How it works
This blank map of Kyushu draws the island's seven prefectures large enough to write on, with Okinawa in a dashed box beside them. Shikoku and the west of Honshu run across the top in grey, with no names to write.
Read the full guide
Seven prefectures on the island, one in a box
Fukuoka is the north, the part nearest Honshu. Saga and Nagasaki fill the northwest: Saga is the small shape, Nagasaki the ragged western edge. Kumamoto is the west side halfway down, with Oita and Miyazaki along the east coast. Kagoshima is the southern end, where two peninsulas close around a bay. Okinawa lies far out to sea, so the drawing moves it into the box.
Islands that belong to a prefecture
The long island at the top left, toward Korea, is Tsushima. It is part of Nagasaki, as is the chain off the west coast. The islands below the southern tip, Yakushima among them, are part of Kagoshima.
- Saga and Nagasaki sit side by side and are easy to swap. Saga touches Fukuoka; on land Nagasaki touches only Saga.
- Kagoshima is the largest of the seven on the island and Saga the smallest. Fukuoka has the most people.
Questions and answers
How many prefectures are in Kyushu?
Seven on the island: Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki and Kagoshima. The Kyushu region takes in Okinawa as well, so this sheet has eight to label.
Is Okinawa part of Kyushu?
Not of the island. Okinawa Prefecture is usually counted with the Kyushu region and is sometimes treated as a region of its own. If your class list has seven names, leave the box empty.
What does Kyushu mean?
Nine provinces. The name comes from the nine old provinces of the island, which is divided into seven prefectures today.
What separates Kyushu from Honshu?
The Kanmon Straits, between Fukuoka and Yamaguchi at the western tip of Honshu. On this sheet Yamaguchi is the grey shape just across the water from the north of Kyushu.
Is there a Japan map quiz for Kyushu alone?
Yes, on this page. Press Quiz yourself on this map and it asks for the same eight prefectures, one at a time, on the drawing you print. The Japan map quiz asks all 47, one region at a time.