Sōma 相馬市 | |
|---|---|
 Sōma City Hall | |
 Flag  Emblem | |
 Location of Sōma inFukushima Prefecture | |
  Sōma | |
| Coordinates:37°47′48″N140°55′10.7″E / 37.79667°N 140.919639°E /37.79667; 140.919639 | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Tōhoku |
| Prefecture | Fukushima |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Hidekiyo Tachiya |
| Area | |
• Total | 197.79 km2 (76.37 sq mi) |
| Population (February 29, 2020) | |
• Total | 34,631 |
| • Density | 175.09/km2 (453.48/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+09:00 (Japan Standard Time) |
| Phone number | 0244-37-2117 |
| Address | 13 Nakamura Ōtesaki, Sōma-shi, Fukushima-ken 976-8601 |
| Climate | Cfa |
| Website | Official website |
| Symbols | |
| Bird | Japanese bush warbler |
| Flower | Spring:sakura Summer:rugosa rose Autumn:balloon flower Winter:sazanka |
| Tree | Japanese black pine |
Sōma (相馬市,Sōma-shi) is acity located inFukushima Prefecture,Japan. As of 29 February 2020[update], the city had an estimatedpopulation of 34,631, and apopulation density of 180 persons per km2 in 14,358 households.[1] The total area of the city is 197.79 square kilometres (76.37 sq mi).
Sōma is located in northeastern Fukushima Prefecture, bordered by thePacific Ocean to the east and the Abukuma Plateau to the west. Sōma is closer toSendai inMiyagi Prefecture than it is to the prefectural capital ofFukushima.
Sōma has ahumid climate (Köppen climate classificationCfa) characterized by mild summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Sōma is 12.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1260 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.8 °C, and lowest in January, at around 1.8 °C.[2]
| Climate data for Sōma (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1976−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 18.4 (65.1) | 22.7 (72.9) | 26.0 (78.8) | 31.0 (87.8) | 32.5 (90.5) | 36.3 (97.3) | 36.8 (98.2) | 37.6 (99.7) | 35.7 (96.3) | 31.1 (88.0) | 26.4 (79.5) | 23.0 (73.4) | 37.6 (99.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 6.7 (44.1) | 7.3 (45.1) | 10.6 (51.1) | 15.8 (60.4) | 20.4 (68.7) | 23.0 (73.4) | 26.6 (79.9) | 28.2 (82.8) | 25.0 (77.0) | 20.0 (68.0) | 14.8 (58.6) | 9.5 (49.1) | 17.3 (63.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 2.2 (36.0) | 2.5 (36.5) | 5.4 (41.7) | 10.5 (50.9) | 15.5 (59.9) | 19.0 (66.2) | 22.7 (72.9) | 24.2 (75.6) | 20.8 (69.4) | 15.4 (59.7) | 9.7 (49.5) | 4.7 (40.5) | 12.7 (54.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −2.5 (27.5) | −2.3 (27.9) | 0.0 (32.0) | 5.0 (41.0) | 10.9 (51.6) | 15.6 (60.1) | 19.7 (67.5) | 20.8 (69.4) | 17.1 (62.8) | 10.8 (51.4) | 4.4 (39.9) | −0.1 (31.8) | 8.3 (46.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −11.9 (10.6) | −14.0 (6.8) | −8.5 (16.7) | −5.4 (22.3) | 1.6 (34.9) | 7.3 (45.1) | 11.7 (53.1) | 12.5 (54.5) | 7.3 (45.1) | −0.7 (30.7) | −3.9 (25.0) | −9.2 (15.4) | −14.0 (6.8) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 47.4 (1.87) | 34.6 (1.36) | 77.8 (3.06) | 97.4 (3.83) | 113.0 (4.45) | 146.9 (5.78) | 190.8 (7.51) | 166.8 (6.57) | 225.0 (8.86) | 198.8 (7.83) | 60.3 (2.37) | 34.9 (1.37) | 1,381.2 (54.38) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 4.2 | 4.9 | 7.9 | 8.5 | 9.2 | 12.5 | 13.7 | 11.7 | 11.9 | 8.7 | 5.8 | 4.8 | 103.8 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 180.3 | 175.5 | 193.2 | 193.7 | 192.2 | 147.5 | 132.8 | 156.8 | 129.1 | 144.2 | 152.9 | 163.9 | 1,961.9 |
| Source:Japan Meteorological Agency[3][4] | |||||||||||||
Per Japanese census data,[5] the population of Sōma has remained the same over the past 40 years.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 27,858 | — |
| 1930 | 31,627 | +13.5% |
| 1940 | 31,887 | +0.8% |
| 1950 | 44,375 | +39.2% |
| 1960 | 41,352 | −6.8% |
| 1970 | 37,189 | −10.1% |
| 1980 | 37,332 | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 39,134 | +4.8% |
| 2000 | 38,842 | −0.7% |
| 2010 | 37,817 | −2.6% |
| 2020 | 34,631 | −8.4% |
The area of present-day Sōma was part of ancientMutsu Province, and has been settled since at least theJōmon period. During theEdo period, the area developed as thecastle town ofSōma Domain, home of theSōma clan from theKamakura period until theBoshin War. After theMeiji Restoration, it was organized as part ofIwaki Province. With the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1896, the area was organized into a number of towns and villages within the districts ofNamekata andUda. In 1896, Namekata and Uda were merged to createSōma District. The town of Nakamura was established on April 1, 1889. Nakamura was merged with seven neighbouring villages and raised to city status on March 31, 1954, becoming the city of Sōma.[citation needed]
The eastern, coastal portion of Sōma was inundated bytsunami floodwaters following the magnitude 9.12011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami off its coastline on March 11, 2011.[6] The tsunami reached up to approximately 4 km inland in Sōma; flooded areas included Sōma Port and the Matsukawa-ura Bay area, up to the elevatedRoute 6 Sōma Bypass.[7] The tsunami was measured to have been 9.3 meters or higher in Sōma.[8]
Sōma is about 45 kilometres (28 miles) north ofFukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the site of thenuclear accident that followed the tsunami, and was thus not subject to mandatory evacuation.[9]
Sōma has amayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and aunicameral city legislature of 20 members.[10] Sōma, together with the town ofShinchi contributes one member to the Fukushima Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part ofFukushima 1st district of thelower house of theDiet of Japan.
Sōma has a mixed economy, based on agriculture, commercial fishing and light manufacturing. The area is noted for itsstrawberry cultivation. TheShinchi Thermal Power Station, a coal-firedthermal power station is located in Sōma.
Sōma has nine public elementary schools and four public junior high schools operated by the city and two public high schools operated by the Fukushima Prefectural Board of Education. The prefecture also operates one special education school.
Soma General Hospital, a public hospital with 240 beds, is located in Sōma.
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East Japan Railway Company (JR East) -Jōban Line
Jōban Expressway – Sōma Interchange
Tōhoku-Chūō Expressway – Sōma Interchange – Sōma Yamakami Interchange – Sōma Tamano Interchange
National Route 6
National Route 115
National Route 116Sasaki, Takashi (2013).Fukushima: vivir el desastre (in Spanish). Translated by F. Javier de Esteban Baquedano. Gijón, Spain: Satori Ediciones.ISBN 978-84-941125-3-9.
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