270px, Awaji City Hall is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

located on Awaji Island in

Hyōgo Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to th ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. , the city had an estimated

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of 42,597 and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

of 230 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

The city of Awaji occupies the northern third of Awaji Island. It is connected to Kobe City to the north by the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, and is sandwiched between Osaka Bay and the Gulf of Harima on the Seto Inland Sea. There are no large rivers in the city, but there are many agricultural ponds. The Tsuna hills run through the center of the city, with Mount Myoken (522 meters) as the highest point. The Nojima Fault (the focus of the

Great Hanshin earthquake The Great Hanshin Earthquake (, ) occurred on January 17, 1995, at 05:46:53 JST in the southern part of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, including the region of Hanshin. It measured 6.9 on the moment magnitude scale and had a maximum intensity of 7 o ...

) is located in the city.

Surrounding municipalities

Hyogo Prefecture * Sumoto

Climate

Awaji has a

Humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Awaji is 16.3 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1600 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.6 °C, and lowest in January, at around 6.6 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Awaji has been declining steadily over the past 70 years.

History

The city of Awaji is situated in ancient Awaji Province. It was ruled as part of Tokushima Domain during the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

. After the

Meiji restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

, it became part of

Tsuna District, Hyōgo was a Districts of Japan, district located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. As of 2005, the district had an estimated population of 11,500, and the total area was 58.21 km2. Former towns and villages * Awaji, Hyōgo, Awaji * Goshiki, Hyōgo ...

. The town of Iwaya was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system April 1, 1889. On April 1, 1956 Iwaya merged with the neighboring town of Kariya and the villages of Url and Hamaguchi to form the town of Awaji; however, on June 19, 1961 a portion of the town was separated to form the town of Higashiura. On April 1, 2005 Awaji and Higashiura merged back together, along with the towns of Tsuna, Hokudan and Ichinomiya to form the city of Awaji.

Government

Awaji 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 consisting of one house or assembly that legislates and votes as one. Unicameralism has become an increasingly common type of legislature, making up nearly ...

city council of 18 members. Awaji contributes one member to the Hyogo Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Hyōgo 9th district of the

lower house A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise e ...

of the

Diet of Japan , transcription_name = ''Kokkai'' , legislature = 215th Session of the National Diet , coa_pic = Flag of Japan.svg , house_type = Bicameral , houses = , foundation=29 November 1890(), leader1_type ...

Economy

The local economy is largely rural, and is based on agriculture and

commercial fishing Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for Commerce, commercial Profit (economics), profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice ...

. Awaji has traditionally been famous for its production of joss sticks, which in the early 1960s accounted for 70% of the Japanese domestic market. The production of roof tiles is also a local speciality.

Education

Awaji has 11 public elementary schools and five public middle schools operated by the city government and two public high schools operated by the Hyōgo Prefectural Department of Education. There are also two private high schools. The Kansai University of Nursing and Health Sciences is located in Awaji. The Ashiya University Awajishima Seaside Seminar Center, Kobe University Inland Sea Environment Education and Research Center and University of Hyogo Graduate School of Green Environment and Landscape Management are all located in Awaji. The Awaji City Library serves Awaji. In 1999 this library and the West Bloomfield Library in West Bloomfield, Michigan in

Metro Detroit Metro Detroit is a major metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Michigan, consisting of the city of Detroit and over 200 municipalities in the Southeast Michigan, surrounding area. There are varied definitions of the area, including the officia ...

were paired as sister institutions.

Transportation

Railway

Awaji does not have any passenger rail service.

Highways

Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway *

Other

Jointly with Minami Awaji and Sumoto, the city operates a low-cost

electric bike An electric bicycle, e-bike, electrically assisted pedal cycle, or electrically power assisted cycle is a bicycle with an integrated electric motor used to assist propulsion. Many kinds of e-bikes are available worldwide, but they generally fa ...

rental scheme, designed to attract visitors to stay for more than one day in order to explore the island.

Sister cities

Paranaguá Paranaguá (Tupi language, Tupi, 'Great Round Sea') is a city in the state of Paraná (state), Paraná in Brazil. Founded in 1648, it is Paraná's oldest city. It is known for the Port of Paranaguá, which serves as both the sea link for Curitiba, ...

, Paraná,

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, since May 29, 1986 * St. Marys, Ohio,

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, since August 3, 2006

Local attractions

* Akashi Kaikyo Bridge *Akashi Kaikyo National Government Park *Awaji World Park Onokoro * Awaji Yumebutai ( Kiseki No Hoshi Greenhouse) * Esaki Lighthouse * Funaki Site, National Historic Site * Gossa Kaito Site, National Historic Site *Honpuku-ji Temple * Izanagi Jingū, '' ichinomiya'' of Awaji Province * Matsuho Battery Site, National Historic Site

Notable people from Awaji

* Toshio Iue, inventor and industrialist * Takashi Sasano, actor * Tetsuya Watari, actor * Harukichi Yamaguchi, yakuza

References

External links

*
Awaji City official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Awaji, Hyogo Cities in Hyōgo Prefecture Port settlements in Japan Populated coastal places in Japan