Kimotsuki (肝付町, Kimotsuki-chō) is a town in Kimotsuki District. It is located in the eastern part of the Ōsumi Peninsula in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.
Kimotsuki
肝付町 | |
---|---|
Town | |
![]() Location of Kimotsuki in Kagoshima Prefecture | |
![]() ![]() Kimotsuki Location in Japan | |
Coordinates: 31°16′45″N 130°59′33″E | |
Country | Japan |
Region | Kyushu |
Prefecture | Kagoshima Prefecture |
District | Kimotsuki |
Government | |
• Mayor | Nagano Kazuyuki |
Area | |
• Total | 308.12 km2 (118.97 sq mi) |
Population (October 2019) | |
• Total | 15,169 |
• Density | 49/km2 (130/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+09:00 (JST) |
City hall address | 98 Nitomi Kimotsuki-chō, Kimotsuki-gun, Kagoshima-ken 893-1207 |
Climate | Cfa |
Website | kimotsuki-town |
Symbols | |
Flower | Chrysanthemum |
Tree | Camphor |
The town was formed on July 1, 2005 from the merger of the towns of Kōyama and Uchinoura, both from Kimotsuki District. As of October 2019, the town has an estimated population of 15,169. The total area is 308.12 km2.
The Uchinoura Space Center is located in this town.
Kimotsuki has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot summers and mild winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, and is heavier in summer, especially the months of June and July. The average annual temperature in Kimotsuki is 17.5 °C (63.5 °F). The average annual rainfall is 2,747.6 mm (108.17 in) with June as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 27.2 °C (81.0 °F), and lowest in January, at around 7.6 °C (45.7 °F).[1] Its record high is 38.5 °C (101.3 °F), reached on 18 August 2020, and its record low is −6.4 °C (20.5 °F), reached on 25 January 2016.[2]
Climate data for Kimotsuki (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1977−present) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 24.3 (75.7) |
24.3 (75.7) |
27.3 (81.1) |
29.7 (85.5) |
34.3 (93.7) |
34.2 (93.6) |
36.1 (97.0) |
38.5 (101.3) |
35.4 (95.7) |
34.1 (93.4) |
29.3 (84.7) |
25.1 (77.2) |
38.5 (101.3) |
Average high °C (°F) | 13.1 (55.6) |
14.5 (58.1) |
17.4 (63.3) |
21.8 (71.2) |
25.3 (77.5) |
27.0 (80.6) |
31.4 (88.5) |
31.9 (89.4) |
29.4 (84.9) |
25.1 (77.2) |
20.1 (68.2) |
15.2 (59.4) |
22.7 (72.8) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 7.6 (45.7) |
8.8 (47.8) |
11.8 (53.2) |
16.2 (61.2) |
20.1 (68.2) |
23.0 (73.4) |
26.9 (80.4) |
27.2 (81.0) |
24.5 (76.1) |
19.7 (67.5) |
14.5 (58.1) |
9.4 (48.9) |
17.5 (63.5) |
Average low °C (°F) | 2.4 (36.3) |
3.4 (38.1) |
6.5 (43.7) |
10.9 (51.6) |
15.4 (59.7) |
19.7 (67.5) |
23.5 (74.3) |
23.8 (74.8) |
20.8 (69.4) |
15.1 (59.2) |
9.4 (48.9) |
4.0 (39.2) |
12.9 (55.2) |
Record low °C (°F) | −6.4 (20.5) |
−6.0 (21.2) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
0.6 (33.1) |
5.3 (41.5) |
11.2 (52.2) |
15.3 (59.5) |
17.2 (63.0) |
10.6 (51.1) |
2.5 (36.5) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
−4.9 (23.2) |
−6.4 (20.5) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 81.9 (3.22) |
115.6 (4.55) |
167.0 (6.57) |
193.5 (7.62) |
214.3 (8.44) |
579.5 (22.81) |
384.6 (15.14) |
294.3 (11.59) |
352.6 (13.88) |
169.7 (6.68) |
112.1 (4.41) |
82.6 (3.25) |
2,747.6 (108.17) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 8.2 | 9.0 | 12.2 | 11.0 | 10.8 | 17.4 | 12.5 | 13.2 | 12.1 | 8.2 | 8.1 | 7.4 | 130.1 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 138.3 | 141.2 | 160.9 | 168.7 | 161.7 | 96.7 | 177.0 | 191.1 | 155.4 | 170.2 | 151.2 | 140.8 | 1,852.9 |
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[2][1] |
Climate data for Uchinoura, Kimotsuki (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1977−present) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 23.8 (74.8) |
