is a district

Districts of Japan

The was most recently used as an administrative unit in Japan between 1878 and 1921 and is roughly equivalent to the county of the United States, ranking at the level below prefecture and above city, town or village. As of 2008, cities belong directly to prefectures and are independent from...

 located in Kumamoto Prefecture

Kumamoto Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyushu Island. The capital is the city of Kumamoto.- History :Historically the area was called Higo Province; and the province was renamed Kumamoto during the Meiji Restoration. The creation of prefectures was part of the abolition of the feudal system...

, 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...

.

In 2003 the district had an estimated population

Population

A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...

 of 64,552 and a density

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 of 48.64 persons per square kilometer. The total area is 1,327.16 km².

Culture

A local tradition in Kuma District (as well as other neighboring areas in Kumamoto Prefecture) is the . At social settings such as a party one presents one's empty cup to a friend to hold, into which one then pours some beverage for the friend to drink. After the friend finishes the drink he returns the glass and fills it with more of the beverage.

Language

The local dialect is called Kuma-ben. For example, the Japanese word for is pronounced "atsui" in standard Japanese, but "ats-ka" or "nuka" in Kuma-ben.

Towns and villages

• Asagiri
  Asagiri, Kumamoto
  is a town located in Kuma District, Kumamoto, Japan.As of September 2011 the town has an estimated population of 16,980. The total area is 159.49 km².Asagiri was created by the merger of 5 smaller towns and villages on April 1, 2003...
  
  
• Itsuki
  Itsuki, Kumamoto
  is a village located in Kuma District, Kumamoto, Japan.In 2006 the village had an estimated population of 1,388 and a density of 5.66 persons per km². The total area is 252.94 km²....
  
  
• Kuma
  Kuma, Kumamoto
  is a village located in Kuma District, Kumamoto, Japan.As of April 1, 2008 the village had an estimated population of 4,491 and a population density of 21.6 persons per km². The total area is 207.73 km²....
  
  
• Mizukami
  Mizukami, Kumamoto
  is a village located in Kuma District, Kumamoto, Japan.As of 2003 the village has an estimated population of 2,612 and a population density of 13.6 persons per km². The total area is 192.11 km².-External links:*...
  
  
• Nishiki
  Nishiki, Kumamoto
  is a town located in Kuma District, Kumamoto, Japan.In 2003 the town had an estimated population of 11,904 and a density of 140.26 persons per km². The total area is 84.87 km².-External links:*...
  
  
• Sagara
  Sagara, Kumamoto
  is a village located in Kuma District, Kumamoto, Japan.As of 2003 the village has an estimated population of 5,448 and a population density of 57.63 persons per km². The total area is 94.54 km².-External links:*...
  
  
• Taragi
  Taragi, Kumamoto
  is a town located in Kuma District, Kumamoto, Japan.As of 2003 the town has an estimated population of 11,759 and a density of 70.89 persons per km². The total area is 165.87 km².-External links:*...
  
  
• Yamae
  Yamae, Kumamoto
  is a village located in Kuma District, Kumamoto, Japan.In 2003 the village had an estimated population of 3,996 and a population density of 32.97 persons per km². The total area is 121.2 km².-External links:*...
  
  
• Yunomae
  Yunomae, Kumamoto
  is a town located in Kuma District, Kumamoto, Japan.As of 2003 the town has an estimated population of 4,837 and a density of 99.92 persons per km². The total area is 48.41 km².-External links:*...
  
  

Merger

• On April 1, 2003 the town of Menda, and the villages of Fukada, Ōkaharu, Sue and Ue merged to form the new town of Asagiri
  Asagiri, Kumamoto
  is a town located in Kuma District, Kumamoto, Japan.As of September 2011 the town has an estimated population of 16,980. The total area is 159.49 km².Asagiri was created by the merger of 5 smaller towns and villages on April 1, 2003...
  
  .