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61-584: Rokkasho occupies the eastern coastline of the base of Shimokita Peninsula , facing the Pacific Ocean to the east. The village forms the northern shoreline of Lake Ogawara . Aomori Prefecture The village has a warm summer Humid Continental Climate characterized by cool short summers and long cold winters with heavy snowfall ( Köppen climate classification Dfb ) bordering on the rare Oceanic Climate ( Cfb ). The average annual temperature in Rokkasho

122-840: A Landtag replaced the Beratende Versammlung and created the constitution of 16 January 1947, for the Land Mecklenburg-Vorpommern . On 18 April 1947, the state's name was shortened to Land Mecklenburg . Mecklenburg became a constituent state (" Land ") of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) upon its formation in 1949. In 1952, the East German government abandoned the term Land in this context and redesignated its administrative territorial divisions as "districts" (German: Bezirke ). The territory of Mecklenburg and Vorpommern

183-562: A mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral village council of 18 members. Rokkasho is part of Kamikita District which contributes four members to the Aomori Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Aomori 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan . Rokkasho has four public elementary schools and three public middle schools operated by

244-561: A "social, pragmatic party" with decisive policy overlap with the SPD. She said that The Left had been a reliable partner to the government even while in opposition, and had assumed "state-political responsibility" during the COVID-19 pandemic . On 5 November 2021, the SPD and The Left agreed to a coalition government and plan to form a cabinet, which is to be approved by each party-congress by mid-November. The gross domestic product (GDP) of

305-576: A certain " Hanseatic " style also found in other parts of northern Germany (e.g. Lübeck ) as well as in countries bordering the Baltic Sea like Estonia (e.g. Tallinn ) or Latvia (e.g. Riga ). A common feature of many towns in Mecklenburg and Vorpommern are red Brick Gothic churches and houses dating back to the Middle Ages . Also stepped and tailed gables are a typical feature of

366-588: A notable tourism sector in the region. Over the centuries, Mecklenburg and Vorpommern have developed and maintained strong regional cultures. It can generally be described as North German and has similar linguistic and historic characteristics to other north German states, such as Schleswig-Holstein . People in Vorpommern, as a result of that territory being a former province of Prussia , tend to look slightly more towards Berlin and Brandenburg than people in Mecklenburg would. The cities are characterised by

427-648: A period of Swedish rule, the traditional faith in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is Protestantism , specifically Lutheranism . There are also a number of Catholics and people of other faiths. In May 2012 the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg merged with North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church and Pomeranian Evangelical Church into the new Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany . Some parishes of

488-804: A province of Prussia in 1815 and remained so until 1945. In May 1945, the armies of the Soviet Union and the Western allies met east of Schwerin . Following the Potsdam Agreement , the Western allies handed over Mecklenburg to the Soviets. Mecklenburg-West Pomerania was established on 9 July 1945, by order No. 5 of Red Army Marshal Georgy Zhukov , head of the Soviet Military Administration in Germany (SMAD), as

549-459: A sizeable audience by performing classical concerts in parks, churches and castles. Caspar David Friedrich , a famous romanticist painter born in Greifswald , immortalised parts of the state in several of his paintings. Today the vast majority of people speak Standard German ; a few centuries ago most people spoke Low German (German: Plattdeutsch or Niederdeutsch ), a language that

610-529: A thin "axe handle" connecting the mountainous "axe blade" to the mainland of Honshū to the south. The peninsula contains the northernmost point on Honshū, Cape Ōma , and the largest sand dunes in Japan (the Sarugamori Sand Dunes ). The peninsula owes its name to its being the lower ( shimo ) portion of the former Kita District (North District) of Mutsu Province before the premodern province

671-616: Is 9.4 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1410 mm with August as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 21.3 °C, and lowest in January, at around -1.5 °C as per the Japan Meteorological Agency. Per Japanese census data, the population of Rokkasho has remained relatively stable over the past 70 years. The area around Rokkasho was known for raising horses during

