Shimane Prefecture
Shimane Prefecture (島根県, Shimane-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Shimane Prefecture is the second-least populous prefecture of Japan at 665,205 (February 1, 2021) and has a geographic area of 6,708.26 km2. Shimane Prefecture borders Yamaguchi Prefecture to the southwest, Hiroshima Prefecture to the south, and Tottori Prefecture to the east.
Shimane Prefecture
島根県 | |
|---|---|
| Japanese transcription(s) | |
| • Japanese | 島根県 |
| • Rōmaji | Shimane-ken |
The coast of Gōtsu City, Shimane Prefecture seen from the Osakihana lighthouse | |
|
Flag Symbol | |
| Anthem: Usu-murasaki no yamanami | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Chūgoku (San'in) |
| Island | Honshu |
| Capital | Matsue |
| Subdivisions | Districts: 5, Municipalities: 19 |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Tatsuya Maruyama |
| Area | |
| • Total | 6,708.26 km2 (2,590.07 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 19th |
| Population (February 1, 2021) | |
| • Total | 665,205 |
| • Rank | 46th |
| • Density | 99/km2 (260/sq mi) |
| GDP | |
| • Total | JP¥ 2,689 billion US$ 24.7 billion (2019) |
| ISO 3166 code | JP-32 |
| Website | www1 |
| Symbols of Japan | |
| Bird | Whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus) |
| Fish | Flying Fish |
| Flower | Moutan peony (Paeonia suffruticosa) |
| Tree | Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii) |
Matsue is the capital and largest city of Shimane Prefecture, with other major cities including Izumo, Hamada, and Masuda. Shimane Prefecture contains the majority of the Lake Shinji-Nakaumi metropolitan area centered on Matsue, and with a population of approximately 600,000 is Japan's third-largest metropolitan area on the Sea of Japan coast after Niigata and Greater Kanazawa. Shimane Prefecture is bounded by the Sea of Japan coastline on the north, where two-thirds of the population live, and the Chūgoku Mountains on the south. Shimane Prefecture governs the Oki Islands in the Sea of Japan which juridically includes the disputed Liancourt Rocks (竹島, Takeshima). Shimane Prefecture is home to Izumo-taisha, one of the oldest Shinto shrines in Japan, and the Tokugawa-era Matsue Castle.