Oita Prefecture (大分県) is a Japanese prefecture on Kyushu. The capital of Oita Prefecture is Oita City.
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Before the Meiji Restoration, the land making up Oita Prefecture was comprised of Bungo Province and Buzen Province. There was no single castle town in Oita during the Edo Period as the region was home to multiple smaller daimyos.
The prefecture of Oita is located in the northeastern corner of Kyushu. To the north, the prefecture is surrounded by the Suo Channel and Honshu. To the east the prefecture is bordered by the Iyo Channel and Shikoku Island. Miyazaki Prefecture borders it on the south, Fukuoka Prefecture on the west along with Kumamoto Prefecture. For the most part, the prefecture consists of mountains with a single narrow coastal plain.
The cities currently located in Oita Prefecture include:
Districts currently located in Oita Prefecture include:
Well known industries in Oita Prefecture include its variety of agricultural interests such as Kabosu crops. Recent economic development, started by Morihiko Hiramatsu – onetime governor of Oita – has refocused each town toward single development of one economic product.
Oita Prefecture is best known to tourists for its hot springs, with those around Beppu being the most popular for visits. Many of them cannot be used for onsen as the water is too hot or contaminated, but are still visited often due to their unique nature.
Other outdoor attractions such as the Mt Takasaki Monkey Park are very popular as well with multiple macaque monkeys in the area.