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732-635: Is bounded to the north by the Baltic Sea , to the west by Schleswig-Holstein , to the southwest by Lower Saxony , to the south by Brandenburg , and to the east by the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's state capital is Schwerin . The largest city is Rostock with approximately 205,000 people, followed by Schwerin . Other major cities include Neubrandenburg , Stralsund , Greifswald , Wismar and Güstrow . Since 4 September 2011, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

793-509: Is convened. The last election of the Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern took place on 26 September 2021. The SPD won a landslide plurality of almost 40% of votes, a nine percentage point increase from 2016. The opposition Alternative for Germany (AfD) remained the second largest party but declined to under 17%. The CDU recorded its worst ever result in the state with 13.3%, while The Left also declined to 10%. Alliance 90/The Greens and

854-617: Is divided into six Kreise (districts): Also counting two independent urban districts: The state's Baltic Sea coast is about 2,000 km (1,200 mi) long and features several islands, most notably Germany's two biggest islands Rügen and Usedom , but also a number of smaller islands such as Hiddensee and Poel . Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's varied coastline also has many peninsulas such as Fischland-Darß-Zingst and various lagoons (also known as Bodden or Haff ). A total of 283 nature reserves, 110 landscape reserves and three of Germany's fourteen national parks are scattered all over

915-477: Is increasingly driven by the service , tourism , and high-tech sectors. The old towns , hundreds of castles and manors , resort buildings , windmills , churches, and various other cultural monuments of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern have been renovated in recent years. Since 2013, net migration into the state has been positive again. Sixth-largest in area and fourteenth in overall population among Germany's sixteen Bundesländer (federal states), Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

976-474: Is often abbreviated as MV or (colloquially) shortened to MeckPomm . In English, it is usually called "Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania" or less frequently "Mecklenburg–Cispomerania." Inhabitants are called either Mecklenburger or Pomeranians ; the combined form is never used. The place name Vorpommern derives from West Slavic languages . The prefix "po-" means along or at , and the base word "more" means sea , so that together "po more" means Land at

1037-570: Is still kept alive within various communities and cultural events. Like most German regions, Mecklenburg and Vorpommern have their own traditional dishes, often including fish, beef and pork. Rostock has its own type of bratwurst called Rostocker Bratwurst . A famous dish from Western Pomerania is Bismarck Herring . Rote Grütze is a popular dessert. The largest beer breweries are Mecklenburgische Brauerei Lübz ( Lübzer Pils), Hanseatische Brauerei Rostock , Darguner Brauerei and Störtebeker Braumanufaktur ( Stralsund , multiple winner of

1098-511: Is the city of Mutsu. The village of Rokkasho , at the southern end of Shimokita Peninsula, home to a range of nuclear facilities. In 2012, Japan set a new world record for ocean drilling depth, reaching 2,111 meters below the seafloor off Shimokita Peninsula. Since the Eemian interglacial some 125,000 years ago the coast of the eastern tip of the peninsula has been uplifted on average 0.14–0.25 meters every thousand years (m/kyr). Slightly to

1159-625: Is the smaller, western part of the former Prussian Province of Pomerania ; the eastern part became part of Poland after the end of World War II . Since the Middle Ages , the area was ruled by the Pomeranian dukes as part of the Duchy of Pomerania , at various times under Polish, Danish and Imperial suzerainty. Fore Pomerania was under Swedish rule after the Peace of Westphalia from 1648 until 1815 as Swedish Pomerania . Fore Pomerania became

1220-635: The Ostsiedlung process, starting in the 12th century. In the late 12th century, Henry the Lion , Duke of the Saxons, conquered the Obotrites , subjugated its Nikloting dynasty, and Christianized its people. In the course of time, German monks, nobility, peasants and traders arrived to settle here. After the 12th century, the territory remained stable and relatively independent of its neighbours; one of

