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Minamiaso 南阿蘇村 | |
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 View of Mount Aso from Minami-Aso | |
 Flag  Chapter | |
 Location of Minamiaso in Kumamoto Prefecture | |
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  Minamiaso Location in Japan | |
| Coordinates:32°49′N131°2′E / 32.817°N 131.033°E /32.817; 131.033 | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Kyushu |
| Prefecture | Kumamoto |
| District | Aso |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Seiichi Kira (since 2017) |
| Area | |
• Total | 137.32 km2 (53.02 sq mi) |
| Population (July 31, 2024) | |
• Total | 10,071 |
| • Density | 73.340/km2 (189.95/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+09:00 (JST) |
| City hall address | 145-3 Kain, Minamiaso-mura, Aso-gun, Kumamoto-ken 869-1411 |
| Climate | Cfa |
| Website | Official website |
| Symbols | |
| Bird | Emberiza cioides |
| Flower | Pieris japonica |
| Tree | Chamaecyparis obtusa |
Minamiaso (南阿蘇村,Minamiaso-mura; literally "South Aso") is avillage inAso District,Kumamoto Prefecture,Japan. As of 31 July 2024[update], the village had an estimatedpopulation of 10,071 in 4821 households, and apopulation density of 73 persons per km2.[1] The total area of the village is 137.32 km2 (53.02 sq mi).
Minamiaso Village is located in the southern part of theAso Caldera, in the Nango Valley between the Five Peaks of Aso and the outer rim of the volcano. On both sides of the Shirakawa River, which runs from east to west through the urban center, are residential and commercial areas, and cultivated land. Most of the area above 600 meters in elevation is covered by forests.
Kumamoto Prefecture
Minamiaso has ahumid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classificationCfa) with hot summers and cool winters. Precipitation is high, but there is a pronounced difference between the wetter summers and drier winters. The average annual temperature in Minamiaso is 14.4 °C (57.9 °F). The average annual rainfall is 2,922.8 mm (115.07 in) with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.5 °C (77.9 °F), and lowest in January, at around 3.7 °C (38.7 °F).[2] The highest temperature ever recorded in Minamiaso was 36.4 °C (97.5 °F) on 3 August 2024; the coldest temperature ever recorded was −10.0 °C (14.0 °F) on 24 January 2016 and 8 January 2021.[3]
| Climate data for Minamiaso (2015−2020 normals, extremes 2015−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 19.2 (66.6) | 20.8 (69.4) | 24.4 (75.9) | 28.3 (82.9) | 31.2 (88.2) | 33.9 (93.0) | 34.8 (94.6) | 36.4 (97.5) | 33.9 (93.0) | 30.7 (87.3) | 26.0 (78.8) | 21.9 (71.4) | 36.4 (97.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 8.7 (47.7) | 9.9 (49.8) | 14.3 (57.7) | 19.4 (66.9) | 24.2 (75.6) | 25.9 (78.6) | 29.4 (84.9) | 31.1 (88.0) | 26.7 (80.1) | 22.3 (72.1) | 17.0 (62.6) | 10.9 (51.6) | 20.0 (68.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 3.7 (38.7) | 4.5 (40.1) | 8.3 (46.9) | 13.5 (56.3) | 18.1 (64.6) | 21.2 (70.2) | 24.8 (76.6) | 25.5 (77.9) | 21.7 (71.1) | 16.3 (61.3) | 10.6 (51.1) | 5.3 (41.5) | 14.5 (58.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −1.0 (30.2) | −0.5 (31.1) | 2.4 (36.3) | 7.5 (45.5) | 12.4 (54.3) | 17.0 (62.6) | 21.2 (70.2) | 21.2 (70.2) | 17.6 (63.7) | 11.0 (51.8) | 4.9 (40.8) | 0.1 (32.2) | 9.5 (49.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −10.0 (14.0) | −9.3 (15.3) | −5.3 (22.5) | −1.7 (28.9) | 1.8 (35.2) | 10.0 (50.0) | 14.5 (58.1) | 15.4 (59.7) | 6.8 (44.2) | 1.5 (34.7) | −4.7 (23.5) | −7.4 (18.7) | −10.0 (14.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 96.8 (3.81) | 127.7 (5.03) | 145.7 (5.74) | 196.8 (7.75) | 215.8 (8.50) | 639.3 (25.17) | 656.4 (25.84) | 204.2 (8.04) | 294.9 (11.61) | 136.0 (5.35) | 99.3 (3.91) | 109.9 (4.33) | 2,922.8 (115.07) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 4 (1.6) | 5 (2.0) | trace | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | trace | 9 (3.5) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 7.0 | 9.5 | 11.3 | 10.8 | 10.7 | 15.8 | 14.8 | 11.0 | 13.8 | 9.3 | 9.0 | 8.0 | 131 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 3 cm) | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 97.9 | 118.9 | 165.0 | 175.0 | 196.3 | 124.2 | 146.3 | 204.5 | 122.8 | 158.2 | 140.2 | 116.9 | 1,766.1 |
| Source:Japan Meteorological Agency[3][2] | |||||||||||||
Per Japanese census data, the population of Minamiaso in 2020 is 9,836 people.[4] Minamiaso has been conducting censuses since 1960.
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| Minamiaso population statistics[4] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The area of Minamiaso was part of ancientHigo Province. In theEdo Period, it was part of the holdings ofKumamoto Domain. Following theMeiji restoration, the villages ofChōyō,Hakusui, andKugino were established on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. Due to declining birth rate, aging population and the opportunity to share administrative resources, discussions between the three villages (Chōyō,Hakusui andKugino) began on April 1, 2003. The merger was complete on February 13, 2005, forming the village of Minamiaso.
Minamiaso has amayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and aunicameral village council of 14 members. Minamiaso, collectively with the other municipalities of Aso District, contributes one member to the Kumamoto Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the village is part of theKumamoto 3rd district of thelower house of theDiet of Japan.
The economy of Minamiaso is largely agricultural, with some tourism to its severalhot spring resorts.
Minamiaso has three public elementary schools and one public junior high school operated by the village government. The village does not have a public high school, but there is one private high school.
Minamiaso Railway Company -Takamori Line
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