[2]: 246 [3]: 126  Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,991,390 (as of 1 June 2019[update]) and has a geographic area of 10,621 square kilometres (4,101 sq mi).

Gifu Prefecture was a long-term residence of Oda Nobunaga and Saitō Dōsan, two influential figures of Japanese history in the Sengoku period, spawning the popular phrase "control Gifu and you control Japan" in the late Medieval era.

The land area that makes up modern-day Gifu became part of the Yamato Court around the middle of the fourth century.

The area of Gifu Prefecture consists of the old provinces of Hida and Mino, as well as smaller parts of Echizen and Shinano.

The center of population is a hypothetical point at which a country is perfectly balanced assuming each person has a uniform weight.

The northern Hida region is dominated by tall mountains, including parts of the Japanese Alps.

Because the Mino region is surrounded by low mountains, the temperature fluctuates through the year, from hot summers to cold winters.

[16] Summers are hotter, as the landlocked area becomes a heat island, and the temperature rises even further when hot, dry foehn winds blow over the Ibuki Mountains from the Kansai region.

The Hida region is more famous for its harsh winters, bringing extremely heavy snowfall, especially in the northwestern areas.

Shōkawa-chō, part of the city of Takayama, is up in the mountains, and its location has led it to be called the coldest inhabited place on Honshū.

Twenty-one cities are located in Gifu Prefecture: These are the towns and villages in each district: Traditional industries such as paper-making and agriculture are found in Gifu, but its economy is dominated by the manufacturing sector including aerospace and automotive, with industrial complexes extending from the Nagoya area.

A wealth of small component manufacturing is also found, such as precision machines, dye and mold making, and plastic forming.

Other traditional goods include mino-yaki pottery in Tajimi, Toki, and Mizunami, cutlery in Seki, and lacquerware in Takayama.

The prefecture's population was 2,101,969, as of 1 September 2007,[update] with approximately 1.8 million people in the cities and the rest in towns and villages.

Gifu's symbol comes from the first character gi (岐) of its Japanese name, written in a stylized script, surrounded by a circle, which represents the peace and harmony of the prefectural citizen.

[25] The prefectural logo (see right) expands from the red dot into the center to the outer two lines and, finally, the yellow plain.

[25] The prefecture also has two plants (the milk vetch (renge) and the Japanese yew) and two animals (the snow grouse and the ayu) as symbols.

The snow grouse was chosen in 1961, as the birds live up in the Japanese alps and is a nationally protected species.