is a
town in
Chita District,
Aichi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,552,873 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the west, Gifu Prefectur ...
, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 17,393 in 7338 households, and a
population density of 453 persons per km
2. The total area of the town was .
Geography
Minamichita is located in the extreme southern tip of
Chita Peninsula in southern Aichi Prefecture, including a number of islands in
Mikawa Bay
Mikawa Bay (Landsat photo)
Mikawa Bay (三河湾 ''Mikawa-wan'') is a bay to the south of Aichi Prefecture, Japan, surrounded by Chita Peninsula to the west and Atsumi Peninsula to the east and south. Its area is approximately 604 km2. Pollu ...
. The town is bordered by Mikawa Bay to the east, and
Ise Bay to the west. Part of the town's area are within the borders of the
Mikawa Wan Quasi-National Park.
Neighboring municipalities
*Aichi Prefecture
**
Mihama
Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Minamichita had been declining steadily over the past 70 years.
Climate
The town has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (
Köppen climate classification ''Cfa''). The average annual temperature in Minamichita is . The average annual rainfall is with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around .
[
]
History
The area of Minamichita was part of Owari Province
was a province of Japan in the area that today forms the western half of Aichi Prefecture, including the modern city of Nagoya. The province was created in 646. Owari bordered on Mikawa, Mino, and Ise Provinces. Owari and Mino provinces were ...
and controlled by Owari Domain
The was a feudal domain of Japan in the Edo period. Located in what is now the western part of Aichi Prefecture, it encompassed parts of Owari, Mino, and Shinano provinces. Its headquarters were at Nagoya Castle. At its peak, it was rated at ...
under the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate. It was a major port on the coastal trade route between Edo
Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo.
Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...
and Osawa. After the Meiji restoration, it was organized into villages within Chita District, Aichi
is a rural district located in southwestern Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on Chita Peninsula.
As of 1 October 2019, the district had an estimated population of 160,542 and a population density of 968 persons per km2. Its total area was 165.84  ...
with the establishment of the modern municipalities system.
The modern town of Minamichita was established on June 1, 1961, through the merger of the towns of Utsumi, Mihama, and Morozaki, and the villages of Shinojima and Himakajima, all within Chita District. During March 2006, discussions were held to merge Minamichita with the town of Mihama to the north to form the new city of “Minamicentrair” after the popular nickname for Chūbu Centrair International Airport, but the merger proposal was strongly opposed by the majority of the inhabitants of Minamichita, and the merger did not take place.
Economy
The primary sector dominates the economy of Minamichita, notably commercial fishing and agriculture. Secondary industries
Industry may refer to:
Economics
* Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity
* Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery
* The wider industrial secto ...
include food processing, and seasonal tourism to beach resorts.
The Yamadera kiln (山寺窯) was located in Utsumi, today part of Minamichita. The kiln was active in the years Meiji 40 (1907) - Taishō 3 (1914). It produced Utsumi ware (内海焼).[http://minamichita.ed.jp/kyoikucho/2018/07/16/no-%EF%BC%91%EF%BC%99%EF%BC%93%EF%BC%99%E3%80%80%E3%80%80%E5%86%85%E7%94%B0%E5%AE%B6%E4%BC%81%E7%94%BB%E5%B1%95%E3%80%80%E3%80%8C%E5%9B%9B%E4%BB%A3%E4%BD%90%E4%B8%83%E3%81%A8%E5%86%85%E6%B5%B7/]
Education
Minamichita has six public elementary schools and five public junior high schools operated by the town government, and one high school operated by the Aichi Prefectural Board of Education.
Transportation
Railway
Meitetsu – Chita New Line
*
Highways
* Minamichita Road
The is a 4-laned expressway, toll road in Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by th ...
*
Seaports
*Morogizaki Port
Local attractions
*Minamichita Onsen - hot spring resort
*Himakajima
is an inhabited island in Mikawa Bay in Aichi Prefecture, Japan off the coast of the Chita Peninsula, which is administered by the town of Minamichita, Aichi. All of the island is within the borders of the Mikawa-wan Quasi-National Park. It dr ...
- island in Mikawa Bay
* Shinojima - island in Mikawa Bay
Kankonouen.JPG, Sightseeing farm Flower garden
CITTA NAPOLI.jpg, Citta Napoli
Himakajima7.JPG, Himakajima
File:Shinojima1.jpg, Shinojima
Hazumisaki3.JPG, Cape Hazu
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Towns in Aichi Prefecture
Populated coastal places in Japan