24.4 (75.9) |
27.5 (81.5) |
29.3 (84.7) |
33.1 (91.6) |
33.9 (93.0) |
37.2 (99.0) |
36.9 (98.4) |
34.6 (94.3) |
33.5 (92.3) |
31.2 (88.2) |
24.6 (76.3) |
37.2 (99.0) |
Average high °C (°F) | 13.6 (56.5) |
14.8 (58.6) |
17.6 (63.7) |
21.7 (71.1) |
25.2 (77.4) |
27.3 (81.1) |
31.5 (88.7) |
32.0 (89.6) |
29.5 (85.1) |
25.4 (77.7) |
20.6 (69.1) |
15.7 (60.3) |
22.9 (73.2) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 8.7 (47.7) |
9.8 (49.6) |
12.6 (54.7) |
16.6 (61.9) |
20.2 (68.4) |
23.2 (73.8) |
26.9 (80.4) |
27.3 (81.1) |
24.9 (76.8) |
20.4 (68.7) |
15.4 (59.7) |
10.6 (51.1) |
18.1 (64.5) |
Average low °C (°F) | 3.8 (38.8) |
4.8 (40.6) |
7.7 (45.9) |
11.5 (52.7) |
15.5 (59.9) |
19.7 (67.5) |
23.2 (73.8) |
23.8 (74.8) |
21.3 (70.3) |
16.1 (61.0) |
10.7 (51.3) |
5.6 (42.1) |
13.6 (56.6) |
Record low °C (°F) | −5.2 (22.6) |
−5.3 (22.5) |
−2.4 (27.7) |
1.8 (35.2) |
4.6 (40.3) |
10.6 (51.1) |
14.7 (58.5) |
17.9 (64.2) |
12.3 (54.1) |
5.6 (42.1) |
0.4 (32.7) |
−2.5 (27.5) |
−5.3 (22.5) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 116.4 (4.58) |
175.3 (6.90) |
260.2 (10.24) |
323.4 (12.73) |
323.3 (12.73) |
666.6 (26.24) |
368.2 (14.50) |
244.0 (9.61) |
352.1 (13.86) |
186.6 (7.35) |
167.2 (6.58) |
115.3 (4.54) |
3,233.5 (127.30) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 8.1 | 9.4 | 12.7 | 11.1 | 11.6 | 17.6 | 12.0 | 13.4 | 13.2 | 9.1 | 8.6 | 7.8 | 134.6 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 140.7 | 131.9 | 153.6 | 162.8 | 165.2 | 96.6 | 181.2 | 184.5 | 143.5 | 157.9 | 145.7 | 138.6 | 1,802 |
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[3][4] |
Per Japanese census data, the population of Kimotsuki in 2020 is 14,227 people.[5] Kimotsuki has been conducting censuses since 1920. The town's population peaked in the 1950s and has been slowly declining since then, with no sign of a recovery until 2020.
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1920 | 20,967 | — |
1925 | 22,994 | +9.7% |
1930 | 25,529 | +11.0% |
1935 | 26,685 | +4.5% |
1940 | 26,875 | +0.7% |
1945 | 32,402 | +20.6% |
1950 | 33,813 | +4.4% |
1955 | 34,372 | +1.7% |
1960 | 32,553 | −5.3% |
1965 | 29,619 | −9.0% |
1970 | 25,433 | −14.1% |
1975 | 23,892 | −6.1% |
1980 | 23,361 | −2.2% |
1985 | 22,955 | −1.7% |
1990 | 21,542 | −6.2% |
1995 | 20,317 | −5.7% |
2000 | 19,523 | −3.9% |
2005 | 18,307 | −6.2% |
2010 | 17,156 | −6.3% |
2015 | 15,664 | −8.7% |
2020 | 14,227 | −9.2% |
Kimotsuki population statistics[5] |
Kimotsuki has two town mascots (see yuru-chara) created by the Kimotsuki Tourism Association. Both wear purple outfits based on the traditional costume of the Yabusame Festival archer and have satellite heads. They generally make appearances at town sanctioned events.
Before the merger, the town of Uchinoura was a part of the Galaxy Federation, a chain of friendship cities that each house a JAXA space center. It joined the federation as a founding member on November 8, 1987 and received the name the Republic of Uchinoura. The friendship city relations were still retained when Uchinoura merged with Koyama to become Kimotsuki town, and it is now called the Republic of Uchinoura Kimotsuki within the federation. The most recent member of the federation, the city of Kakuda in Miyagi Prefecture, joined on April 2, 2016.
Kimotsuki and the town of Minamitane, home to Tanegashima's JAXA space center, signed the “Space Brother Cities Declaration” on July 3, 2013. The naming comes from the manga and anime series Space Brothers, and the official document even features an illustration of the two main characters, the Nanba brothers.
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