1281-424: The ⟨c⟩ appeared in its name during the period of transition to Standard , High German usage (Low German authors wrote the name Meklenborg or Męklenborg , depicting proper Low German pronunciation, which itself was a syncope of Middle Low German Mekelenborg ). The introduction of the ⟨c⟩ is explained as follows: Either the ⟨c⟩ signals the stretched pronunciation of

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1342-590: The First World War and the abdication of the German Kaiser , the monarchies of the duchies were abolished and republican governments of both Mecklenburg states were established, until the Nazi government merged the two states into a unified state of Mecklenburg  [ de ] , a virtually meaningless administrative decision under the centralised regime. Vorpommern , literally Fore-Pomerania,

1403-565: The Free Democratic Party (FDP) both won around 6% of votes and re-entered the Landtag after previously falling out in 2016 and 2011, respectively. The Landtag has been led by Minister President Manuela Schwesig since 2017. On 13 October 2021, Schwesig announced the SPD would enter coalition talks with The Left. She stated her motivations for reorienting the coalition as a desire for "a new departure", and described The Left as

1464-972: The German Amber Museum in Ribnitz-Damgarten , Rostock's Abbey of the Holy Cross and Rostock Art Gallery are of national importance. The oldest museum in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is Stralsund's Cultural History Museum , the smallest is the Professor Wandschneider Sculpture Museum in Plau am See. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is home to many cultural events throughout the year. During summer, many open-air concerts and operas are open to visitors. The Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival ( Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ) attracts

1525-552: The Greifswald Nuclear Power Plant in Lubmin near Greifswald . At the time of German reunification in 1990, the eastern states were reconstituted along their postwar boundaries (with minor adjustments) as they had existed until 1952, and the historic name Mecklenburg-Vorpommern was restored. Since 1990, the state has undergone dramatic changes. What had been largely an industrial and agricultural economy

1586-607: The Hanseatic old towns, such as Stralsund , Wismar and Greifswald . The old towns are usually built around one or several market places with a church or the town hall. Often towns were founded at the Baltic Sea , one of the many lakes or a river for logistical and trade motives. Rural areas of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are often characterized by Brick Gothic village churches and agricultural heritage, like brick homesteads , thatched roof houses, windmills , manor houses and castles . The largest publicly funded theatres in

1647-664: The Kamakura period . During the Edo period , it was controlled by the Nanbu clan of Morioka Domain , becoming part of the territories of Shichinohe Domain in the latter half of the Edo period. With the establishment of the modern municipalities system after the start of the Meiji period , on April 1, 1889, the village of Rokkasho was created following the merger of six small hamlets. Rokkasho has

1708-716: The Province of Mecklenburg and West Pomerania (zapadnoi Pomeranii) . During the war, the make-up of Mecklenburg and Vorpommern's population changed, due to wartime losses and the influx of evacuees (mainly from the Berlin and Hamburg metropolitan areas that were subject to air raids). After the war, people who fled and were expelled from the former eastern territories of Germany east of the Oder-Neisse line settled in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (and elsewhere in Germany), increasing

1769-631: The Soviet military administration in Allied-occupied Germany . It became part of the German Democratic Republic in 1949, but was dissolved in 1952 during administrative reforms and its territory divided into the districts of Rostock , Schwerin , and Neubrandenburg . Mecklenburg-Vorpommern was re-established in 1990 following German reunification and became one of the new states of the Federal Republic of Germany. On

1830-712: The University of Greifswald , established in 1456, are among the oldest universities in Europe. In 2007, the 33rd G8 summit took place at the Grand Hotel Heiligendamm on the Mecklenburg Baltic coast during the chancellorship of Angela Merkel , who represented various constituencies of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in the national legislature, the Bundestag . Due to its lengthy name, the state

