Oguni, Yamagata

Oguni (小国町, Oguni-machi) is a town located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. As of 29 February 2020, the town had an estimated population of 7,376 in 3020 households,[1] and a population density of 10 persons per km2. The total area of the town is 737.56 square kilometres (285 sq mi).

Oguni

小国町
Town
Oguni Town Hall
Flag
Seal
Location of Oguni in Yamagata Prefecture
Oguni
 
Coordinates: 38°03′41.3″N 139°44′36.1″E
CountryJapan
RegionTōhoku
PrefectureYamagata
DistrictNishiokitama
Area
 • Total737.56 km2 (284.77 sq mi)
Population
 (February 2020)
 • Total7,376
 • Density10/km2 (26/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Symbols 
• TreeJapanese beech
• FlowerSakura
• BirdJapanese bush-warbler
Phone number0238-62-2111
Address2-70 Ogunikosaka, Oguni-chō, Yamagata-ken 999-1363
WebsiteOfficial website
Lake Shiroimori-oguni

Geography

Oguni is located in mountainous southwestern Yamagata Prefecture, bordered by Niigata Prefecture to the west and south.

Neighboring municipalities

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,[2] the population of Oguni peaked in the 1950s, and is now considerably less than what it was a century ago.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1920 10,158—    
1930 11,288+11.1%
1940 15,492+37.2%
1950 17,899+15.5%
1960 17,787−0.6%
1970 13,999−21.3%
1980 12,221−12.7%
1990 11,315−7.4%
2000 10,262−9.3%
2010 8,863−13.6%

Climate

Oguni has a Humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is heaviest from August to October. The average annual temperature in Oguni is 11.4 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1804 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.1 °C, and lowest in January, at around -1.1 °C.[3] In the winter season, snow cover may exceed 2 meters even in the center of town due to the monsoon from the Sea of Japan.

History

The area of present-day Oguni was part of ancient Dewa Province and was ruled as part of Yonezawa Domain during the Edo period. After the start of the Meiji period, most of the area became part of Nishiokitama District, Yamagata Prefecture. The village of Ogunimoto was established on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. It was elevated to town status on November 3, 1943, becoming the town of Oguni. It absorbed the neighboring villages of Minamioguni and Kitaoguni on March 31, 1954 and the village of Tsugawa on August 1, 1960.

Economy

The economy of Oguni is based on agriculture and forestry, and hydroelectric power production from numerous dams.

Education

Oguni has two public elementary schools and two public middle schools operated by the town government and one public high school operated by the Yamagata Prefectural Board of Education. There is also one private high school.

Transportation

Railway

East Japan Railway Company - Yonesaka Line

Highway
gollark: Chemotherapy is an entirely different thing too.
gollark: * highest energy per photon, intensity is different
gollark: From *IR*?
gollark: Probably.
gollark: An IR screen wouldn't be dangerous unless it was really high power and/or produced a really small beam somehow.

References
  1. Oguni Town official statistics (in Japanese)
  2. Oguni population statistics
  3. Oguni climate data

Media related to Oguni, Yamagata at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.