Nago, Okinawa
Encyclopedia
is a city
located in the northern part of Okinawa Island, Okinawa Prefecture
, Japan
. As of 2008, the city has an estimated population
of 60,598 and the density
of 288 persons per km². The total area is 210.30 km². The city was founded on August 1, 1970, and hosted the G-8 Summit
in 2000.
es draw many Okinawans, mainland Japanese, Americans and other tourists to the northern part of the island. The main beach, known as Nago beach, is located on highway 58 in 21st Century Park. The facilities have showers, washrooms, and vending machines, and sites can be rented for picnics or barbecues. There is a lifeguard
on duty and a net in the water to prevent harmful sea creatures from entering the swimming area.
A popular tourist destination is the Pineapple Park which is located on route 84. Right beside the Pineapple Park is Okinawa Fruits land. Pineapple park is an interactive museum where visitors can see how pineapple
is grown, and how pineapple wine is made. There is also a collection of thousands of shell
s.
Okinawa Fruits Land is a conservatory
with many plants, birds and fruit
s. A map is provided and tourists can wander through the park at they wish. There are many types of tropical bird
s.
The corals and seagrass beds of the east coast of Nago are home to the last remaining population of dugong in Japan.
Nago also hosts the international bicycle race
known as the Tour de Okinawa. It is usually held in November. Many people travel from all over the world to participate.
Nago hosted the World's Fair
in 1975 and 1976. The park utilized a monorail
train to move tourists to each exhibit. Its most popular exhibit was the Japanese Floating City. Similar to an oil rig
, the city floated on large pontoons which allowed it to be moved. If the city was threatened with a typhoon, it would move close to shore, fill the pontoons with sea water and sit on the ocean floor for more stability. The city was self sufficient, and used the ocean floor for cultivating seaweed
and other edible plants.
Cities of Japan
||A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of...
located in the northern part of Okinawa Island, Okinawa Prefecture
Okinawa Prefecture
is one of Japan's southern prefectures. It consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over long, which extends southwest from Kyūshū to Taiwan. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of Okinawa Island...
, 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...
. As of 2008, the city has 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 60,598 and the 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 288 persons per km². The total area is 210.30 km². The city was founded on August 1, 1970, and hosted the G-8 Summit
26th G8 summit
The 26th G8 Summit was a political summit that took place in Nago, Okinawa, Japan, on July 21- July 23, 2000.-Overview:The Group of Seven was an unofficial forum which brought together the heads of the richest industrialized countries: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United...
in 2000.
Tourism
Nago is a tourist town. The many beachBeach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
es draw many Okinawans, mainland Japanese, Americans and other tourists to the northern part of the island. The main beach, known as Nago beach, is located on highway 58 in 21st Century Park. The facilities have showers, washrooms, and vending machines, and sites can be rented for picnics or barbecues. There is a lifeguard
Lifeguard
A lifeguard supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, or beach. Lifeguards are strong swimmers and trained in first aid, certified in water rescue using a variety of aids and equipment depending on...
on duty and a net in the water to prevent harmful sea creatures from entering the swimming area.
A popular tourist destination is the Pineapple Park which is located on route 84. Right beside the Pineapple Park is Okinawa Fruits land. Pineapple park is an interactive museum where visitors can see how pineapple
Pineapple
Pineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...
is grown, and how pineapple wine is made. There is also a collection of thousands of shell
Seashell
A seashell or sea shell, also known simply as a shell, is a hard, protective outer layer created by an animal that lives in the sea. The shell is part of the body of the animal. Empty seashells are often found washed up on beaches by beachcombers...
s.
Okinawa Fruits Land is a conservatory
Conservatory (greenhouse)
A conservatory is a room having glass roof and walls, typically attached to a house on only one side, used as a greenhouse or a sunroom...
with many plants, birds and fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
s. A map is provided and tourists can wander through the park at they wish. There are many types of tropical bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s.
The corals and seagrass beds of the east coast of Nago are home to the last remaining population of dugong in Japan.
Nago also hosts the international bicycle race
Bicycle Race
"Bicycle Race" is a single by the English rock band Queen. It was released on their 1978 album Jazz and written by Queen's frontman Freddie Mercury. It was released as a double A-side single together with the song "Fat Bottomed Girls". The song is notable for its video featuring a bicycle race with...
known as the Tour de Okinawa. It is usually held in November. Many people travel from all over the world to participate.
Nago hosted the World's Fair
World's Fair
World's fair, World fair, Universal Exposition, and World Expo are various large public exhibitions held in different parts of the world. The first Expo was held in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom, in 1851, under the title "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All...
in 1975 and 1976. The park utilized a monorail
Monorail
A monorail is a rail-based transportation system based on a single rail, which acts as its sole support and its guideway. The term is also used variously to describe the beam of the system, or the vehicles traveling on such a beam or track...
train to move tourists to each exhibit. Its most popular exhibit was the Japanese Floating City. Similar to an oil rig
Oil rig
Oil rig may refer to* Drilling rig, an apparatus for on-land oil drilling* Oil platform, an apparatus for offshore oil drillingOIL RIG or OILRIG may refer to :...
, the city floated on large pontoons which allowed it to be moved. If the city was threatened with a typhoon, it would move close to shore, fill the pontoons with sea water and sit on the ocean floor for more stability. The city was self sufficient, and used the ocean floor for cultivating seaweed
Seaweed
Seaweed is a loose, colloquial term encompassing macroscopic, multicellular, benthic marine algae. The term includes some members of the red, brown and green algae...
and other edible plants.