Ōita大分県

Ōita-ken, おおいたけん. The name ends in 県 (ken), prefecture.

Ōita is north-eastern Kyūshū. It has more hot spring water than any other prefecture, mostly at Beppu and Yufuin.

Open Ōita on the map

Facts

Japanese name

大分県

Reading

Ōita-ken / おおいたけん

Region

Kyūshū-Okinawa 九州・沖縄

Capital

Ōita 大分市

Population

1,123,852 (2020 census)

Area

6,341 km²

Density

177 people per km²

Municipalities

18: 14 cities, 3 towns, and 1 village

Designated cities

None

Districts (郡)

3

Codes

JIS 44, ISO 3166-2 JP-44

Website

www.pref.oita.jp

Tree

Bungo plum 豊後梅

Flower

Bungo plum 豊後梅

Bird

warbling white-eye めじろ

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 8 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

• Fukuoka福岡県
• Kumamoto熊本県
• Miyazaki宮崎県

Questions about Ōita

Is Ōita a city or a prefecture?

Ōita (大分県) is a prefecture, one of Japan's 47. Ōita City (大分市) 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 Ōita?

Ōita City (大分市). The prefectural office is there. It is also the largest municipality in the prefecture.

What does 県 mean in 大分県?

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 Ōita?

18: 14 cities, 3 towns, and 1 village. Each is a local government with its own mayor and assembly. The towns and villages are grouped into three districts (郡), names used in addresses, not governments.

What is the population of Ōita?

1,123,852 at the 2020 census, on 6,341 km², which is 177 people per km². Ōita is the 34th most populous of the 47 prefectures and the 22nd largest by area.

Which prefectures border Ōita?

Three prefectures: Fukuoka (福岡県), Kumamoto (熊本県), and Miyazaki (宮崎県). Borders across water are not counted.

What region is Ōita in?

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

How is Ōita written in Japanese?

大分県, read Ōita-ken and written おおいたけん 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 Ōita begin?

With the prefecture name, then the municipality name: 大分県大分市… (Ōita-ken, Oita-shi, …). After that are written the named area, the chōme, the block, and the building number.

What is the largest city in Ōita?

Oita City (大分市), with 475,614 people at the 2020 census. It is also the capital. The three most populous municipalities are Oita City (大分市, 475,614), Beppu City (別府市, 115,321), and Nakatsu City (中津市, 82,863).

What are the symbols of Ōita?

The prefectural tree is the Bungo plum (豊後梅), the flower the Bungo plum (豊後梅), and the bird the warbling white-eye (めじろ). Ōita chose them by ordinance, as every prefecture has.