Kyoto prefecture is at the center of the Japanese archipelago, and its area of 4,613.21km2 covers 1.2 % of the archipelago, making it the 31st largest of the 47 prefectures .
The Japan Sea and Fukui Prefecture lie towards its north, Osaka Prefecture and Nara Prefecture lie to its south, whilst Mie and Shiga prefectures are located towards its east.
Kyoto Prefecture, which is long and narrow from north to south, has the Tanba highlands positioned roughly at its center, dividing the climate of the region into two varieties, the Japan Sea variety and the continental variety.
The coast line in the Tango and Chutan regions is a sawtooth formation, and is blessed with many scenic spots and good ports.
The area between Chutan and the Chubu region is mainly highlands. The Katsura and Yura Rivers flow from the Tanba highlands, and the Kameoka basin, Fukuchiyama basin, and other small basins are located along their path.
The Yamashiro Basin sprawls out over the Kyoto, Otokuni, Yamashirochubu and Soraku regions, centered on the confluence of the Katsura, Uji, and Kizu rivers.