Nishihara, Okinawa

Nishihara
西原町
Town
Nishihara town from Untama-Mui Mt.
Location of Nishihara in Okinawa Prefecture
Nishihara
Location in Japan
Coordinates: 26°13′00″N 127°46′00″E / 26.21667°N 127.76667°E / 26.21667; 127.76667
CountryJapan
RegionKyushu
PrefectureOkinawa Prefecture
DistrictNakagami
Area
  Total
15.84 km2 (6.12 sq mi)
Population
 (October 2016)
  Total
34,463
  Density2,200/km2 (5,600/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address112 Aza Kadekaru, Nishihara-cho, Nakagami-gun
903-0220
Websitewww.town.nishihara.okinawa.jp in Japanese
Symbols
FlowerBougainvillea
TreeBanyan

Nishihara (西原町, Nishihara-chō; Okinawan: ニシバル, romanized: Nishibaru) is a town located in Nakagami District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. In the Okinawan language, nishi means "north" (in standard Japanese, however, it means "west"), as Nishihara was north of the historical Ryukyuan capital of Shuri.

As of October 2016, the town had an estimated population of 34,463 and a density of 2,200 persons per km2. The total area is 15.84 square kilometres (6.12 sq mi).

Situated 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) northeast of the city hall of Naha, Nishihara is surrounded by the cities, towns, and villages of Naha, Urasoe, Ginowan, Haebaru, Yonabaru, and Nakagusuku.

Because both the University of the Ryukyus and the Okinawa Christian Junior College are located in Nishihara, and the Okinawa International University is located nearby, Nishihara's municipal slogan is "Education Town".