260px, Kugutsuhime-jinja
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 ...
in
Watarai District,
Mie Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Mie Prefecture has a population of 1,781,948 () and has a geographic area of . Mie Prefecture is bordered by Gifu Prefecture to the north, Shiga Prefecture and Kyoto Prefecture to ...
,
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 7,928 in 3068 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 59 persons per km².
The total area of the town was .
Geography
Watarai is an inland municipality, located in eastern
Kii Peninsula
The is the largest peninsula on the island of Honshū in Japan. It is named after the ancient Kii Province.
Overview
The area south of the “ Central Tectonic Line” is called , and is home to reef-like coral communities which are among ...
, near the geographic center of Mie Prefecture.
Adjacent municipalities
Mie Prefecture
*
Ise Ise may refer to:
Places
* Ise, Mie, a city in Japan
**Ise Grand Shrine, a Shinto shrine located in Ise, Mie
* Ise Ekiti, a city in Nigeria
*Ise, Norway, a village in Norway
*Ise Province, an ancient province of Japan
* River Ise, a tributary of th ...
*
Taki
*
Ōdai
*
Taiki
*
Minamiise
*
Tamaki
Climate
Watarai 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 Watarai is 15.2 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2015 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.8 °C, and lowest in January, at around 4.8 °C.
Demographics
Per Japanese census data,
Watarai population statistics
/ref> the population of Watarai has remained steady over the century.
History
The area of Watarai was part of ancient Ago District of Shima Province
was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan which consisted of a peninsula in the southeastern part of modern Mie Prefecture.Louis-Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Shima''" in . Its abbreviated name was . Shima bordered on Ise ...
and was transferred to Ise Province
was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today includes most of modern Mie Prefecture. Ise bordered on Iga, Kii, Mino, Ōmi, Owari, Shima, and Yamato Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was .
History
The name of Ise appears ...
in 1582. The villages of Ogawago, Uchikida, Ichinose, and Nakagawa were established within Watarai District, Mie Prefecture with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Watarai Village was established on April 1, 1955 through the merger of these four villages. Watarai was elevated to town status on January 1, 1968.
Government
Watarai 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 11 members. Watarai, collectively with the other municipalities of Watarai District, contributes two members to the Mie Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Mie 4th district 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 town serves as a commercial center for the surrounding region.
Education
Watarai has one public middle school operated by the town government and one public high school operated by the Mie Prefectural Board of Education. The town does not have an elementary school. Mie Prefecture also operates one special education school for the handicapped.
Transportation
Watarai is not served by any passenger rail service, nor does any national highway pass through the town.
References
External links
Watarai official website
{{Authority control
Towns in Mie Prefecture