Yamagata Prefecture (山形県; Yamagata-ken) is located in the Tohoku region on Honshu island, Japan. Its capital is Yamagata.

History

Yamagata, with Akita Prefecture, composed Dewa Province until the Meiji Restoration.

Geography

Yamagat Prefecture is located in the southwest corner of Tohoku, facing the Sea of Japan. It border Niigata Prefecture and Fukushima Prefecture on the south, Miyagi Prefecture on the east, and Akita Prefecture on the north. All of these boundaries are marked by mountains, with most of the population residing in a limited central plain.

Cities

• Higashine
• Kaminoyama
• Murayama
• Nagai
• Nan'yo
• Obanazawa
• Sagae
• Sakata
• Shinjo
• Tendo
• Tsuruoka
• Yamagata (capital)
• Yonezawa

Districts

Mergers and changes of municipalities

Merger: Central Shonai (1 July 2005)

The Towns of Tachikawa and Amarume are to be merged to form the Town of Shonai (Shōnai-Chō).

The Merger Council of Central Shonai (in Japanese)

Merger: Southern Shonai (1 October 2005)

The City of Tsuruoka, the Towns of Fujishima, Atsumi, Haguro and Kushibiki and the Village of Asahi are to be merged to form the new City of Tsuruoka (Tsuruoka-Shi).

The Merger Council of Southern Shonai (in Japanese)

Economy

Agriculture - Fruit

Yamagata Prefecture is the largest producer of cherries and pears in Japan. A large quantity of other kinds of fruits such as grapes, apples, peaches, melons, persimmons and watermelons are also produced here.

Demographics

Culture

Tourism

The temple of Yamadera, carved into the mountainside near Yamagata City, is a major attraction.

Prefectural symbols

Miscellaneous topics

External links

• Official Yamagata Prefecture homepage