Iwate faces the Pacific Ocean to the east, and borders Aomori Prefecture on the north, Akita Prefecture on the west, and Miyagi Prefecture on the south.
*On September 1, 2005 the towns of Ashiro and Nishine and the village of Matsuo from IwateDistrict merged, forming the city of Hachimantai.
*On January 1, 2006 the towns of Ishidoriya and Ohasama (from Hienuki District) and the town of Towa (from Waga District) merged with the city of Hanamaki to become the new city of Hanamaki.