Hidaka Subprefecture
title: "Hidaka Subprefecture" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["hidaka-subprefecture"] topic_path: "general/hidaka-subprefecture" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hidaka_Subprefecture" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Hidaka Subprefecture |
| native_name | 日高振興局 |
| native_name_lang | ja |
| official_name | Hidaka-shinkō-kyoku |
| image_map | Hidaka Subprefecture.png |
| seat | Urakawa |
| seat_type | Capital |
| subdivision_type | Prefecture |
| subdivision_name | Hokkaido |
| area_total_km2 | 4811.91 |
| population_total | 81403 |
| population_as_of | March 2009 |
| population_density_km2 | auto |
| website | http://www.hidaka.pref.hokkaido.lg.jp/ |
| :: |
|name = Hidaka Subprefecture |native_name = 日高振興局 |native_name_lang = ja |official_name = Hidaka-shinkō-kyoku |image_map = Hidaka Subprefecture.png |seat = Urakawa |seat_type = Capital |subdivision_type = Prefecture |subdivision_name = Hokkaido |area_magnitude = |area_total_km2 = 4811.91 |area_footnotes = |population_total = 81403 |population_as_of = March 2009 |population_footnotes = |population_note = |population_density_km2 = auto |website = http://www.hidaka.pref.hokkaido.lg.jp/ ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Hidaka_Subprefecture_Map.gif" caption="Hidaka Subprefecture"] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Urakawa_downtown.JPG" caption="[[Urakawa"] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/二十間道路櫻並木.jpg" caption="[[Shinhidaka"] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Shizunai_office_of_Hidaka_Subprefecture,_Hokkaido_Prefecture.jpg" caption="Shizunai office of Hidaka Subprefecture"] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/UrakawaShichoChosha1919.jpg" caption="Office building of Urakawa Subprefecture (built in 1919)"] ::
Hidaka Subprefecture is a subprefecture of Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. The west side of the Hidaka mountains occupies most of the area. Hidaka is sparsely populated and has many of Hokkaido's natural resources. The governmental office is located in Urakawa.
History
- 1897: Urakawa Subprefecture established.
- 1932: Urakawa Subprefecture renamed Hidaka Subprefecture.
The name Hidaka ("sun high") is derived from the province of the same name established in 1869, which in turn was named after an unknown place in the Nihonshoki, a history book written in 720. There is no direct connection between the Hidaka of the Nihonshoki and the modern Hidaka.
Geography
Located on the south-east coast of Hokkaido, Hidaka Subprefecture has an area of 4811.91 km2 making it the 7th largest subprefecture in the prefecture and 5.8% of Hokkaido's total area. More than 80% of the area is covered with forest.
The prefecture borders Tokachi Subprefecture to the north across the Hidaka Mountains. To the west is Iburi Subprefecture. The south side of the subprefecture is its coast on the Pacific Ocean.
The Hidaka Mountains are known as a "Mecca of Mountaineering", with more than 20 mountains including Mount Poroshiri at 2052 m. These mountains are part of the Hidaka Sanmyaku-Erimo Quasi-National Park, which include Mount Apoi alpine vegetation community and Cape Erimo coast landscape. These areas boast wildlife such as brown bear, sika deer, and common seal.
Municipalities
::data[format=table]
| Name | Area (km2) | Population | Pop. Density | District | Type | Map | Rōmaji | Kanji |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [[File:Flag of Biratori, Hokkaido.svg | frameless | 25x25px]] Biratori | 平取町 | 743.16 | 5,305 | 7.14 | Saru District | Town |
| [[File:Flag of Erimo, Hokkaido.svg | frameless | 25x25px]] Erimo | えりも町 | 283.93 | 4,954 | 17.45 | Horoizumi District | Town |
| [[File:Flag of Hidaka, Hokkaido.svg | frameless | 25x25px]] Hidaka | 日高町 | 992.67 | 12,596 | 12.69 | Saru District | Town |
| [[File:Flag of Niikappu, Hokkaido.svg | frameless | 25x25px]] Niikappu | 新冠町 | 585.88 | 5,696 | 9.72 | Niikappu District | Town |
| [[File:Flag of Samani, Hokkaido.svg | frameless | 25x25px]] Samani | 様似町 | 364.33 | 4,482 | 12.30 | Samani District | Town |
| [[File:Flag of Shinhidaka, Hokkaido.svg | frameless | 25x25px]] Shinhidaka | 新ひだか町 | 1,147.75 | 23,516 | 20.49 | Hidaka District | Town |
| [[File:Flag of Urakawa, Hokkaido.svg | frameless | 25x25px]] Urakawa (capital) | 浦河町 | 694.24 | 12,800 | 18.44 | Urakawa District | Town |
| :: |
Mergers
Demographics
The population of Hidaka Subprefecture is 81,407 in 33,996 households. In the 2005 census, this represents 1.4% of the total population of Hokkaido. The population of Hidaka peaked in 1960. The current population is down 4,613 from the last census in 2005.
References
References
- (2006). "Summary of Hidaka (日高の概要 Hidaka no Gaiyō)". Hokkaido Government, Hidaka Subprefectural Office.
- (2006). "Summary of Hidaka: Nature (日高の概要: 自然 Hidaka no Gaiyō: Shizen)". Hokkaido Government, Hidaka Subprefectural Office.
- (2006). "Summary of Hidaka: Population (日高の概要:人口 Hidaka no Gaiyō: Jinkō)". Hokkaido Government, Hidaka Subprefectural Office.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::