Editing Okayama Prefecture (section)

== Geography ==
[[File:Map of Okayama Prefecture Ja.svg|thumb|Map of Okayama Prefecture<br />{{legend0|#D8E|Government Ordinance Designated City}} {{legend0|#EAB|City}} {{legend0|#ED9|Town}} {{legend0|#BFE|Village}}]]
Okayama Prefecture borders [[Hyōgo Prefecture]], [[Tottori Prefecture]], and [[Hiroshima Prefecture]].<ref name="enc" /> It faces [[Kagawa Prefecture]] in [[Shikoku]] across the [[Seto Inland Sea]] and includes 90 islands in the sea.

Okayama Prefecture is home to the historic town of [[Kurashiki]]. Most of the population is concentrated around Kurashiki and [[Okayama]]. The small villages in the northern mountain region are aging and declining in population - more than half of the prefecture's municipalities are officially designated as depopulated.<ref>[http://www.pref.okayama.jp/kikaku/kokusai/momo/e/gaiyou/gaiyou.html Okayama official website] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130102235712/http://www.pref.okayama.jp/kikaku/kokusai/momo/e/gaiyou/gaiyou.html |date=2 January 2013 }} accessed November 2007</ref>

As of 1 April 2014, 11% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as [[List of national parks of Japan#History|Natural Parks]], namely the [[Daisen-Oki National Park|Daisen-Oki]] and [[Setonaikai National Park|Setonaikai]] National Parks; the [[Hyōnosen-Ushiroyama-Nagisan Quasi-National Park]]; and seven Prefectural Natural Parks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.env.go.jp/en/nature/nps/park/doc/files/np_6.pdf |title=General overview of area figures for Natural Parks by prefecture |publisher=[[Ministry of the Environment (Japan)|Ministry of the Environment]] |date=1 April 2014 |access-date=19 February 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120421180819/http://www.env.go.jp/en/nature/nps/park/doc/files/np_6.pdf |archive-date=21 April 2012}}</ref>

===Cities===
{{See also|List of cities in Okayama Prefecture by population}}
[[File:Okayama city view from Sankunjinja remains.JPG|thumb|Okayama City]]
[[File:Tsuyama Castle01s5s5000.jpg|thumb|Tsuyama]]
[[File:Takahashi -01.jpg|thumb|Takahashi]]
[[File:Niimi city.jpg|thumb|Niimi]]
Fifteen cities are located in Okayama Prefecture:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! colspan="2" |Name
! rowspan="2" |Area (km<sup>2</sup>)
! rowspan="2" |Population
! rowspan="2" |Map
|-
![[Romanization of Japanese|Rōmaji]]
![[Kanji]]
|-
|[[File:Flag of Akaiwa, Okayama.svg|frameless|25x25px]] [[Akaiwa]]
|赤磐市
|209.43
|44,498
|[[File:Akaiwa in Okayama Prefecture Ja.svg|frameless|59x59px]]
|-
|[[File:Flag of Asakuchi, Okayama.svg|frameless|25x25px]] [[Asakuchi]]
|浅口市
|66.46
|35,022
|[[File:Asakuchi in Okayama Prefecture Ja.svg|frameless|59x59px]]
|-
|[[File:Flag of Bizen, Okayama.svg|frameless|25x25px]] [[Bizen, Okayama|Bizen]]
|備前市
|258.23
|35,610
|[[File:Bizen in Okayama Prefecture Ja.svg|frameless|59x59px]]
|-
|[[File:Flag of Ibara, Okayama.svg|frameless|25x25px]] [[Ibara]]
|井原市
|243.36
|41,460
|[[File:Ibara in Okayama Prefecture Ja.svg|frameless|59x59px]]
|-
|[[File:Flag of Kasaoka, Okayama.svg|frameless|25x25px]] [[Kasaoka]]
|笠岡市
|136.03
|50,160
|[[File:Kasaoka in Okayama Prefecture Ja.svg|frameless|59x59px]]
|-
|[[File:Flag of Kurashiki, Okayama.svg|frameless|25x25px]] [[Kurashiki]]
|倉敷市
|355.63
|483,576
|[[File:Kurashiki in Okayama Prefecture Ja.svg|frameless|59x59px]]
|-
|[[File:Flag of Maniwa, Okayama.svg|frameless|25x25px]] [[Maniwa]]
|真庭市
|828.43
|44,265
|[[File:Maniwa in Okayama Prefecture Ja.svg|frameless|59x59px]]
|-
|[[File:Flag of Mimasaka, Okayama.svg|frameless|25x25px]] [[Mimasaka, Okayama|Mimasaka]]
|美作市
|429.19
|28,502
|[[File:Mimasaka in Okayama Prefecture Ja.svg|frameless|59x59px]]
|-
|[[File:Flag of Niimi, Okayama.svg|frameless|25x25px]] [[Niimi]]
|新見市
|793.27
|30,583
|[[File:Niimi in Okayama Prefecture Ja.svg|frameless|59x59px]]
|-
|[[File:Flag of Okayama, Okayama.svg|frameless|25x25px]] [[Okayama]] (capital)
|岡山市
|789.92
|720,841
|[[File:Okayama in Okayama Prefecture Ja.svg|frameless|59x59px]]
|-
|[[File:Flag of Setouchi, Okayama.svg|frameless|25x25px]] [[Setouchi, Okayama|Setouchi]]
|瀬戸内市
|125.51
|37,934
|[[File:Setouchi in Okayama Prefecture Ja.svg|frameless|59x59px]]
|-
|[[File:Flag of Sōja, Okayama.svg|frameless|25x25px]] [[Sōja]]
|総社市
|212
|67,059
|[[File:Soja in Okayama Prefecture Ja.svg|frameless|59x59px]]
|-
|[[File:Flag of Takahashi, Okayama.svg|frameless|25x25px]] [[Takahashi, Okayama|Takahashi]]
|高梁市
|547.01
|31,556
|[[File:Takahashi in Okayama Prefecture Ja.svg|frameless|59x59px]]
|-
|[[File:Flag of Tamano, Okayama.svg|frameless|25x25px]] [[Tamano]]
|玉野市
|103.61
|60,101
|[[File:Tamano in Okayama Prefecture Ja.svg|frameless|59x59px]]
|-
|[[File:Flag of Tsuyama, Okayama.svg|frameless|25x25px]] [[Tsuyama]]
|津山市
|506.36
|102,294
|[[File:Tsuyama in Okayama Prefecture Ja.svg|frameless|59x59px]]
|}

