270px, Aragijima rice terraces is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

located in Arida District, in central

Wakayama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Wakayama Prefecture has a population of 944,320 () and has a geographic area of . Wakayama Prefecture borders Osaka Prefecture to the north, and Mie Prefecture and Nara Prefecture ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. , the town had an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 25,940 in 10680 households and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

of 74 persons per km². The total area of the town is .

Geography

Aridagawa is located in the north-center of Wakayama prefecture, with the Aridagawa River running through the center of the town. Although there are some flatlands along the Aridagawa River, most of the town tends to be mountainous. * Mountains: Mt. Washigamine (589m) * Flatlands: Aridagawa Plain * Rivers: Aridagawa River (Futagawa Dam)It was established on January 1, 2006, by the merger of the towns of Kanaya, Kibi and Shimizu, all from Arida District.

Neighboring municipalities

Wakayama Prefecture : Arida, Kainan, Tanabe : Arida District: Yuasa,

Hirogawa 270px, Inamura no hi no yakata is a town in Arida District, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 6,778 in 2833 households and a population density of 100 persons per km². The total area of the town is . Geogr ...

: Kaisō District: Kimino :

Hidaka District There are 2 districts in Japan with the same name. * Hidaka District, Wakayama * Hidaka District, Hokkaido is a newly created district located in Hidaka Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. As of October 31, 2006, the district has an estimated popu ...

: Hidakagawa : Ito District: Katsuragi Nara Prefecture :

Yoshino District is a Districts of Japan, district located in Nara Prefecture, Japan. In 2020, the district had an estimated population of 37,086 and a population density, density of 18.05 persons per km2. The total area is 2,055 km2. On September 25, 2005, th ...

: Nosegawa

Climate

Aridagawa has a

Humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Aridagawa is . The average annual rainfall is with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around . The area is subject to

typhoon A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...

s in summer.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Aridagawa population statistics
/ref> the population of Aridagawa has been declining steadily over the past 70 years.

History

Aridagawa was established on January 1, 2006, by the merger of the towns of Kanaya, Kibi and Shimizu, all from Arida District.

Government

Aridagawa has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multic ...

city council of 16 members. Hidaka collectively with the other municipalities of Arida District, contributes two members to the

Wakayama Prefectural Assembly The is the prefectural parliament of Wakayama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Wakayama Prefecture has a population of 944,320 () and has a geographic area of . Wakayama Prefecture borders Osaka Pref ...

. In terms of national politics, the town is part of

Wakayama 3rd district Wakayama 3rd district is a constituency of the House of Representatives in the Diet of Japan (national legislature). It is located in Wakayama Prefecture and consists of Arida, Gobo, Shingu, and Tanabe cities and the Arida, Hidaka, Higashimu ...

of the

lower house A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...

of the

Diet of Japan The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a paralle ...

Economy

The economy of Aridagawa is dominated by agriculture (

horticulture Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

), especially with citrus fruits. The town is also a major producer of ''sanshō'' pepper.

Education

Aridagawa has nine public elementary schools and four public middle schools operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Wakayama Prefectural Board of Education..

Transportation

Railway

JR West , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and ...

–

Kisei Main Line The is a railway line that parallels the coastline of the Kii Peninsula in Japan between Mie Prefecture and Wakayama Prefecture. The name takes the ''kanji'' characters from the names of the old provinces of and . The line is operated by Ce ...

* Fujinami Station

Highways

Hanwa Expressway Road * E42 Expressway (Japan)

Yuasa-Gobo Road * * * *

Local attractions

*Aragijima rice terraces * Kōya-Ryūjin Quasi-National Park

References

External links

*
Aridagawa official website
Towns in Wakayama Prefecture Aridagawa, Wakayama {{Wakayama-geo-stub