S?ma (???, S?ma-shi) is a city located in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 October 2017, the city had an estimated population of 35,592, and a population density of 179 persons per km2 in 14,358 households. The total area of the city is 197.79 square kilometres (76.37 sq mi).
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Geography
S?ma is located in northeastern Fukushima Prefecture, bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Abukuma Plateau to the west. S?ma is closer to Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture than it is to the prefectural capital of Fukushima.
- Mountains
- Ryozan (825m)
- Rivers
- Uda River
- Coastal features
- Matsukawa Lagoon
Neighboring municipalities
- Fukushima Prefecture
- Minamis?ma
- Iitate
- Date
- Shinchi
- Miyagi Prefecture
- Marumori
Climate
S?ma has a humid climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) characterized by mild summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in S?ma is 12.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1260 mm with September as the wettest month.The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.8 °C, and lowest in January, at around 1.8 °C.
Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of S?ma has remained the same over the past 40 years.
History
The area of present-day S?ma was part of ancient Mutsu Province, and has been settled since at least the J?mon period. During the Edo period, the area developed as the castle town of S?ma Domain, home of the S?ma clan from the Kamakura period until the Boshin War. After the Meiji Restoration, it was organized as part of Iwaki Province. With the establishment of the municipalities system on April 1, 1896, the area was organized into a number of towns and villages within the districts of Namekata and Uda. In 1896, Namekata and Uda were merged to create S?ma District. The town of Nakamura was established on April 1, 1889. Nakamura was merged with seven neighbouring villages and raised to city status on March 31, 1954, becoming the city of S?ma.
2011 earthquake and tsunami
The eastern, coastal portion of S?ma was inundated by tsunami flood waters following the magnitude 9.0 2011 T?hoku earthquake and tsunami off its coastline on March 11, 2011. The tsunami reached up to approximately 4 km inland in S?ma, flooded areas included S?ma Port and the Matsukawa-ura Bay area, up to the elevated Route 6 S?ma Bypass. The tsunami was measured to have been 9.3 meters or higher in S?ma.
S?ma is about 45 kilometres (28 miles) north of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the site of the nuclear accident that followed the tsunami, and was thus not subject to mandatory evacuation..
Government
S?ma has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 20 members.
Economy
S?ma has a mixed economy, based on agriculture, commercial fishing and light manufacturing. The area is noted for its strawberry cultivation.
Education
S?ma has nine public elementary schools and four public junior high schools operated by the city and two public high schools operated by the Fukushima Prefectural Board of Education. The prefecture also operates one special education school.
Hospital
Soma General Hospital, a public hospital with 240 beds, is located in S?ma.
Transportation
Railway
- JR East - J?ban Line
- Nittaki - Soma
Highway
- J?ban Expressway - Soma IC
- Japan National Route 6
- Japan National Route 115
- Japan National Route 116
Seaports
- Port of Soma
Local attractions
- The S?ma horse-chasing Festival held on July 23 to 25 every year is a designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property.
- S?ma Nakamura Castle ruins
- S?ma Nakamura Shrine
- Matsukawaura Prefectural Natural Park
Noted people from S?ma
- Tochiazuma Tomoyori - sumo wrestler
- Takahiro Suzuki - professional baseball player
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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