is the southcentral portion of Gifu Prefecture

Gifu Prefecture

is a prefecture located in the Chūbu region of central Japan. Its capital is the city of Gifu.Located in the center of Japan, it has long played an important part as the crossroads of Japan, connecting the east to the west through such routes as the Nakasendō...

 in the Chūbu region

Chubu region

The is the central region of Honshū, Japan's main island. Chūbu has a population estimate of 21,886,324 as of 2008.Chūbu, which means "central region", encompasses nine prefectures : Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nagano, Niigata, Shizuoka, Toyama, Yamanashi, and often Mie.It is located directly...

 of Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. It shares its name with the prefecture and the capital city of Gifu

Gifu, Gifu

is a city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. During the Sengoku period, various warlords, including Oda Nobunaga, used...

. The borders of this region are not officially set, but it generally consists of the following cities and towns: Gifu, Kakamigahara

Kakamigahara, Gifu

is a city located in the Gifu Prefecture of central Japan. It was founded on 1 April 1963 by the merger of Naka, Sohara, Unuma, and Inaba. Kakamigahara covers a total area of...

, Hashima

Hashima, Gifu

is a city located in the Gifu Prefecture of central Japan.Hashima covers a total area of 87.77 km². As of July 2011 the city has an estimated population of 67,041 inhabitants.The city was founded on 1 April 1954.-External links:*...

, Mizuho

Mizuho, Gifu

is a city located in Gifu Prefecture, Japan.As of July 2011, the city has an estimated population of 52,269, with the number of households being 19,567...

, Motosu

Motosu, Gifu

is a city located in the south west of Gifu Prefecture, Japan.As of July 2011, the city has an estimated population of 34,997. The total area is 374.57 km².-History:On October 28, 1891, the Mino-Owari earthquake, the largest earthquake to hit Japan, struck...

, Yamagata

Yamagata, Gifu

is a city located in Gifu, Japan.-History:The city was established on April 1, 2003, by merger of the towns of Miyama and Takatomi, and the village of Ijira, all from Yamagata District.-External links:*...

, Kasamatsu

Kasamatsu, Gifu

is a town located in Hashima District, Gifu, Japan., the town has an estimated population of 22,829. The total area is 10.36 km². The town of Kasamatsu was created in July 1889 when the village of Kasamatsu gained town status.-External links:*...

, Ginan

Ginan, Gifu

is a town located in Hashima District, Gifu, Japan., the town has an estimated population of 23,856. The total area is 7.90 km².-External links:*...

 and Kitagata

Kitagata, Gifu

is a town located in Motosu District, Gifu, Japan.As of 2011, the town has an estimated population of 18,389. The total area is 5.17 km². The town is completely surrounded by the three cities of Gifu, Motosu and Mizuho.-External links:*...

.

Geography

The northern part of the region is separated from Fukui Prefecture

Fukui Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Fukui.- Prehistory :The Kitadani Dinosaur Quarry, on the Sugiyama River within the city limits of Katsuyama, has yielded the Fukuiraptor kitadaniensis and Fukuisaurus tetoriensis as well as an unnamed...

 by tall mountain ranges. To the west, the Gifu region is separated from the Seinō

Seino

is the southwestern portion of Gifu Prefecture in the Chūbu region of Japan. Before Gifu became a prefecture, the area was part of Mino Province. The Seinō region received its name as a combination of the kanji for "west" and "Mino" and is sometimes referred to by the unabbreviated name of Nishi...

 region by the Nagara

Nagara River

The has its source in the city of Gujō, Gifu Prefecture, and its mouth in the city of Kuwana, Mie Prefecture, Japan. Along with the Kiso River and Ibi River, the Nagara River is one of the Kiso Three Rivers of the Nōbi Plain. Previously, the river was named Sunomata River . With a length of , it...

 and Ibi

Ibi River

The is a tributary of the Kiso River located in Gifu and Mie Prefectures in Japan. Along with the Nagara and Kiso rivers, the Ibi is the third of the Kiso Three Rivers of the Nōbi Plain. It is one of Japan's first-class rivers...

 rivers. To the south, the region is separated from Aichi Prefecture

Aichi Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region. The region of Aichi is also known as the Tōkai region. The capital is Nagoya. It is the focus of the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area.- History :...

 by the Kiso River

Kiso River

The is a river in Japan roughly 193 km long, flowing through the prefectures of Nagano, Gifu, Aichi, and Mie before emptying into Ise Bay a short distance away from the city of Nagoya. It is the main river of the Kiso Three Rivers and forms a major part of the Nōbi Plain...

. It is separated from the Chūnō

Chuño

Chuño is a freeze-dried potato product traditionally made by Quechua and Aymara communities of Bolivia and Peru, and is known in various countries of South America, including Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru...

 region to the east by mountains that are only about 300 m (984 ft) in height.

Approximately 45% of the region is less than 100 m (328 ft) above sea level

Sea level

Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...

. The lowest point is around Hashima, which is only 5 m (16 ft). Heading north, it climbs to 14 m (46 ft) above sea level around Gifu City Hall and 175 m (574 ft) in the Neo area of Motosu.

During the winter, the areas around Yamagata and Motosu receive heavy snowfall. Also, the Ibuki

Mount Ibuki

is a high mountain, on the border of Maibara, Shiga Prefecture, and Ibigawa, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It is one of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains, and is also included on the lists of the 100 Kinki Mountains the 50 Shiga Mountains...

 oroshi

Oroshi

, is the Japanese term for a wind blowing strong down the slope of a mountain, occasionally as strong gusts of wind which can cause damage. Oroshi is a strong local wind across the Kanto Plain on the Japan Sea side of central Honshu...

 winds blow across the region from the west.

Population

The Gifu region has a population of around 900,000 people, over 40% of the population of the whole prefecture. Approximately half of those people live in the capital city of Gifu.

Industries

The area around the main city of Gifu used to be well known as a center for the apparel industry, though it has been in decline for many years.

Kakamigahara is home to aerospace engineering facilities run by Kawasaki Heavy Industries

Kawasaki Heavy Industries

is an international corporation based in Japan. It has headquarters in both Chūō-ku, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo.The company is named after its founder Shōzō Kawasaki and has no connection with the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa....

. The city is also known for its production of carrot

Carrot

The carrot is a root vegetable, usually orange in colour, though purple, red, white, and yellow varieties exist. It has a crisp texture when fresh...

s.

Motosu, Hozumi and the surrounding areas are heavily involved in the production of persimmon

Persimmon

A persimmon is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus Diospyros in the ebony wood family . The word Diospyros means "the fire of Zeus" in ancient Greek. As a tree, it is a perennial plant...

s, specifically the Fuyu (富有 fuyū) variety.