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Chiba PrefectureChiba Prefecture (千葉県 Chiba-ken) is located in the Greater Tokyo Area of Honshu Island, Japan. Its capital is Chiba City. History Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture. Historically, the prefecture constituted three provinces of Awa, Kazusa, and Shimousa. Geography Chiba borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north at the Tone River, Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture to the west at the Edo River, the Pacific Ocean to the east and Tokyo Bay around its southern boundary. Most of Chiba lies on the hilly Boso Peninsula, a rice farming region: the east coast, known as the Ninety-Nine League Plain, is an especially productive area. The most populous zone, in the northwest of the prefecture, is part of the Kanto plain that extends into the urban agglomeration of Tokyo and Saitama. Cities Districts | align="top"| | valign="top"| | valign="top"| | Mergers Kamogawa expansion On February 11, 2005 the former town Amatsukominato from Awa District merged into the city Kamogawa. Economy Chiba is one of Japan's largest industrial areas, thanks to its long coastline on Tokyo Bay. After Chiba was chosen as the site for a major Kawasaki Steel factory in 1950, the prefectural government embarked on a large-scale land reclamation program that dredged up large plots of waterfront property for factories, warehouses, and docks. Chemical production, petrochemical refining, and machine production are the three main industries in Chiba today: together, they account for forty-five percent of the prefecture's exports. In recent years, the government has funded more than eighty industrial parks to bring development further inland as well. The prefecture also boasts Japan's second-highest agricultural output: among all the prefectures, only Hokkaido produces more agricultural products, and Chiba leads Hokkaido in vegetable production. Chiba's fisheries are also productive, catching many of Japan's flatfish, halibut, and lobster. Seaweed is harvested in large quantities from Tokyo Bay. Demographics Chiba's population is one of the wealthiest in Japan due to the prefecture's strong commercial and industrial sectors. Per capita GDP is 3.1 million (US$28,600), the fifth-highest in the country. 70% of the population is employed in the service sector, with 25% in industry and 5% in agriculture. Culture Tourism Most Tokyo-bound visitors land in Narita International Airport, which is situated in Narita in the north of the prefecture, and connected to Tokyo by the JR Narita Express and the private Keisei Electric Railway. The Tokyo Disney Resort is located in Urayasu near the western border of the prefecture. Chiba is linked to Tokyo by several railway lines: the main trunk lines are the Keiyo Line and Sobu Line. The Musashino Line connects Chiba to Saitama and northern Tokyo. Southern Chiba is connected to Kanagawa Prefecture by the Tokyo Wan Aqua-Line bridge-tunnel. Prefectural symbols Chiba's Meibutsu (名物 lit: famous thing) is peanuts. Most of Japan's peanuts are harvested here and are also processed into peanut oils. Miscellaneous topics External links
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