Kagoshima鹿児島県

Kagoshima-ken, かごしまけん. The name ends in 県 (ken), prefecture.

Kagoshima is the southern tip of Kyūshū plus a long island chain. The active volcano Sakurajima is across the bay from the city.

Open Kagoshima on the map

Facts

Japanese name

鹿児島県

Reading

Kagoshima-ken / かごしまけん

Region

Kyūshū-Okinawa 九州・沖縄

Capital

Kagoshima 鹿児島市

Population

1,588,256 (2020 census)

Area

9,186 km²

Density

173 people per km²

Municipalities

43: 19 cities, 20 towns, and 4 villages

Designated cities

None

Districts (郡)

8

Codes

JIS 46, ISO 3166-2 JP-46

Website

www.pref.kagoshima.jp

Tree

coral tree and camphor tree カイコウズ、クスノキ

Flower

Kyushu azalea ミヤマキリシマ

Bird

Lidth's jay ルリカケス

The tree, flower, and bird are the prefectural symbols, chosen by ordinance. Every prefecture has all three.

The most populous municipalities

2020 census. Share is the municipality's part of the prefecture's population. The other 33 are listed below.

How an address here begins

The prefecture name is written first, then the municipality name. The guide explains the rest of the address, and the map finds any address you paste into it.

Neighbouring prefectures

• Kumamoto熊本県
• Miyazaki宮崎県

Questions about Kagoshima

Is Kagoshima a city or a prefecture?

Kagoshima (鹿児島県) is a prefecture, one of Japan's 47. Kagoshima City (鹿児島市) is a municipality inside it and its capital. On its own, the name usually means the city. With 県 on the end it means the prefecture.

What is the capital of Kagoshima?

Kagoshima City (鹿児島市). The prefectural office is there. It is also the largest municipality in the prefecture.

What does 県 mean in 鹿児島県?

県 (ken) means prefecture. It is the ordinary word for prefecture, used by 43 of the 47. The other four are Tokyo (都), Hokkaidō (道), Osaka, and Kyoto (府), which are the same kind of government with a different word at the end of the name.

How many municipalities are in Kagoshima?

43: 19 cities, 20 towns, and 4 villages. Each is a local government with its own mayor and assembly. The towns and villages are grouped into eight districts (郡), names used in addresses, not governments.

What is the population of Kagoshima?

1,588,256 at the 2020 census, on 9,186 km², which is 173 people per km². Kagoshima is the 24th most populous of the 47 prefectures and the 10th largest by area.

Which prefectures border Kagoshima?

Two prefectures: Kumamoto (熊本県) and Miyazaki (宮崎県). Borders across water are not counted.

What region is Kagoshima in?

Kyūshū-Okinawa (九州・沖縄). A region is a customary grouping of prefectures, not a government, so Kagoshima elects a governor and an assembly but the region elects nothing.

How is Kagoshima written in Japanese?

鹿児島県, read Kagoshima-ken and written かごしまけん in hiragana. The last character, 県, is the word for prefecture, and the name is often used without it in English.

How does an address in Kagoshima begin?

With the prefecture name, then the municipality name: 鹿児島県鹿児島市… (Kagoshima-ken, Kagoshima-shi, …). After that are written the named area, the chōme, the block, and the building number.

What is the largest city in Kagoshima?

Kagoshima City (鹿児島市), with 593,128 people at the 2020 census. It is also the capital. The three most populous municipalities are Kagoshima City (鹿児島市, 593,128), Kirishima City (霧島市, 123,135), and Kanoya City (鹿屋市, 101,096).

What are the symbols of Kagoshima?

The prefectural tree is the coral tree and camphor tree (カイコウズ、クスノキ), the flower the Kyushu azalea (ミヤマキリシマ), and the bird the Lidth's jay (ルリカケス). Kagoshima chose them by ordinance, as every prefecture has.