1891-818: The Vineta Festival on Usedom . Since 1993, the Störtebeker Festival has taken place in Ralswiek on the island of Rügen. It is Germany's most successful open-air theatre. Notable museums include, for example, the Schwerin State Museum and the Pomeranian State Museum at Greifswald. The German Oceanographic Museum with its Ozeaneum in Stralsund is the most popular museum in northern Germany. Furthermore,

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1952-834: The World Beer Cup ). Besides, there are many smaller breweries and craft beer variations, such as the Mellenthin Castle Beer from Usedom Island. As of 2020, the majority (82.4%) of the citizens of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are not religious or adhere to other religions. 14.2% are members of the Protestant Church in Germany and 3.4% of the Catholic Church . Following the Reformation , led in Germany by Martin Luther , as well as

2013-456: The Helios high-performance supercomputer centre capable of performing complex plasma physics calculations for fusion research, since January 2012. Stock raising is prevalent. Three small fishing ports. [REDACTED] Waren , Mecklenburg-Vorpommern , Germany , sister city since 1994. A documentary, Rokkasho Rhapsody , came out in 2006, which portrays the Rokkasho community's views on

2074-603: The Sea . The German prefix "vor-" denotes a closer location; from the German point of view, this is the near part of Pomerania. The full name in German is pronounced [ˈmeːklənbʊʁk ˈfoːɐ̯pɔmɐn] . Sometimes, Mecklenburg is pronounced [ˈmɛklənbʊʁk] , because the digraph ⟨ck⟩ marks a preceding short vowel in High German . However, Mecklenburg is within the historical Low German language area, and

2135-692: The State Constitution states that the Landtag is the "site of political decision-making". The Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Landtag is elected democratically by the citizens of the state and sits for a 5-year legislative period. The seat of the Landtag is located at Schwerin Palace in Schwerin . The essential functions of the Landtag are to elect the Minister-President of the state; to discuss and decide on laws which have been proposed by

2196-649: The Theatre of Parchim , the Anklam Theatre and the Wismar Theatre . There are also many small theatres on the Baltic coast and in individual artist's villages and resorts (e.g. the popular concert pavilions at the Baltic Sea ). Since its growing importance for summer tourism, open-air theatres and festivals become more common again as well, such as the Störtebeker Festival on the island of Rügen , and

2257-598: The area. Most of them left during the Migration Period , heading towards Spain, Italy, and France, leaving the area relatively deserted. In the sixth century Polabian Slavs populated the area. While Mecklenburg was settled by the Obotrites , Pomerania was settled by the Veleti (later Liuticians ) and the Rani . Along the coast, Vikings and Slavs established trade posts like Reric , Ralswiek and Menzlin . In

2318-448: The coastline of the village of Sai to the south, including seaside cliffs said to resemble Buddhas at Hotokegaura , Cape Shiriya to the northeast, and the volcanic interior of the peninsula, including Mount Osore and Lake Usori . Tourist attractions include Yagen Valley , known for its hot springs . Economically, the mainstays of the local economy are commercial fishing , forestry, and seasonal tourism. The main commercial centre

2379-506: The early 12th century, Hither Pomerania passed under Polish suzerainty under Bolesław III Wrymouth , who initiated Christianization , entrusting this task to Otto of Bamberg . In the late 12th century, Mecklenburg and Hither Pomerania were conquered by Henry the Lion and briefly incorporated into the Duchy of Saxony , joining the Holy Roman Empire in the 1180s. Parts of Mecklenburg and Pomerania were settled with Germans in

2440-455: The few German territories for which this is true. Mecklenburg first became a duchy of the Holy Roman Empire in 1348. Though later partitioned and re-partitioned within the same dynasty, Mecklenburg always shared a common history and identity. The states of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz became Grand Duchies in 1815, and in 1870 they voluntarily joined the new German Empire , while retaining their own internal autonomy. After

2501-484: The government, by any four members of the Landtag, or a people's initiative or petition for a referendum initiated directly by the people; and to control the state government. The executive is led by a cabinet, in turn led by a Minister-President, who is the official head of state and government. The election to determine the Minister-President is held no later than four weeks after the newly elected Landtag

