Nishinoomote, Kagoshima

Nishinoomote 西之表市
City
Nishinoomote City Hall
Flag Seal
Location of Nishinoomote in Kagoshima Prefecture
Nishinoomote
Coordinates: 30°41′N 131°01′E / 30.683°N 131.017°E / 30.683; 131.017Coordinates: 30°41′N 131°01′E / 30.683°N 131.017°E / 30.683; 131.017
Country	Japan
Region	Kyushu (Ōsumi Islands)
Prefecture	Kagoshima Prefecture
Government
• Mayor	Shusuke Yasaka (since April 2017)
Area
• Total	205.75 km2 (79.44 sq mi)
Population (June 1, 2013)
• Total	16,418
• Density	79.8/km2 (207/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
-Tree	Akō (Ficus superba Miq. var. japonica Miq.)
- Flower	Lilium longiflorum
-Flowering Tree	Chinese hibiscus
-Insect	Great Orange Tip
Phone number	0997-22-1111
Address	7612 Nishinoomote, Nishinoomote-shi, Kagoshima-ken 891-3193
Website	www.city.nishinoomote.kagoshima.jp

Nishinoomote (西之表市, Nishinoomote-shi) is a city located on the island of Tanegashima, in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.

As of June 2013, the city has an estimated population of 16,418 and a population density of 79.8 persons per km². The total area is 205.75 km².

Geography

Nishinoomote, located on the northern portion of Tanegashima, is bordered by the East China Sea to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east, and by the Osumi Strait separating Tanegashima from the Kyushu mainland. The city also includes the offshore island of Mageshima within its borders.

Climate

Nishinoomote has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with long, hot, humid summers and mild winters. Precipitation is abundant throughout the year, with particularly heavy rainfall in May, June, August and September. The area is subject to frequent typhoons.

Surrounding municipalities

• Nakatane

History

Kitatane Village was established on April 1, 1889. It was elevated to town status on April 1, 1926 and renamed Nishinoomote. Towards the end of World War II, the town was garrisoned by a 12,000-man force from the Imperial Japanese Army and was thus subjected to bombing by the United States Navy in 1945. As with all of the Amami Islands, the town came under the administration of the United States from July 1, 1946 to December 25, 1953. It was elevated to city status on October 1, 1958.

Nishinoomote

Transportation

Seaport

Nishinoomote Port is a regional transportation hub, with frequent ferry service to Kagoshima, Tokyo, Kobe, and Osaka, as well as Okinawa and the other Osumi islands.

Highway

• National Route 58

Sister cities

• Isa, Kagoshima, since November 10, 1962
• Sakai, Osaka, since October 18, 1986
• Nagahama, Shiga, since October 8, 1987
• Vila do Bispo, Portugal, since October 1, 1993 (in recognition of the fact that it was Fernão Mendes Pinto, a Portuguese explorer, who claimed to be the first European to set foot on Japan, and did so on Tanegashima in 1543.)^[1][2]

References

External links

Media related to Nishinoomote, Kagoshima at Wikimedia Commons

• Nishinoomote City official website (in Japanese)