Nara Basin

The Nara Basin, which is also known as the Yamato Basin, is located in the north-western part of Nara Prefecture, Japan. It is surrounded on four sides by mountains: in the east by the Yamato Plateau (which is raised up by the Kasuga fault scarp); in the west by the Ikoma-Kongō range; in the north by the , which separate it from the ; and in the south by the . The basin has a total land area of around . This accounts for only about 8% of the land area of the prefecture, but because of its flat and fertile alluvial soil it is especially suited for cultivating rice == History ==

The imperial capital of Heijō-kyō was constructed here in the eighth century (the Nara period), making this region the political and cultural centre of Japan at the time. == Population and demographics ==

As of 2000, the population of the Nara Basin was around 1.24 million. == Settlements ==

The prefectural capital Nara, as well as several important settlements (such as Kashihara, Yamatokōriyama, Tenri, Yamatotakada, Sakurai and Gose), are located in the Nara Basin, making it the most densely populated region of Nara Prefecture. It is closely connected to the Keihanshin metropolitan area (Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe) by a strong transport infrastructure. == References ==