Editing Chiba Prefecture (section)

== Geography ==
Chiba Prefecture borders [[Ibaraki Prefecture]] to the north at the Tone River, [[Tokyo]] and [[Saitama Prefecture]] to the west at the Edo River, the [[Pacific Ocean]] to the east and [[Tokyo Bay]] around its southern boundary. Most of Chiba lies on the hilly [[Boso Peninsula]], a [[rice]] farming region: the east coast, known as the [[Kujūkuri Plain]],<ref name="dijitaru-kujukuriheino">{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Dijitaru daijisen |title=九十九里平野 (Kujūri Heino) |url=http://rekishi.jkn21.com/ |access-date=2012-04-09 |year=2012 |publisher=Shogakukan |location=Tokyo |language=ja |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070825113418/http://rekishi.jkn21.com/ |archive-date=2007-08-25 }}</ref> is an especially productive area. The most populous zone, in the northwest of the prefecture, is part of the [[Kantō region]] that extends into the urban agglomeration of Tokyo and Saitama. The [[Kuroshio Current]] flows near Chiba, which keeps it relatively warm in winter and cooler in summer than neighbouring Tokyo.

=== National and prefectural parks ===
[[File:Coast in emi kamogawa 01.jpg|right|thumb|Coastal area in Emi, [[Kamogawa, Chiba|Kamogawa]]]]
With the exception of the large-scale [[Keiyō Industrial Zone]] in the northeast, the entirety of the coast of Chiba Prefecture is protected as two quasi-national parks and one prefectural natural park under the national park system of Japan. As of 1 April 2012, 6% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as [[List of national parks of Japan#History|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]] |access-date=26 April 2012}}</ref>

*[[Suigo-Tsukuba Quasi-National Park]] encompasses a large area of the [[Tone River]] basin and the area around [[Mount Tsukuba]] in [[Ibaraki Prefecture]]. The park was established in 1953 to protect not only the environment of the area, but also its unique cultural heritage. The mouth of the Tone River and to [[Cape Inubō]] and [[Byōbugaura]] in northeastern Chiba Prefecture make up the southern part of the park.<ref name="nipponika-suigo">{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Nihon Daihyakka Zensho (Nipponika) (日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ) |title=Suigō-Tsukuba Kokutei Kōen (水郷筑波国定公園) |url=http://rekishi.jkn21.com/ |access-date=2012-04-09 |year=2012 |publisher=Shogakukan |location=Tokyo |language=ja |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070825113418/http://rekishi.jkn21.com/ |archive-date=2007-08-25 }}</ref>
*[[Minami Bōsō Quasi-National Park|Minami Boso Quasi-National Park]] was established in 1953 to protect much of the southern coastal areas of Chiba Prefecture from [[Cape Futtsu]] on [[Tokyo Bay]] to [[Cape Inubō]] in northeastern Chiba Prefecture. The park spans across nine administrative districts in the prefecture. Minami Boso Quasi-National Park was established to protect not only the environment of coastal areas, but also the unique cultural assets of associated with these areas, notably the temples associated with [[Nichiren]].<ref name="nipponika-minami">{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Nihon Daihyakka Zensho (Nipponika) (日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ) |title=Minami-Bōsō Kokutei Kōen (南房総国定公園) |url=http://rekishi.jkn21.com/ |access-date=2012-04-09 |year=2012 |publisher=Shogakukan |location=Tokyo |language=ja |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070825113418/http://rekishi.jkn21.com/ |archive-date=2007-08-25 }}</ref>

Chiba Prefecture has designated and maintains eight prefectural natural parks to protect both natural and cultural areas, namely the [[Inba Tega Prefectural Natural Park|Inba Tega]], [[Kasamori Tsurumai Prefectural Natural Park|Kasamori Tsurumai]], [[Kujūkuri Prefectural Natural Park|Kujūkuri]], [[Mineokasankei Prefectural Natural Park|Mineokasankei]], [[Ōtone Prefectural Natural Park|Ōtone]], [[Takagoyama Prefectural Natural Park|Takagoyama]], [[Tomisan Prefectural Natural Park|Tomisan]], and [[Yōrō Keikoku Okukiyosumi Prefectural Natural Park|Yōrō Keikoku Okukiyosumi]] Prefectural Natural Parks.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pref.chiba.lg.jp/shizen/kouen/shizenkouen/chiba.html |script-title=ja:千葉県の自然公園一覧表  |trans-title=List of Natural Parks of Chiba Prefecture |language=ja |publisher=Chiba Prefecture |access-date=26 April 2012}}</ref> Cities, towns, and villages in the prefecture also have designated and protected parklands. These parks are maintained for environmental protection as well as providing local recreational facilities.