Shioya District, Tochigi

Shioya (塩谷郡) is a district in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan.

As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 57,656 and a density of 60.91 persons per square kilometer. Its total area is 946.53 km2.

Towns and villages

 * Shioya
 * Takanezawa

History

 * Named after an old, powerful family that owned most of the area in the district for hundreds of years.

Merger

 * On March 28, 2005 the towns of Kitsuregawa and Ujiie merged to form the city of Sakura.
 * On March 20, 2006 the town of Fujihara and the village of Kuriyama merged into the city of Nikkō. With this merger, there are no more villages left within Tochigi Prefecture.