Minami-Alps, Yamanashi

Minami-Alps City Hall

Template:Nihongo is a city located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. Template:As of, the city has an estimated population of 71,618 in 27,956 households,<ref>City official statisticsTemplate:In lang</ref> and a population density of 270 persons per km². The total area of the city is Template:Convert. Minami-Alps is Yamanashi Prefecture's third largest city. The city's name was chosen in September 2002 from among entries submitted by the general public.

Geography

The city is named for its location on the eastern foothills of the "Southern Alps". This mountain range includes Mount Kita, Japan's second-highest mountain, as well as a number of other mountains that top 3,000 meters. The urbanized zones lie along the three rivers running along these mountains: Midai River, Takizawa River, and Tsubo River. The area is noted for growing fruit, especially: cherries, peaches, plums, grapes, pears, persimmons, kiwi, and apples.

Surrounding municipalities

• Nagano Prefecture
  • Ina
• Shizuoka Prefecture
  • Aoi-ku, Shizuoka
• Yamanashi Prefecture
  • Chūō
  • Fujikawa
  • Hayakawa
  • Hokuto
  • Ichikawamisato
  • Kai
  • Nirasaki
  • Shōwa

Climate

The city has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Minami-Alps is 10.3 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1539 mm with September as the wettest month.<ref>climate dataTemplate:Dead link</ref>

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,<ref>Minami-Alps population statistics</ref> the population of Minami-Alps has recently plateaued after several decades of growth.

History

The city of Minami-Alps was established on April 1, 2003, by the merger of the towns of Kōsai, Kushigata, Shirane and Wakakusa, and the villages of Ashiyasu and Hatta (all from Nakakoma District).

Government

Minami-Alps has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 22 members.

Economy

The economy of Minami-Alps is primarily agricultural, with seasonal tourism and forestry playing secondary roles.

Education

• Minami-Alps has 15 public elementary schools, one combined public elementary/middle school and six public middle schools operated by the city government. The city has two public high schools and one special education school operated by the Yamanashi Prefectural Board of Education.
• International schools - Alps Gakuen (former Colégio Pitágoras) - Brazilian school<ref name=Brazilschools>"Escolas Brasileiras Homologadas no Japão" (Archive). Embassy of Brazil in Tokyo. Retrieved on October 13, 2015.</ref>

Transportation

Railway

• Minami-Alps is the only city in Yamanashi which does not have any passenger railway services.

Highway

• Chūbu-Ōdan Expressway
• Template:Jct
• Template:Jct

Sister cities

• Template:Flagicon Anamizu, Ishikawa, Japan
• Template:Flagicon Marshalltown, Iowa, United States
• Template:Flagicon Ogasawara, Tokyo, Japan
• Template:Flagicon Tsubetsu, Hokkaido, Japan
• Template:Flagicon Queanbeyan, New South Wales, Australia
• Template:Flagicon Winterset, Iowa, United States

Friendship city

• Template:Flagicon Dujiangyan City, China

Notable people from Minami-Alps

• Kaori Chiba, women's field hockey player
• Shin Kanemaru, politician
• Masae Kasai, women's volleyball player
• Tachū Naitō, architect, engineer
• Akira Takabe, professional football player

See also

• Hōzen-ji
• Minami-Alps Biosphere Reserve
• Minami Alps National Park

External links

• Official Website Template:In lang