Hiroshima, city on southwestern Honshu Island, Japan, capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, at the head of Hiroshima Bay. The city was founded in 1594 on six islands in the Ota River delta. Hiroshima grew rapidly as a castle town and commercial city, and after 1868 it was developed as a military center. On August 6, 1945, during World War II (1939-1945), the first atomic bomb to be used against an enemy position was dropped on the city by the United States Army Air Forces. According to U.S. estimates 60,000 to 70,000 people were killed or missing as a result of the bomb and many more were made homeless. (In 1940 the population of Hiroshima had been 343,698.) The blast also destroyed more than 10 sq km (4 sq mi) of the city, completely destroying 68 percent of Hiroshima's buildings; another 24 percent were damaged. Every August 6 since 1947, thousands participate in interfaith services in the Peace Memorial Park built on the site where the bomb exploded. In 1949 the Japanese dedicated Hiroshima as an international shrine of peace.
After the war, the city was largely rebuilt, and commercial activities were resumed. Machinery, automobiles, food processing, and the brewing of sake are the main industries. The surrounding area, although mountainous, has fertile valleys where silk, rice, and wheat are produced. Population (1999) 1,102,808.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
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