![Osaka Plain Relief Map, SRTM-1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Osaka_Plain_Relief_Map%2C_SRTM-1.jpg)
The refers to a 1,600 km² area of flat land, the largest plain in the
Kinki region
The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropolit ...
, including a large part of
Osaka Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Osaka Prefecture has a population of 8,778,035 () and has a geographic area of . Osaka Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture to the northwest, Kyoto Prefecture ...
and a southeastern portion of
Hyōgo Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and has a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to the southeast, an ...
. It is bordered on the north by the
Hokusetsu Mount Range, on the east by the
Ikoma Mount Range and
Kongō Range
The is a mountain range on the borders of Nara and Osaka Prefectures on the island of Honshū in the southwest of central Japan. The range separates the Osaka Plain and the Nara Basin, and forms a natural place for the boundary between the pre ...
, on the south by the
Izumi Mount Range, and on the west by
Osaka Bay
Osaka Bay (大阪湾 ''Ōsaka-wan'' ) is a bay in western Japan. As an eastern part of the Seto Inland Sea, it is separated from the Pacific Ocean by the Kii Channel and from the neighbor western part of the Inland Sea by the Akashi Strait. ...
. On occasion, it is called the after the names of former
Settsu Province
was a province of Japan, which today comprises the southeastern part of Hyōgo Prefecture and the northern part of Osaka Prefecture. It was also referred to as or .
Osaka and Osaka Castle were the main center of the province. Most of Setts ...
,
Kawachi Province
was a province of Japan in the eastern part of modern Osaka Prefecture. It originally held the southwestern area that was split off into Izumi Province. It was also known as .
Geography
The area was radically different in the past, with Kawachi ...
and
Izumi Province
:''The characters ''泉州'' are also used for the name of the Chinese city of Quanzhou''.
was a province of Japan in the area of southern Osaka Prefecture. Tango bordered on Kii to the south, Yamato and Kawachi to the west, and Settsu to ...
.
[Nihon Daihyakka Zenshū, Shōgakkan]
Geologically, the plain is considered to be an alluvial plain mainly consisting of hills and plateaus created during
Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58[Pleistocene
The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fina ...](_blank)
and deltas created during
Holocene
The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene togethe ...
by current rivers such as the
Yodo River
The , also called the Seta River (瀬田川 ''Seta-gawa'') and the Uji River (宇治川 ''Uji-gawa'') at portions of its route, is the principal river in Osaka Prefecture on Honshu, Japan. The source of the river is Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefectur ...
and
Yamato River
The is a river which flows through Nara Prefecture and Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It is designated Class A by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT).
The river flows via towns:
*Nara Prefecture
** Yamatokōriyama
*Os ...
. Prominent hills and plateaus include the
Senri Hills,
Toyonaka Plateau
is a city in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on October 15, 1936.
Geography Climate
Toyonaka has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The averag ...
, and
Itami Plateau
270px, Gogadzuka Kofun
270px, Aerial view of Itami city center
270px, Konoike inari shihi
270px, Arioka Castle ruins
) is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 197,215 in 83580 households and ...
to the north; the
Hirakata Hills and
Katano Plateau to the northeast; and the
Kasen Hills,
Shinodayama Plateau,
Mikunigaoka Plateau, and
Uemachi Plateau to the south. Major streams are the
Muko River
The is a river in the south-eastern part of Hyōgo Prefecture. This river was selected as the second most important river in the region by the prefecture governor. Its total length is 66 kilometers, and the drainage area is 496 square kilometers. ...
, Ina River,
Ibaraki River, and
Akuta River located in the northern portion; and the
Yodo River
The , also called the Seta River (瀬田川 ''Seta-gawa'') and the Uji River (宇治川 ''Uji-gawa'') at portions of its route, is the principal river in Osaka Prefecture on Honshu, Japan. The source of the river is Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefectur ...
and
Yamato River
The is a river which flows through Nara Prefecture and Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It is designated Class A by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT).
The river flows via towns:
*Nara Prefecture
** Yamatokōriyama
*Os ...
in the eastern section; and the
Ishizu River Ishizu (written: ) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*, Japanese voice actress
*, Japanese football player
*, Japanese archer
*, Japanese discus and javelin thrower
*, Japanese photographer
*, Japanese tennis player
*, ...
,
Ōtsu River, and
Onosato River in the southwestern part of the plain.
References
Plains of Japan
Landforms of Osaka Prefecture
Landforms of Hyōgo Prefecture
{{osaka-geo-stub