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|Atomic Bomb Dome (left) and modern buildings|
|• Mayor||Tadatoshi Akiba (Social Democratic Party (Japan))|
|• Total||905.01 km2 (349.43 sq mi)|
|Population (January 2007)|
|• Density||1,281.1/km2 (3,318/sq mi)|
|Time zone||Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)|
|- Tree||Camphor Laurel|
Naka-ku, Kokutaiji 1-6-34
Hiroshima was the site of the first ever atomic bombing near the end of World War II. The bomb exploded over Hiroshima at 8:16 on the morning of August 6, 1945. Much of the city was destroyed. Over 100,000 people were killed, many instantly and many afterwards because of radiation sickness. It is now estimated that 140,000 people were killed by the explosion. The bomb was nicknamed Little Boy after President Theodore Roosevelt. More people died later because of cancer or other illnesses caused by the radiation, between 1950, and 1990, approximately 21,343 people died of cancer, resulted from the radiation caused by the atomic bomb. A building near the blast center still remains and is called the Atomic Bomb Dome.
Near to Hiroshima, there is a small island called Miyajima. The island is known for its deer. An old Shinto shrine named Itsukushima Shrine is also here. It is said that Itsukushima shrine was built at the end of the 5th century. The shrine is known for its use of red-colored wood, and especially for the torii gate that leads into the shrine, which is partly underwater at high tide. Today Itsukushima shrine and the Atomic Bomb Dome are registered as World Heritage sites. Also it was a landing site for the U.S.