Miyako, Iwate: Difference between revisions
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|Prefecture= [[Iwate Prefecture|Iwate]] |
|Prefecture= [[Iwate Prefecture|Iwate]] |
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|District= |
|District= |
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|ImageSkyline= Miyako city montage.JPG |
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|ImageCaption= Top of left:Cape of Dodo and lighthouse, Top of right:Miyako Bay from satellite, 2nd:Mount Hayachine, 3rd of left:Jyodo Beach, 3rd of right:Rock of Sano, Bottom of left:Tago Port, Bottom of right:Rock of Rosoku (Candle) |
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|Area_km2=696.82 |
|Area_km2=696.82 |
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|PopDate=April 2008 |
|PopDate=April 2008 |
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Revision as of 06:44, 17 June 2012
Miyako (宮古市, Miyako-shi) is a city located in Iwate, Japan. It was founded on February 11, 1941.
The city lies along the coast where the Hei River (閉伊川, Heigawa) flows into the Pacific Ocean. It is connected to Morioka by an east-west train line and highway and the coastal highway also goes through the town. The city has a port but much of the shipping traffic is taken by larger cities along the coast.
On June 6, 2005, the old Miyako absorbed the town of Tarō and village of Niisato from Shimohei District to form the new city of Miyako, more than doubling the old city's size. As of 2008, the new city had an estimated population of 57,874 and a density of 83.1 persons per km². The total area is 696.82 km².
On January 1, 2010, the city absorbed another Shimohei District village, Kawai.[1]
Climate
| Climate data for Miyako | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 5.0 (41.0) |
5.2 (41.4) |
8.2 (46.8) |
14.2 (57.6) |
18.5 (65.3) |
20.7 (69.3) |
24.5 (76.1) |
26.9 (80.4) |
23.4 (74.1) |
18.6 (65.5) |
13.6 (56.5) |
7.9 (46.2) |
15.6 (60.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −4.7 (23.5) |
−4.5 (23.9) |
−1.7 (28.9) |
3.3 (37.9) |
8.0 (46.4) |
12.5 (54.5) |
16.9 (62.4) |
19.0 (66.2) |
14.9 (58.8) |
8.3 (46.9) |
2.5 (36.5) |
−2.0 (28.4) |
6.0 (42.8) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 62.7 (2.47) |
69.6 (2.74) |
84.4 (3.32) |
93.9 (3.70) |
101.9 (4.01) |
120.2 (4.73) |
134.6 (5.30) |
158.9 (6.26) |
211.0 (8.31) |
147.5 (5.81) |
82.7 (3.26) |
61.0 (2.40) |
1,328.4 (52.31) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 23.9 (9.4) |
36.3 (14.3) |
27.4 (10.8) |
2.4 (0.9) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.4 (0.2) |
9.8 (3.9) |
100.2 (39.5) |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 63.5 | 65.7 | 66.6 | 67.9 | 74.3 | 84.2 | 87.0 | 85.9 | 84.3 | 79.4 | 69.9 | 64.8 | 74.5 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 172.5 | 166.4 | 196.0 | 203.0 | 205.2 | 168.6 | 159.9 | 177.8 | 141.3 | 162.2 | 158.5 | 160.6 | 2,072 |
| Source: Japan Meteorological Agency | |||||||||||||
2011 tsunami
On March 11, 2011, the city was devastated by a tsunami caused by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake.[2] At least 401 lives were lost.[3] Only about 30–60 boats survived from the town's 960 ship fishing fleet.[4][5] A subsequent field study by the University of Tokyo's Earthquake Research Institute revealed that the waters had reached at least 37.9 metres above sea level, almost equalling the 38.2 metre record of the 1896 Meiji-Sanriku earthquake tsunami.[6]
Some of the most iconic footage of the 2011 Japanese tsunami, repeatedly broadcast worldwide, was shot in Miyako. It shows a dark black wave cresting and overflowing a floodwall and tossing cars, followed by a fishing ship capsizing as it hit the submerged floodwall and then crushed as it was forced beneath a bridge.[7][8]
References
- ^ http://www.kokudo.or.jp/new/cities/sub/tohoku/03.htm
- ^ Kyodo News, "Deaths, people missing set to top 1,600: Edano", The Japan Times, 13 March 2011.
- ^ NOAA Data
- ^ Agence France-Presse/Jiji Press, "Fishermen who lost livelihoods determined to return to cruel sea", The Japan Times, 4 April 2011, p. 2.
- ^ Fukada, Takahiro, "Iwate fisheries continue struggle to recover", The Japan Times, 21 September 2011, p. 3.
- ^ Iwate saw wave test 38 meters, The Japan Times (Kyodo News), 4 April 2011
- ^ "東北・関東地震 宮古市の港に到達した津波" (video). 39°38′28″N 141°57′26″E / 39.6412°N 141.9573°E: YouTube. 2011-03-11. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
{{cite web}}: External link in|location=|location=at position 26 (help)CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ "When Tsunami hit Miyako" (photo). Panoramio. 39°38′28.54″N 141°57′26.85″E / 39.6412611°N 141.9574583°E. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
{{cite web}}: External link in|location=|location=at position 26 (help)CS1 maint: location (link)
External links
