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
Yamagata Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Yamagata Prefecture has a population of 1,079,950 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 9,325 km² (3,600 sq mi). Yamagata Prefecture borders Akita Prefecture to the north, ...
,
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 19,303,in 6267 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 350 persons per km². The total area of the town is .
Geography
Kahoku is located in central Yamagata Prefecture, in a river valley of the
Mogami River
The is a river in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.
Description and history
It is 224 km long and has a watershed of 7,040 km2. It is regarded as one of the three most rapid rivers of Japan (along with the Fuji River and the Kuma River).
...
, with branches of the
Ōu Mountains
The are a mountain range in the Tōhoku region of Honshū, Japan. The range is the longest range in Japan and stretches south from the Natsudomari Peninsula of Aomori Prefecture to the Nasu volcanoes at the northern boundary of the Kantō re ...
to the east and west.
Neighboring municipalities
*Yamagata Prefecture
**
Sagae
file:JIONJI Temple Hondou.jpg, Jion-in temple
is a Cities of Japan, city located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 40,131, and a population density of 289 persons per km2. The total area of the city is .
G ...
**
Higashine
is a city located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 47,910 in 17868 households, and a population density of 230 persons per km². The total area of the city is .
Geography
Located on the eastern shore of ...
**
Murayama
**
Tendō
Climate
Kahoku has a
Humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
''Cfa'') with large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is heaviest from August to October. The average annual temperature in Kahoku is 11.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1461 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.3 °C, and lowest in January, at around -1.1 °C.
Demographics
Per Japanese census data,
Kahoku population statistics
/ref> the population of Kahoku has declined over the past 60 years.
History
The area of present-day Kahoku was part of ancient Dewa Province
was a province of Japan comprising modern-day Yamagata Prefecture and Akita Prefecture, except for the city of Kazuno and the town of Kosaka. Dewa bordered on Mutsu and Echigō Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was .
History
Early peri ...
. After the start of the Meiji period
The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912.
The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...
, the area became part of Nishimurayama District, Yamagata Prefecture. The village of Yachi was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889 and was raised to town status on April 2, 1896. The town of Kahoku was established on April 1, 1954.
Economy
The economy of Kahoku is based on agriculture, notably the growing of cherries. The area was traditionally noted for raising safflower
Safflower (''Carthamus tinctorius'') is a highly branched, herbaceous, thistle-like annual plant in the family Asteraceae. It is commercially cultivated for vegetable oil extracted from the seeds and was used by the early Spanish colonies along ...
s. Manufacturing of slippers is also an important local industry.
Education
Kahoku has six public elementary schools and one public middle school operated by the town government and one public high schools operated by the Yamagata Prefectural Board of Education.
Transportation
Railway
Kahoku does not have any passenger railway service.
Highway
*
*
Twin towns – sister cities
* Cañon City, Colorado
Cañon City is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Fremont County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 17,141 at the 2020 United States Census. Cañon City is the principal city of t ...
, United States, since October 20, 1993
References
External links
Official Website
{{Authority control
Towns in Yamagata Prefecture