[gee-foo] 
| a city on S Honshu, in central Japan. 410,368. |
| Gi·fu (gē'fōō') A city of central Honshu, Japan, north-northwest of Nagoya. A manufacturing center, the city was rebuilt after a devastating earthquake and fire in 1891. Population: 413,000. |
Gifu
city and prefecture (ken), central Honshu, Japan, occupying an area of 4,091 sq mi (10,596 sq km). It is landlocked and dominated by mountains except in the south, where the inner part of Nobi-heiya (Nobi Plain) is drained by the Nagara, Hida, and Kiso rivers. The plain supports most of the area's agriculture and contains the prefectural capital, Gifu, and other leading cities (Ogaki, Seki, Mino). Economic ties with neighbouring Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, are strong, and many industries (producing textiles, pottery, cutlery, automobiles, paper, machinery, and chemicals) are branches or subsidiaries of Nagoya companies. Forestry is the main occupation in the mountains.
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