Ōita

prefecture, Japan

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Ōita, ken (prefecture), northeastern Kyushu, Japan, facing the Suō Sea and Bungo Strait of the Pacific Ocean. Its interior is dominated by a complex mountain system, and most human activity centres on small coastal plains. The long, irregular coastline is marked by deep-cut Beppu Bay and the rounded Cape Kuni. Ōita city, the prefectural capital, is located on the southern coast of Beppu Bay.

The region (then known as Bungo) reached its greatest fame in the 16th century but declined during the Edo (Tokugawa) period (1603–1867). Most of the population of the prefecture are farmers who raise subsistence and some cash crops (tobacco, reeds, citrus fruit) and cattle. Forestry flourishes in the mountains, and some industry (textiles, metals, cement, chemicals) is found in the main coastal cities. Beppu, on Beppu Bay, is one of Japan’s best-known hot-spring resorts. Ōita city, now a port for the Inland Sea trade, is a major centre of heavy industry on Kyushu. Oil refineries and petrochemical plants operate on reclaimed land. Area 2,447 square miles (6,338 square km). Pop. (2010) 1,196,529.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kenneth Pletcher.