| Kesennuma City 気仙沼市 |
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| — City — | |
| Location of Kesennuma City in Miyagi Prefecture | |
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Kesennuma City
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Tōhoku |
| Prefecture | Miyagi Prefecture |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Noboru Suzuki |
| Area | |
| • Total | 333.37 km2 (128.7 sq mi) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 73,403 |
| • Density | 220/km2 (569.8/sq mi) |
| Time zone | Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) |
| City symbols | |
| - Tree | Japanese Black Pine |
| - Flower | Azalea |
| - Bird | Seagull |
| Phone number | 0226-22-6600 |
| Address | Kesennuma-shi, Yōka-machi 1, Chome 1-1 988-8501 |
| Website | www.city.kesennuma.miyagi.jp |
Kesennuma (気仙沼市 Kesen'numa-shi) is a city located in the extreme northeast of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, founded on June 1, 1953. It wraps around the western part of Kesennuma Bay, and also includes the island of Ōshima. Its coastline forms the southern boundary of the Rias Coastline National Park, which stretches north all the way to Aomori Prefecture.
The city borders Hirota Bay, Kesennuma Bay, and the Pacific Ocean to the east and Minamisanriku, Miyagi to the south. Iwate Prefecture makes up the remainder of its borders, with Murone Village to the west, and Rikuzen-Takata City to the north. The highest point in Kesennuma is 711.9 m high, on the border with Motoyoshi, while the lowest point is at sea level.
Large sections of the city were destroyed by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and major fires on March 11, 2011.[1]
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Kesennuma City was formed on June 1, 1953, when Kesennuma Town, Shishiori Village, and Matsuiwa Village were merged. It grew in size on April 1, 1955, when Niitsuki Village, Hashikami Village, and Oshima Village were annexed, and again in 2006 and 2009 with the incorporation of Karakuwa and Motoyoshi.[2]
Until recent times, the city was Japan's busiest port for processing bonito and swordfish. Presently, fishing and associated industries account for 85% of jobs in the town.[3]
On March 11, 2011, large parts of the city were destroyed by the tsunami which followed the Tōhoku earthquake. The island of Oshima and its 3,000 residents, included in the city limits, were isolated by the tsunami which damaged the ferry connections.[4] After the tsunami, spilled fuel from the town's fishing fleet caught fire and burned for four days.[5] As of 22 April 2011, the city had confirmed 837 deaths with 1,196 missing.[6]
Kesennuma is situated in a temperate climate zone and has a moderate climate. The city's average temperature is 10.8°C (53.8°F) and its average annual precipitation is 1,370.6 mm. Its all-time record high is 36.0°C on August 15, 1994, and its all-time record low is -12.6°C on February 17, 1980. The city's climate is fairly similar to Sendai, the largest city in Miyagi Prefecture. Since Kesennuma is located north of Sendai, it is naturally slightly cooler. However, Kesennuma is known to be fairly warm for a city located at its latitude, largely because of ocean currents that flow close by.
Kesennuma relies on tourism and commercial fishing, the latter being what the city is known for, especially its tuna, pacific saury and skipjack tuna production, keeping the fishing port very active. It also has a shark fin fishery.
Kesennuma, as the largest center in northeast Miyagi, is an education center for high school, featuring five of them. It also has eight junior high schools and fourteen elementary schools.
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