Nara, landlocked ken (prefecture), east-central Honshu, Japan. The prefectural capital is Nara city.
The prefecture occupies the central part of the Kii Peninsula. Its southern and northeastern portions are mountainous, while the northwest is composed of the lowland of the Nara Basin. The basin is separated from Ōsaka (west) by mountains and contains most of the prefecture’s population, main cities, and transport facilities. Agriculture, including rice, wheat, flowers, and fruit, is centred in the Nara Basin. Traditional crafts are also a profitable industry in some parts.
The basin contains many historic sites, chief among them the ancient city of Nara and its many associated Buddhist temples, which collectively were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1998. Although it is one of the most historic areas of Japan, the Nara Basin has been increasingly drawn into the commercial and industrial orbit of the Ōsaka-Kōbe Metropolitan Area. The Yoshino vicinity, in the Kii Mountains south of the basin, is part of another collective World Heritage site named in 2004. Area 1,425 square miles (3,691 square km). Pop. (2010) 1,400,728.