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2562-401: The nuclear reprocessing plant. Shimokita Peninsula The Shimokita Peninsula ( 下北半島 , Shimokita-hantō ) is the remote northeastern cape of the Japanese island of Honshū , stretching out towards Hokkaidō . It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east, Tsugaru Strait to the north and Mutsu Bay to the west and south. Shaped like an axe pointing west, the peninsula has

2623-548: The population by 40%. Before the war, Mecklenburg and Western Pomerania had a population of 1,278,700, of whom many perished during the war and others moved west in the course of the Red Army's advance. In 1947, some 1,426,000 refugees from the former eastern parts of Germany were counted. Most of them settled in rural communities, but the urban population also increased, most notably in Schwerin from 65,000 (1939) to 99,518 (January 1947), in Wismar from 29,463 to 44,173, and in Greifswald from 29,488 to 43,897. Western Pomerania

2684-478: The preceding ⟨e⟩ ( Dehnungs-c ), or it signals the pronunciation of the subsequent ⟨k⟩ as an occlusive [ k ] to prevent it from falsely being rendered as a fricative [ χ ] following a Low German trend. Another explanation is that the ⟨c⟩ comes from a mannerism in High German officialese of writing unnecessary letters, a so-called Letternhäufelung ( lit.   ' letter accumulation ' , as

2745-418: The risks of routine operation of the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant. The facility in full operation is designed to separate as much as 8 tons of plutonium each year from spent reactor fuel from Japan's domestic nuclear reactors. As of 2006 Japan owned approximately 45 tons of separated plutonium. In May, 2006, an international awareness campaign about the dangers of the Rokkasho reprocessing plant, Stop Rokkasho ,

2806-477: The shape. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ( MV ; German: [ˌmeːklənbʊʁkˈfoːɐ̯pɔmɐn] or [ˌmɛk-] ; Low German : Mäkelborg-Vörpommern ), also known by its anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania , is a state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's sixteen states , Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ranks 14th in population; it covers an area of 23,300 km (9,000 sq mi), making it

2867-430: The site like the Linear IFMIF Prototype Accelerator (LIPAc) devoted to the Fusion Energy Development Programme under the European Union-Japan Broader Approach agreement. Since the 1970s, local opposition to plans to operate Japan's first large commercial plutonium plant at Rokkasho have focused on the threat of a large-scale release of radioactivity . During the 1990s anti-nuclear groups in Japan released studies showing

2928-468: The sixth largest German state in area; and it is 16th in population density. Schwerin is the state capital and Rostock is the largest city. Other major cities include Neubrandenburg , Stralsund , Greifswald , Wismar , and Güstrow . It was named after the two regions of Mecklenburg and Fore Pomerania . The state was established in 1945 after World War II through the merger of the historic regions of Mecklenburg and Prussian Western Pomerania by

2989-419: The state are the Mecklenburg State Theatre , the Rostock People's Theatre , the Theatre of West Pomerania , with venues in Stralsund , Putbus and Greifswald , and the Mecklenburg State Theatre of Neustrelitz with venues in Neubrandenburg and Neustrelitz . All four theatres offer both drama and musical theatre as well as orchestral music. Other important theatres are the Ernst Barlach Theatre of Güstrow ,

3050-509: The state belong to Evangelical Church of Berlin and Brandenburg . There are also Jewish communities, in the state capital of Schwerin (including Wismar ) and in the city of Rostock . Historically, there were also synagogues in smaller towns, of which some are still preserved (like Röbel , Krakow am See and Boizenburg ). The state's Jewish organisation is part of the Central Council of Jews in Germany . Largest groups of foreign residents by 31 December 2023 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has

3111-434: The state was 44.5 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 1.3% of German economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 25,400 euros or 84% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 83% of the EU average. The GDP per capita was the lowest of all German states. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is the least densely populated and least industrial German state , being the sixth largest in area, but only

