Niigata Prefecture - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Niigata Prefecture
新潟県
Flag of Niigata Prefecture
Official seal of Niigata Prefecture
Niigata Prefecture in Japan
Niigata Prefecture in Japan
Country Japan
RegionChūbu
CapitalNiigata
Subdivisions
Government
 • GovernorHideyo Hanazumi
Area
 • Total12,584 km2 (4,859 sq mi)
Population
 (October 1, 2020)
 • Total2,201,272
 • Density174.9/km2 (453/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+09:00 (JST)
Postal code
950-8570
Area code15000-2
ISO 3166 codeJP-15
WebsiteOfficial website

Niigata Prefecture (新潟県, Niigata-ken) is a prefecture in the Chūbu region of Japan on the island of Honshū.[1] The capital city is Niigata.[2]

History[change | change source]

Until after the Meiji Restoration, the area that is now Niigata Prefecture was divided into Echigo Province and Sado Province.[3]

Geography[change | change source]

Niigata is next to Yamagata Prefecture, Toyama Prefecture, Nagano Prefecture, Gunma Prefecture and Fukushima prefecture.

Niigata is the fifth largest prefecture in Japan by area.[source?]

In winter, it snows a lot in Niigata, and winter sports are popular.[source?]

National Parks[change | change source]

National Parks are established in about 25% of the total land area of the prefecture.[4] including

Shrines and Temples[change | change source]

Yahiko-jinja, Kota-jinja, Amatsu-jinja and Watatsu-jinja are the chief Shinto shrines (ichinomiya) in the prefecture. [6]

Related pages[change | change source]

References[change | change source]

  1. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Niigata-ken" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 711.
  2. Nussbaum, "Niigata" at p. 711.
  3. Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" at p. 780.
  4. Japan Ministry of the Environment, "General overview of area figures for Natural Parks by prefecture"; retrieved 2012-3-13.
  5. Japan Ministry of the Environment, "Bandai-Asahi National Park" Archived 2014-09-09 at the Wayback Machine retrieved 2012-3-19.
  6. "Nationwide List of Ichinomiya," p. 2 Archived 2013-05-17 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-3-13.

Other websites[change | change source]

Media related to Niigata prefecture at Wikimedia Commons