Discover Nagasaki

Nagasaki, the capital of Nagasaki prefecture located on the southwestern coast of Japan, has been a major port and a foreign trading centre since 1571. In World War II, about 40,000 residents were killed when the United States dropped the second atomic bomb on August 9, 1945. Today shipbuilding is the city’s major industry.

Nagasaki lies at the head of a long bay that forms the best natural harbour on the southern Japanese home island of Kyushu. The main commercial and residential area of the city lies on a small plain near the end of the bay. Two rivers divided by a mountain spur form the two main valleys in which the city lies. The terrain to less than 4 square miles confines the heavily built-up area of the city. As of 2004, the population of the city is 447,419 and its size in square kilometres is 338.72 or about 130 square miles making it a large city by Japanese standards in relation to its population level.

Fast Facts

• Target of the world's second atomic bomb attack
• Rebuilt as a modern, clean, open city
• Population: 440,000+
• Area: 338.72 square kilometers
• Easy to navigate on foot or tramlines