southernmost of the main
islands
and in modern times comprises seven prefectures. It was
the
stepping stone to Honshu for early migrants from the
Korean
Peninsula and a channel for the spread of ideas from the
Asian
mainland
(see Early Developments
, ch. 1). Kyushu lies at
the
western end of the Inland Sea. Its northern extremity is
only about
1.6 kilometers from Honshu, and the two islands are
connected by
the Kammon Bridge and by three tunnels, including one for
the Japan
Railways Group's Shinkansen (bullet train). The region is
divided
not only geographically but also economically by the
Kyushu
Mountains, which run diagonally across the middle of the
island.
The north, including the Kitakyushu industrial region,
became
increasingly urbanized and industrialized after World War
II, while
the agricultural south became relatively poorer. The hilly
northwestern part of the island has extensive coal
deposits, the
second largest in Japan, which formed the basis for a
large iron
and steel industry. An extensive lowland area in the
northwest
between Kumamoto and Saga is an important farming
district.
The climate of Kyushu is generally warm and humid, and
the
cultivation of vegetables and fruits is supplemented by
cattle
raising. The cities of Kitakyushu and Sasebo are noted
for iron and
steel production, and Nagasaki is noted for manufacturing.
Nagasaki
is a city of historical and cultural importance, a center
for
Chinese and Western influences from the sixteenth century
on, and
the only port open to foreign ships during most of the
Tokugawa
period. Like Hiroshima, it also was rebuilt after being
devastated
by an atomic bomb attack in 1945.
Data as of January 1994
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