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

Saitama Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 km2 (1,466 sq mi). Saitama Prefecture borders Tochigi 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 9,497 in 3994 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 150 persons per km². The total area of the town is .

Geography

Located in western Saitama Prefecture, Minano is on the upper reaches of the

Arakawa River or Ara River may refer to: * Arakawa River (Kanto) or Ara River may refer to: * Arakawa River (Kanto), which flows from Saitama Prefecture and through Tokyo to Tokyo Bay * Arakawa River (Uetsu), which flows from Yamagata Prefecture and throu ...

Surrounding municipalities

Chichibu is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 61,159 in 26,380 households and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Geography Chichibu is in the westernmost part of Saitama. Unli ...

** Honjō ** Kamikawa ** Yorii ** Nagatoro ** Higashichichibu

Climate

Minano 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 ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light snowfall. The average annual temperature in Minano is 12.8 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2222 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.1 °C, and lowest in January, at around 1.6 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Minano population statistics
/ref> the population of Minano has declined steadily over the past 70 years.

History

The village of Minano was created within

Chichibu District, Saitama is a district located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. As of 2003, the district has an estimated population 755 and a density of 77.58 persons per km2. The total area is 796.03 km2. History According to text in the ''Sendai Kuji Hongi'' (''Kuji ...

with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. It was elevated to town status on November 10, 1928. On September 8, 1943 Minano was merged with the neighboring villages of Kunikami, Kanazawa, Hinozawa, Misawa and Ota to form the new town of Mino. However, the town was dissolved on December 1, 1946 back into its original components. On March 1, 1955, Minano again annexed the neighboring villages of Kunikami, Kanazawa, and Hinozawa followed by the village of Misawa on March 31, 1957.

Government

Minano 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 ...

town council of 12 members. Minano, together with the towns of Higashichichibu, Ogano, Nagatoro and Yokoze, contributes one member to the Saitama Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of

Saitama 11th district , the House of Representatives of Japan is elected from a combination of multi-member districts and single-member districts, a method called Parallel voting. Currently, 176 members are elected from 11 multi-member districts (called proportional r ...

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 Minano is based primarily on precision machining and agro-tourism.

Education

Minano has three public elementary schools and one public middle school operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Saitama Prefectural Board of Education..

Transportation

Railway

20px

Chichibu Railway The is a small-sector private railway company operating a railway line in northern Saitama Prefecture, Japan. In addition to its railway operations, the company deals in the real estate and tourism industries. It managed the Mitsumine Ropeway (� ...

Chichibu Main Line The is a railway line in Japan, owned by the private railway operator Chichibu Railway, linking and , both in Saitama Prefecture. Stations ;Legend * ● - All trains stop * ○ - Some trains stop * ▲ - Some trains pass * ▼ - Trains ...

* –

Highway

Local attractions

* Nagatoro Gorge *

Chichibu 34 Kannon Sanctuary The is a group of Japanese Buddhist temples linked on a pilgrimage route. The Chichibu Pilgrimage Chichibu City in the province of Saitama is the centre of a virtually self-contained valley, a mountain-ringed basin about 80 km north-west ...

References

External links

Official Website
{{Authority control Towns in Saitama Prefecture Chichibu District, Saitama Minano, Saitama