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Nagasaki lies at the head of a long bay which forms the best natural harbor 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 heavily built-up area of the city is confined by the terrain to less than 4 square miles out of a total of about 35 square miles in the city as a whole.
As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 418,901 and the density of 1,736.74 persons per kmē. The total area is 241.20 kmē.
Founded before 1500, it was originally a secluded harbor village with little historical significance until contact with European explorers in the mid- 16th century, when a Portuguese ship accidentally landed at Kagoshima prefecture in 1542Events War resumes between Francis I of France and Emperor Charles V. This time Henry VIII of England is allied to the Emperor, while James V of Scotland and Sultan Suleiman I are allied to the French. November 25 Battle of Solway Moss. An English army in. The zealous Jesuit missionaryA missionary is a propagator of religion, often an evangelist or other representative of a religious community who works among those outside of that community. The English word "missionary" is derived from Latin, the equivalent of the Greek-derived word, Francis XavierNot to be confused with St. Francis Borgia, another Spanish nobleman turned Jesuit. Saint Francis Xavier ( April 7, 1506 December 2, 1552) was a pioneering Christian missionary and co-founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuit Order). The Xaverian Brothers a arrived in another part of the territory in 1549Events July Kett's Rebellion Francis Xavier arrives in Japan. Salvador established, first capital of Brazil Petrus Canisius starts the Counter-Reformation in Bavaria Births Deaths November 10 Pope Paul III December 21 Marguerite of Navarre, Queen of Navar, but although he left for ChinaThis article is on the geographic and cultural entity. For other meanings, see China (disambiguation). China ( Traditional Chinese: , Simplified Chinese: , Hanyu Pinyin: Zhongguo, Wade-Giles: Chung-kuo) is a country in continental East Asia with some oute in 1551Events Russia Reforming Synod of the metropolite Macaire, Orthodoxy: introduction of a calendar of the saints and an ecclesiastical law code Stoglav Major outbreak of the sweating sickness in England. Births September 19 King Henry III of France Boris God and died soon after departure his followers who remained behind converted a number of daimyo (warlords). The most notable among them was Omura Sumitada , who derived great profit from his conversion through an accompanying deal to receive a portion of the trade from Portuguese ships at a port they established in Nagasaki in 1571Events January 11 Austrian nobility is granted Freedom of religion. January 23 The Royal Exchange opens in London. Crimean Tartars from the Ottoman Empire seize and burn Moscow, capitol of Russia . Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School founded in Horncastle Oc with his assistance.
The little harbor village quickly grew into a diverse port city, and Portuguese products imported through Nagasaki (such as tobacco, bread, tempura, sponge-cake, and new clothing styles) were assimilated into popular Japanese culture. The Portuguese also brought with them many goods of Chinese origin.
In 1587 Nagasaki's prosperity was threatened when a new shogun, Hideyoshi Toyotomi, came to power. Concerned with the large Christian influence in southern Japan, he ordered the expulsion of all missionaries. Omura had given the Jesuits partial administrative control of Nagasaki, and the city now returned to imperial control. Japanese and foreign Christians were persecuted, with Hideyoshi crucifying 26 Christians in Nagasaki in 1596 to deter any attempt to usurp his power. Portuguese traders were not ostracized, however, and so the city continued to thrive.
When Tokugawa Ieyasu took power almost twenty years later conditions did not much improve. Christianity was banned outright in 1614 and all missionaries were deported, as well as daimyo who would not renounce the religion. A brutal campaign of persecution followed, with thousands across Nagasaki and other parts of Japan killed or tortured. The Christians did put up some initial resistance, with the Nagasaki Shimabara enclave of destitute Christians and local peasants rising in rebellion in 1637. Ultimately numbering 40,000, they captured Hara Castle and humiliated the local daimyo. The shogun dispatched 120,000 soldiers to quash the uprising, thus ending Japan's brief 'Christian Century.' Christians still remained, of course, but all went into hiding, still the victims of occasional inquisitions.
The Dutch had been quietly making inroads into Japan during this time, despite the shogunate's official policy of ending foreign influence within the country. The Dutch demonstrated that they were interested in trading alone, and demonstrated their commitment during the Shimabara rebellion by firing on the Christians in support of the shogun. In 1641 they were granted Dejima, an artificial island in Nagasaki Bay, as a base of operations. From this date until 1855, Japan's contact with the outside world was limited to Nagasaki. In 1720 the ban on Dutch books was lifted, causing hundreds of scholars to flood into Nagasaki to study European science and art.