北九州-福岡 (Kitakyūshū-Fukuoka)

北九州-福岡 (Kitakyūshū-Fukuoka)¹ is a metropolitan area centered on the cities of 北九州 (Kitakyūshū) and 福岡 (Fukuoka), both located in 福岡 (Fukuoka) Prefecture, on Kyūshū Island, ⽇夲 (Nippon).² The metropolitan area has a population of 4.381 million.³

北九州 (Kitakyūshū) is located on the Kammon Strait in northernmost Kyūshū and has a population of 983 thousand.⁴ It was formed in 1963 from five municipalities including Kokura.⁵ Kokura was the prefered target for the second atomic bomb drop in World War II but low visibility saved it.⁵ A bridge crosses the strait. As of mid-2014 the tallest building is the Kokura D.C. Tower (22 stories, 2011).⁶

福岡 (Fukuoka) is located southwest of 北九州 (Kitakyūshū), along the northwest coast of the island. It has a population of 1.43 million.⁷ One of the nation's busiest airports is located in its Hakata Ward.⁸ The tallest building as of mid-2014 is the Sea Hawk Hotel & Resort (34 stories, 1995).⁶

External references

Overview of Fukuoka, Nippon (Japan)

Historical maps

Footnotes

1. Also called Fukuoka-Kitakyūshū.
2. In less formal contexts the pronunciation shifts to the more modern: Nihon. In English: Japan.
3. 2012 calculation from world-gazetteer.com, accessed 2/6/2013.
4. 2010 figure from the side banner of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitakyushu, accessed 7/2/2014.
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitakyushu, accessed 7/2/2014.
6. Emporis.com, accessed 7/2/2014.
7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_in_Japan, accessed 3/25/2014.
8. Airports with more than 10 million passengers in 2010 determined from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_busiest_airports_in_Japan, accessed 3/26/2014.