Ōme is located in the Okutama Mountains of western Tokyo, bordered bySaitama Prefecture to the north. TheTama River runs from west to east almost in the center of the city area, and the Kasumi River and Naruki River, which are tributaries of the Iruma River (Arakawa River system), also flow from west to east in the north. The geography changes from the flat land in the east to the hills and mountains in the west. The highest point is 1,084 meters on Mount Nabewariyama on the right bank of the Tama River in the western end of the city.
Ōme has ahumid subtropical climate (KöppenCfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Ōme is 12.3 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1998 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 23.8 °C, and lowest in January, at around 0.7 °C.[2]
Climate data for Ōme (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1976−present)
Per Japanese census data,[5] the population of Ōme saw strong growth throughout the late 20th century but has begun to decline in the early 21st. According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, Ōme's population is expected to fall to 104,000 by 2040, a decline of 25.3% from 139,000 in 2010.[citation needed]
The area of present-day Ōme was part of ancientMusashi Province. Ōme developed in theEdo period as apost station on theŌme Kaidō highway. In the post-Meiji Restoration cadastral reform of July 22, 1878, the area became part ofNishitama District inKanagawa Prefecture. The town of Ōme was created on April 1, 1889, with the establishment of modern municipalities system. Nishitama District was transferred to the administrative control of Tokyo Metropolis on April 1, 1893. Ōme was elevated to city status on April 1, 1951, by merging with the neighboring villages of Kasumi and Chōfu. Later in 1955, four additional villages (Yoshida, Mita, Kosoki, and Nariki) merged with Ōme.
Ōme has amayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and aunicameral city council of 24 members. Ōme contributes one member to the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part ofTokyo 25th district of thelower house of theDiet of Japan.
^"International Exchange".List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Retrieved1 July 2016.