Ehime Prefecture

Ehime Prefecture
愛媛県
Japanese transcription(s)
 • Japanese愛媛県
 • RōmajiEhime-ken
Uwajima Tensya Garden
Besshi copper mine heritage site
Shikoku Karst (Godan Plateau)
Anthem: Ehime no uta
Coordinates: 33°50′N 132°50′E / 33.833°N 132.833°E / 33.833; 132.833
CountryJapan
RegionShikoku
IslandShikoku
CapitalMatsuyama
SubdivisionsDistricts: 7, Municipalities: 20
Government
 • GovernorTokihiro Nakamura (since December 2010)
Area
 • Total
5,676.23 km2 (2,191.60 sq mi)
 • Rank26th
Population
 (October 1, 2020)
 • Total
1,334,841
 • Rank28th
 • Density235.163/km2 (609.070/sq mi)
GDP
 • TotalJP¥5,138 billion
US$37.9 billion (2022)
ISO 3166 codeJP-38
Websitewww.pref.ehime.jp/index-e.html
Symbols of Japan
BirdJapanese robin (Erithacus akahige)
FishRed sea bream (Pagrus major)
FlowerSatsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu)
MammalJapanese river otter ("Lutra lutra whiteleyi")
TreePine (Pinus)

Ehime Prefecture (愛媛県, Ehime-ken; Japanese pronunciation: [eꜜ.çi.me, e.çi.meꜜ.keɴ]) is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,334,841 and a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Tokushima Prefecture to the east, and Kōchi Prefecture to the southeast. Ehime Prefecture also borders Hiroshima Prefecture for 74 metres (243 ft) on Hyōtanjima.

Matsuyama is the capital and largest city of Ehime Prefecture and the largest city on Shikoku, with other major cities including Imabari, Niihama, and Saijō.

Notable past Ehime residents include three Nobel Prize winners: Kenzaburo Oe (1994 Nobel Prize in Literature), Shuji Nakamura (2014 Nobel Prize in Physics), and Syukuro Manabe (2021 Nobel Prize in Physics).