is a city in 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...

.

It was formed on April 1, 2005, from the merger of the old cities of Gushikawa

Gushikawa, Okinawa

was a city located in Okinawa, Japan.On April 1, 2005 Gushikawa was merged with the towns of Katsuren and Yonashiro, both from Nakagami District, and the old city of Ishikawa, to form the new city of Uruma....

 and Ishikawa

Ishikawa, Okinawa

was a city located in Okinawa, Japan.On April 1, 2005 Ishikawa was merged with the towns of Katsuren and Yonashiro, both from Nakagami District, and the old city of Gushikawa, to form the new city of Uruma....

, and the towns of Katsuren

Katsuren, Okinawa

was a town located in Nakagami District, Okinawa, Japan.On April 1, 2005 Katsuren was merged with the town of Yonashiro, also from Nakagami District, and the old cities of Gushikawa and Ishikawa, to form the new city of Uruma....

 and Yonashiro

Yonashiro, Okinawa

was a town located in Nakagami District, Okinawa, Japan.Originally it was . It was promoted to town status and renamed to Yonashiro in 1994.On April 1, 2005 Yonashiro was merged with the town of Katsuren, also from Nakagami District, and the old cities of Gushikawa and Ishikawa, to form the new...

, both from Nakagami District

Nakagami District, Okinawa

is a district located in Okinawa, Japan.As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 169,332 and the density of 1,216.03 persons per km²...

.

The city name comes from an archaic alternate name for Okinawa in Okinawan

Okinawan language

Central Okinawan, or simply Okinawan , is a Northern Ryukyuan language spoken primarily in the southern half of the island of Okinawa, as well as in the surrounding islands of Kerama, Kumejima, Tonaki, Aguni, and a number of smaller peripheral islands...

, meaning coral (uru) + island (ma).

Geography

It is located near the center of Okinawa Island

Okinawa Island

Okinawa Island is the largest of the Okinawa Islands and the Ryukyu Islands of Japan, and is home to Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture. The island has an area of...

, facing east. It consists of Yokatsu Peninsula and the eight islands of Yokatsu Islands.

Famous people from Uruma

• Finger 5
  Finger 5
  was a Japanese pop group, composed of the four Okinawan Tamamoto brothers, Kazuo, Mitsuo, Masao, Akira, and sister Taeko. Their greatest hit was "Koi No Dial 6700 "....
  
  , musical group
• HY, band
• Manami Higa, actress
• Seijin Noborikawa
  Seijin Noborikawa
  , born November 11, 1932 in Uruma, Okinawa, is a master Okinawan musician and min'yō folk singer, and a headliner of the Utanohi music festival.- External links :*...
  
  , singer
• Takashi Chinen, gymnast
• Takato Toguchi, boxer

External links