270px, Cape Hinomisaki with Hinomisaki Lighthouse
270px, Mio neighborhood of Mihama
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
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 ...
,
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 6,761 in 3083 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 530 persons per km².
The total area of the town is .
Geography
Mihama is located on the coast in central Wakayama Prefecture, facing the Kii Channel to the southwest. The eastern part of the town is part of the Hidaka Plain and is the center of the city. The western part is designated as Enjukaigan Prefectural Natural Park. The highest point is Mount Nishiyama, with an elevation of 329 meters.
Neighboring municipalities
Wakayama Prefecture
*
Gobō
''Arctium lappa'', commonly called greater burdock, , edible burdock, lappa, beggar's buttons, thorny burr, or happy major is a Eurasian species of plants in the family Asteraceae, cultivated in gardens for its root used as a vegetable. It has b ...
*
Hidaka
Climate
Mihama 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 Mihama is 16.8 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1878 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.7 °C, and lowest in January, at around 7.3 °C. 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,
Mihama population statistics
/ref> the population of Mihama has remained fairly steady over the past 70 years.
History
The area of the modern town of Inami was within ancient Kii Province
, or , was a province of Japan in the part of Honshū that is today Wakayama Prefecture, as well as the southern part of Mie Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Kii''" in . Kii bordered Ise, Izumi, Kawachi, Shima, and Yamato Pro ...
. The villages of Matsubara, Mio and Wada were established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. These three villages merged on October 1, 1954 to form the town of Mihama.
Government
Mihama 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 10 members. Inami collectively with the other municipalities of 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 ...
, contributes three 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 Mihama is centered on commercial fishing
Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often ...
and agriculture. The main catch is ( ''Shirasu'', spiny lobster
Spiny lobsters, also known as langustas, langouste, or rock lobsters, are a family (Palinuridae) of about 60 species of achelate crustaceans, in the Decapoda Reptantia. Spiny lobsters are also, especially in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, So ...
, and abalone
Abalone ( or ; via Spanish , from Rumsen ''aulón'') is a common name for any of a group of small to very large marine gastropod molluscs in the family (biology), family Haliotidae. Other common name
In biology, a common name of a taxon o ...
). The main crops are rice and cucumbers.
Education
Mihama has two public elementary schools and one public middle schools operated by the town government. The town does not have a high school.
Transportation
Railway
Mihama has no passenger rail service. The nearest train station is Gobō Station
is an interchange passenger railway station in located in the city of Gobō, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) and the private railway company Kishū Railway.
Lines
Gobō Station is served by the Kisei ...
on the 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 ...
in the neighboring city of Gobō
Highways
Mihama is not on any national highway or expressway.
Local attractions
*Hinomisaki Lighthouse
References
External links
*
Mihama official website
Towns in Wakayama Prefecture
Mihama, Wakayama
Populated coastal places in Japan
{{Wakayama-geo-stub