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3172-430: The state's coastline on the Baltic Sea are many holiday resorts and much unspoilt nature, including the islands of Rügen , Usedom , and others, as well as the Mecklenburg Lake District , making the state one of Germany's leading tourist destinations . Three of Germany's fourteen national parks , as well as several hundred nature conservation areas , are in the state. The University of Rostock , founded in 1419, and

3233-428: The state. The southern part of the state is characterized by a multitude of lakes within the Mecklenburg Lakeland , the largest of which is Lake Müritz (also the largest German lake ), followed by Lake Schwerin , Plauer See and Lake Kummerow . The "land of a thousand lakes" (German: Land der tausend Seen ) is hallmarked by its unspoilt nature. Due to its clean air and idyllic setting, medical tourism has become

3294-521: The two oldest universities of the Baltic Sea region, also among the oldest of Germany and all of Europe: Also, there are further colleges / technological universities: The state's school system is centralised. There are two main types of schools, Regionalschule (for the majority of pupils) and Gymnasium (for the top 30% of each year's students, leading to the university entrance qualification " Abitur "). Besides, there are also independent schools, comprehensive schools and trade schools. Article 20 of

3355-513: The village government and one public high school operated by the Aomori Prefectural Board of Education. The economy of Rokkasho has traditionally been dependent on agriculture and commercial fishing . From the 1980s onwards, the village has become a center for various energy developments, which now dominate the local economy. Rokkasho's per capita income was $ 129,676 (1557,8000 Yen $ 1= 120.13 Yen ) Nuclear fuel cycle related facilities: The Japan Atomic Energy Agency also has multiple facilities at

3416-402: The west the a north-facing sandy coast has uplift rates of 0.14–0.23 m/kyr for the same period. Further to the west, on top of the trace line of the volcanic front rates over the same period are in the order of 0.09–0.18 m/kyr. This uplift is related to the activity of offshore geological faults that has bended strata into an anticline . This peninsula is also called "Axe Peninsula" from

3477-408: Was additionally stripped of the area around the Pomeranian regional capital Stettin/Szczecin as well as the city itself, despite its location to the west of the river Oder. On 5 June 1946, a law enacted by the Soviets constituted a provisional German administration ( Beratende Versammlung , English: "Consulting assembly" ) under Soviet supervision on 29 June 1946. After elections on 20 October 1946,

3538-424: Was divided in 1868. Administratively the area is a part of Aomori Prefecture , and the bulk of the area falls within the jurisdiction of the city of Mutsu , with a number of small towns and villages along the periphery. Most of the inhabitants live in coastal areas rather than the mountainous interior. Portions of the peninsula are within the borders of Shimokita Hantō Quasi-National Park , including Cape Ōma ,

3599-405: Was divided into three districts that covered roughly the same area: Bezirk Rostock , Bezirk Schwerin and Bezirk Neubrandenburg . These were commonly known as the Nordbezirke (northern districts) under the highly centralised GDR government. The East German government developed the shipyards in the old Hanseatic ports (the largest being in Rostock and Stralsund ), and also established

3660-466: Was done sometimes in English with words such as "doubt"). In the aftermath of the Second World War and German reunification in 1990, the state was constituted from the historic region of Mecklenburg and Western Pomerania , both of which had long and rich independent histories. Human settlement in the area of modern Mecklenburg and Vorpommern began after the Ice Age , about 10,000 BC. About two thousand years ago, Germanic peoples were recorded in

3721-401: Was launched by musician Ryuichi Sakamoto . Greenpeace has opposed operation of the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant under a campaign called "Wings of Peace: No more Hiroshima, Nagasaki. Stop Rokkasho", since 2002 and has launched a cyberaction to stop the project. Rokkasho was a candidate to host the plasma fusion reactor ITER , but lost out to Cadarache , France . Rokkasho has been hosting

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