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 on

Tokunoshima , also known in English as is an island in the Amami archipelago of the southern Satsunan Islands of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The island, in area, has a population of approximately 27,000. The island is divided into three administrative ...

, in Ōshima District,

Kagoshima Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands. Kagoshima Prefecture has a population of 1,599,779 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 9,187 km2 (3,547 sq mi). Kagoshima Prefecture borders Kumamoto P ...

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 ...

. As of June 2013, the town has 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 11,673 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 111 persons per km². The total area is 104.87 km².

Geography

Tokunoshima occupies the northeastern portion of the island of Tokunoshima, with the Pacific Ocean to the east. The town as a governmental entity comprises several districts containing a variety of villages and one larger town. This town, generally referred to as Kametsu, is focused around the district of the same name and the neighboring port of Kametoku. Kametsu is the main center of commerce and services on the island.

Towns and Villages

*Boma *Inokawa *Kametoku *Kametsu *Kaminomine *Kanami *Kedoku *Omo *San *Shimokushi *Shirai *Shoda *Tete *Todoroki *Tokuwase

Surrounding municipalities

Isen Isen may refer to: *Isen, Bavaria, a town in Germany *Isen, Kagoshima, a town in Japan *Isen (river) in Bavaria, Germany *The fictitious River Isen in Tolkien's literature *ISEN, a group of three French higher education establishments *Nissae Isen, ...

* Amagi

Climate

The climate is classified as

humid subtropical 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 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 very warm summers and mild winters(average temperature ). Precipitation is high throughout the year, but is highest in the months of May, June and September. Because of its climate, tropical and sub-tropical fruits are in abundance.

History

On 1 April 1908 Kametsu Village was founded. It was upgraded to town status on January 1, 1942. As with all of Tokunoshima, the town came under the administration of the United States from 1 July 1946 to 25 December 1953. On 1 April 1958, Kametsu merged with the neighboring village of Higashi-Amagi, and was renamed Tokunoshima.

Transportation

*Kametoku Port

Noted people from Tokunoshima

Kyokudōzan Kazuyasu (born 14 October 1964 as Kazuyasu Hato) is a former sumo wrestler and politician from Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. He began his sumo career in 1980, reaching the top division in 1989. He was one of the lightest men in makuuchi. but he neverthe ...

– sumo wrestler *

Ichinoya Mitsuru Ichinoya Mitsuru (born 28 December 1960 as Tetsuhiro Matsuda) is a former sumo wrestler from Tokunoshima, Ōshima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. His highest rank was ''sandanme'' 6. He is a rare example of a national university graduate join ...

– sumo wrestler

External links

Tokunoshima official website
{{Authority control Towns in Kagoshima Prefecture Populated coastal places in Japan