Genomic clones that contain the human myoglobin gene were isolated by cross-hybridization to the porcine myoglobin cDNA from human genomic libraries. The myoglobin gene is about 10.5 kb long and contains two introns as in the case with hemoglobin genes. Diverse tandem repetitive sequences with 45 FokI sites are located 1100-1750 bp upstream from the putative cap site of myoglobin mRNA. Two kinds of direct repeats (116 and 58 bp) are contained in this repetitive region. In addition, a purine-rich sequence starting from the FokI site is found around 68-114 bp upstream of a putative initiation site of transcription. Another 33-bp sequence is repeated four times in the first intron and bordered by a 9-bp direct repeat, a structure that is common with the eukaryotic transposable elements.