Ooita 2.56

is the capital city of Ōita Prefecture, located on the island of Kyushu, Japan.On January 1, 2005, the town of Notsuharu (from Ōita District) and the town of Saganoseki (from Kitaamabe District) were merged into Ōita.Demographics and geographyŌita is the most populous city in Ōita Prefecture. As of June 30, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 475,861, with 205,639 households and a population density of 949.35 persons per km². The total area of the city is 501.25 km².The city is bordered by City of Beppu to the northwest, City of Yufu to the west, City of Taketa to the southwest, City of Bungo-ōno to the south, and City of Usuki to the southeast. The north of the city faces Beppu Bay and the Seto Inland Sea.EconomyDuring the 1960s and 1970s, an industrial region was formed along the Beppu Gulf coast. Among the plants in the region were flagship plants of Nippon Steel and Showa Denko.