Kumamoto Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Kumamoto Prefecture has a population of 1,748,134 and has a geographic area of 7,409 square kilometres (2,861 sq mi). Kumamoto Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the north, Ōita Prefecture to the northeast, Miyazaki Prefecture to the southeast, and Kagoshima Prefecture to the south.
Nagasaki Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan, mainly located on the island of Kyūshū, although it also includes a number of islands off Kyūshū's northwest coast - including Tsushima and Iki. Nagasaki Prefecture has a population of 1,314,078 and has a geographic area of 4,130 km2. Nagasaki Prefecture borders Saga Prefecture to the northeast.
A megatsunami is a very large wave created by a large, sudden displacement of material into a body of water.
Shimabara is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan. As of 30 June 2024, the city had an estimated population of 42,181 in 19917 households, and a population density of 510 people per km2. The total area of the city is 170.13 km2 (65.69 sq mi).
Isahaya is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2024, the city had an estimated population of 131,467 in 55169 households, and a population density of 380 people per km2. The total area of the city is 341.79 km2 (131.97 sq mi)
Mount Unzen is an active volcanic group of several overlapping stratovolcanoes, near the city of Shimabara, Nagasaki on the island of Kyushu, Japan's southernmost main island.
Shimabara Castle, also known as Moritake Castle and Takaki Castle, is a Japanese castle located in Shimabara, Hizen Province. This five-story white building stands in stark contrast to the black Kumamoto Castle in neighboring Kumamoto Prefecture.
Mount Aso or Aso Volcano is the largest active volcano in Japan and among the largest in the world. Common use relates often only to the somma volcano in the centre of Aso Caldera. It stands in Aso Kujū National Park in Kumamoto Prefecture, on the island of Kyushu. Its tallest peak, Takadake, is 1,592 meters (5,223 ft) above sea level. Mount Aso is in a fairly large caldera with a circumference of around 120 km (75 mi), although sources vary on the exact distance. It is one of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains.
Augustine Volcano is a stratovolcano in Alaska consisting of a central complex of summit lava domes and flows surrounded by an apron of pyroclastic, lahar, avalanche, and ash deposits. The volcano is frequently active, with major eruptions recorded in 1883, 1935, 1963–64, 1976, 1986, and 2006. Minor eruptive events were reported in 1812, 1885, 1908, 1944, and 1971. The large eruptions are characterized by an explosive onset followed by the quieter effusion of lava. It forms Augustine Island in southwestern Cook Inlet in the Kenai Peninsula Borough of southcentral coastal Alaska, 174 miles (280 km) southwest of Anchorage. Augustine Island has a land area of 32.4 square miles (83.9 km2), while West Island, just off Augustine's western shores, has 2 sq mi (5.2 km2). The irregular coastline of Augustine Island is due to the repeated catastrophic collapse of the summit dome, forming debris avalanches down the flanks and into Cook Inlet.
The Shimabara Peninsula is a peninsula located in Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. The peninsula incorporates the cities of Shimabara, Minamishimabara, and Unzen.
Unzen-Amakusa National Park is a national park in Nagasaki, Kumamoto, and Kagoshima Prefectures, Japan. Established in 1934, the park derives its name from Mount Unzen, an active volcano at the middle of the Shimabara Peninsula, and the Amakusa islands in the Yatsushiro Sea. The area is closely connected to the early history of Christianity in Japan, and the park encompasses numerous areas related to Kakure Kirishitan.
Minamishimabaralit. "South Shimabara City" is a city in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. As of 30 June 2024, the city had an estimated population of 41,028 in 18378 households, and a population density of 240 people per km2. The total area of the city is 170.13 km2 (65.69 sq mi).
Unzen is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. As of 30 June 2024, the city had an estimated population of 40,831 in 17709 households, and a population density of 190 people per km2. The total area of the town is 214.31 km2 (82.75 sq mi).
Ōmuta is a city in Fukuoka Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū, Japan. As of 31 December 2023, the city had an estimated population of 106,393 in 55,373 households, and a population density of 1,300 persons per km2. The total area of the city is 81.45 km2 (31.45 sq mi).
The Ariake Sea is a body of salt water surrounded by Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, and Kumamoto Prefectures, all of which lie on the island of Kyūshū in Japan. It is the largest bay in Kyūshū. Its deepest point is only about 50 meters deep, and extreme tides exceed 4 meters (13 ft), covering roughly 1,700 square kilometres (660 sq mi). Isahaya Bay is a branch of the Ariake Sea. Across the Amakusa Islands lies the Yatsushiro Sea.
Shimabara Railway is a third-sector railway company in Nagasaki, Japan.
The history of Kumamoto Prefecture has been documented from paleolithic times to the present. Kumamoto Prefecture is the eastern half of Hinokuni, and corresponds to what was once called Higo Province. Exceptions are the parts of Kuma District, which had once been part of Sagara Domain, and Nagashima which was included in Kagoshima Prefecture.
The 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes were a series of earthquakes, including a magnitude 7.0 mainshock which struck at 01:25 JST on April 16, 2016 beneath Kumamoto City of Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu Region, Japan, at a depth of about 10 kilometres, and a foreshock earthquake with a magnitude 6.2 at 21:26 JST (12:26 UTC) on April 14, 2016, at a depth of about 11 kilometres.
On 13 March 1888, a section of Ritter Island, a small volcanic island off the coast of New Guinea, collapsed into the sea in a sector collapse. The collapse triggered tsunami waves that struck nearby and distant islands such as New Guinea, Umboi, Sakar and New Britain. It caused heavy damage and deaths in coastal settlements. While no confirmed death toll exists, it is estimated that between 1,500 and 3,000 people died.
The devastating eruption of Oshima–Ōshima began on 18 August 1741 and ended on 1 May the next year. Eleven days into the eruption, the Kampo tsunami with estimated maximum heights of over 90 m (300 ft) swept across neighboring islands in Japan and the Korean Peninsula. The eruption and its resulting tsunami killed at least 1,400 people. Damage was extreme along the coast of Japan, while in Korea, the tsunami damaged fishing boats.
