270px, Aerial view of Tōon city center is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be de ...

located in

Ehime Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,342,011 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Toku ...

, Japan. , the city 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 ...

of 33,276 in 15571 households and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...

of 160 persons per km². The total area of the city is . The city name may be romanized as 'Toon', 'Tôon'、'Tōon' or 'Tohon'.

Geography

Tōon is located in central Ehime Prefecture on the island of

Shikoku is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), ...

. It is the only city in Ehime Prefecture that does not face the sea. Located at the top of the alluvial fan of Dogo Plain, Toon is bordered on the east by Matsuyama, and with Saijō through a pass called Sakurasanri, with Kumakōgen to the south, and Imabari to the north. The Shigenobu River and its tributaries flow through the city, forming a small alluvial fan.

Neighbouring municipalities

Ehime Prefecture * Matsuyama * Saijō * Imabari * Kumakōgen

Climate

Tōon has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light snowfall. The average annual temperature in Tōon is 13.9 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1770 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in January, at around 25.0 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.8 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Tōon population statistics
/ref> the population of Tōon has been increasing steadily since the 1960s.

History

The area of Tōon was part of ancient

Iyo Province was a province of Japan in the area of northwestern Shikoku. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Tosa''" in . Iyo bordered on Sanuki Province to the northeast, Awa to the east, and Tosa to the south. Its abbreviated form name was . In te ...

. During the

Edo Period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional ''daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was character ...

, the area was part of the holdings of Matsuyama Domain. Following 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 practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were r ...

, the are was organized into villages within Onsen District, Ehime. The village of Kawauchi was created by the merger of the villages of Kawakami (川上村) and Miuchi (三内村) on April 25,1955 and raised to town status on September 1, 1956. The town of Shigenobu was created on September 1, 1956 by the merger of the villages of Kitayoshii (北吉井村), Minamiyoshii (南吉井村) and Haishi (拝志村). The city of Tōon was established on September 21, 2004, from the merger of the towns of awauchi and Shigenobu.

Government

Tōon has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 15 members. Tōon contributes one member to the Ehime Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Ehime 2nd district of the House of Representatives of Japan, lower house 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 paral ...

Economy

Tōon has a mixed economy centered on agriculture and light manufacturing. Tt is also one of the leading production areas of

barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley ...

in Japan, and other important crops include paddy rice, wheat, vegetables, flowers, and mandarin oranges. Industry includes electrical machinery and production machinery and food processing. Tōon has head office and production base of PHC, a subsidiary of PHC Holdings (formerly Matsushita Kotobuki Electronics Co., Ltd.), is located in the Sendai district, where blood sugar level measurement sensors and other products are manufactured. Due to its well-developed transportation network, industry is expanding, and the city is increasingly becoming a

commuter town A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many ...

for neighboring Matsuyama.

Education

Tōon has seven public elementary schools and two public middle schools operated by the city government, and one public high school operated by the Ehime Prefectural Board of Education. The prefecture also operates two special education schools for the handicapped. The medical school of Ehime University is located in Tōon.

Transportation

Railways

55px

Iyotetsu The is the main transport provider in Matsuyama, Ehime, Shikoku, Japan. The company operates railway, tram, and bus lines, and also has many subsidiaries, which include a bank, department stores, travel agencies, and various other businesses. ...

- Yokogawara Line * - - - - -

Highways

Matsuyama Expressway * *

References

External links

*
Tōon City official website
Cities in Ehime Prefecture Tōon, Ehime {{Ehime-geo-stub