===Towns and villages===
These are the towns and villages in each [[Districts of Japan|district]]:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! colspan="2" |Name
! rowspan="2" |Area (km<sup>2</sup>)
! rowspan="2" |Population
! rowspan="2" |District
! rowspan="2" |Type
! rowspan="2" |Map
|-
![[Romanization of Japanese|Rōmaji]]
![[Kanji]]
|-
|[[File:Flag of Hayashima Okayama.svg|frameless|25x25px]] [[Hayashima]]
|早島町
|7.62
|12,671
|[[Tsukubo District, Okayama|Tsukubo District]]
|Town
|[[File:Hayashima in Okayama Prefecture Ja.svg|frameless|59x59px]]
|-
|[[File:Flag of Kagamino, Okayama.svg|frameless|25x25px]] [[Kagamino]]
|鏡野町
|419.69
|14,651
|[[Tomata District, Okayama|Tomata District]]
|Town
|[[File:Kagamino in Okayama Prefecture Ja.svg|frameless|59x59px]]
|-
|[[File:Flag of Kibichūō, Okayama.svg|frameless|25x25px]] [[Kibichūō]]
|吉備中央町
|268.73
|11,989
|[[Kaga District, Okayama|Kaga District]]
|Town
|[[File:Kibichuo in Okayama Prefecture Ja.svg|frameless|59x59px]]
|-
|[[File:Flag of Kumenan, Okayama.svg|frameless|25x25px]] [[Kumenan]]
|久米南町
|78.65
|4,962
|[[Kume District, Okayama|Kume District]]
|Town
|[[File:Kumenan in Okayama Prefecture Ja.svg|frameless|59x59px]]
|-
|[[File:Flag of Misaki, Okayama.svg|frameless|25x25px]] [[Misaki, Okayama|Misaki]]
|美咲町
|232.15
|17,776
|[[Kume District, Okayama|Kume District]]
|Town
|[[File:Misaki in Okayama Prefecture Ja.svg|frameless|59x59px]]
|-
|[[File:Flag of Nagi, Okayama.svg|frameless|25x25px]] [[Nagi, Okayama|Nagi]]
|奈義町
|69.54
|5,861
|[[Katsuta District, Okayama|Katsuta District]]
|Town
|[[File:Nagi in Okayama Prefecture Ja.svg|frameless|59x59px]]
|-
|[[File:Flag of Nishiawakura, Okayama.svg|frameless|25x25px]] [[Nishiawakura]]
|西粟倉村
|57.93
|1,437
|[[Aida District, Okayama|Aida District]]
|Village
|[[File:Nishiawakura in Okayama Prefecture Ja.svg|frameless|59x59px]]
|-
|[[File:Flag of Satosho, Okayama.svg|frameless|25x25px]] [[Satoshō]]
|里庄町
|12.23
|11,204
|[[Asakuchi District, Okayama|Asakuchi District]]
|Town
|[[File:Satosho in Okayama Prefecture Ja.svg|frameless|59x59px]]
|-
|[[File:Flag of Shinjō, Okayama.svg|frameless|25x25px]] [[Shinjō, Okayama|Shinjō]]
|新庄村
|67.1
|951
|[[Maniwa District, Okayama|Maniwa District]]
|Village
|[[File:Shinjo in Okayama Prefecture Ja.svg|frameless|59x59px]]
|-
|[[File:Flag of Shoo, Okayama.svg|frameless|25x25px]] [[Shōō]]
|勝央町
|54.09
|11,237
|[[Katsuta District, Okayama|Katsuta District]]
|Town
|[[File:Shouou in Okayama Prefecture Ja.svg|frameless|59x59px]]
|-
|[[File:Flag of Wake Okayama.svg|frameless|25x25px]] [[Wake, Okayama|Wake]]
|和気町
|144.21
|14,191
|[[Wake District, Okayama|Wake District]]
|Town
|[[File:Wake in Okayama Prefecture Ja.svg|frameless|59x59px]]
|-
|[[File:Flag of Yakage, Okayama.svg|frameless|25x25px]] [[Yakage, Okayama|Yakage]]
|矢掛町
|90.62
|14,041
|[[Oda District, Okayama|Oda District]]
|Town
|[[File:Yakage in Okayama Prefecture Ja.svg|frameless|59x59px]]
|}

===Mergers===
{{Main|List of mergers in Okayama Prefecture}}