Wakkanai

Wakkanai

稚内
Wakkanai 稚内
City
	Flag
	Location of Soya in Hokkaido Location of Soya in Hokkaido
Country	Japan
Region	Hokkaidō
Prefecture	Hokkaidō
Government
• Mayor	Hiroshi Kudo (since May 2011)
Area
• Total	760.80 km2 (293.75 sq mi)
Population (July 31, 2011)
• Total	38,442
• Density	53.63/km2 (138.9/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
- Tree	Sakura, Rowan
- Flower	Rosa rugosa
Phone number	0162-23-6161
Address	3-13-15 Chūō, Wakkanai-shi, Hokkaido; 097-8686
Website	www.city.wakkanai.hokkaido.jp

Wakkanai (稚内市, Wakkanai-shi, Ainu: Yam Wakka Nay) is a city located in Sōya Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital of Sōya Subprefecture and the northernmost city in Japan. It contains Japan's northernmost point, Cape Soya, from which the Russian island of Sakhalin can be seen.

As of December 31, 2007, the city has an estimated population of 40,629 and a population density of 53.63 persons per km². The total area is 760.80 km².

The city was founded on April 1, 1949.

Wakkanai Airport is located in Wakkanai, whilst the Sōya Main Line runs a diesel train from Asahikawa which connects to Sapporo.

Geography

Cape Soya is located near Wakkanai, which is on a peninsula jutting towards Sakhalin.

Rivers: Koetoi River
Lakes: Ōnuma

Climate

Wakkanai has the typical humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) of Hokkaidō, with cold winters, warm summers and generally heavy precipitation from the Aleutian Low, whose winds hit the city direct from the Sea of Japan. The mean annual temperature, at 6.5 °C (43.7 °F), is the second lowest for a significant population centre in Japan after Nemuro. Snowfall at 257 inches (6.5 m), the third highest for a big city in Japan after Asahikawa and Aomori and one of the highest anywhere in the world. For comparison in Canada:

Sept Îles receives 161 inches (4.1 m);
Happy Valley – Goose Bay receives 181 inches (4.6 m) and
Nain receives 194 inches (4.9 m).

The Aleutian Low also makes the sunshine hours the lowest of Japan’s major population centres and in the winter the wind speeds are the highest in Japan with an average of 20.2 kilometres per hour (12.6 mph), which adds to the −4.7 °C (23.5 °F) cold of a typical winter day. The city’s port is usually usable throughout the year, but does occasionally freeze in cold winters.

Climate data for Wakkanai (1981-2010)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	−2.7 (27.1)	−2.5 (27.5)	1.2 (34.2)	7.2 (45.0)	12.0 (53.6)	15.7 (60.3)	19.7 (67.5)	22.3 (72.1)	19.7 (67.5)	13.7 (56.7)	6.1 (43.0)	0.1 (32.2)	9.4 (48.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−6.8 (19.8)	−7.1 (19.2)	−3.5 (25.7)	1.8 (35.2)	6.0 (42.8)	10.1 (50.2)	14.5 (58.1)	17.3 (63.1)	14.0 (57.2)	8.1 (46.6)	1.0 (33.8)	−4.2 (24.4)	4.2 (39.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	84.3 (3.32)	60.7 (2.39)	50.3 (1.98)	49.0 (1.93)	67.6 (2.66)	53.0 (2.09)	90.6 (3.57)	116.0 (4.57)	123.5 (4.86)	134.1 (5.28)	120.9 (4.76)	112.8 (4.44)	1,062.8 (41.85)
Average snowfall cm (inches)	173 (68)	143 (56)	102 (40)	21 (8.3)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	1 (0.4)	53 (21)	160 (63)	653 (256.7)
Average snowy days	26.2	24.2	9.2	1.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.4	17.7	28.2	110.1
Average relative humidity (%)	72	72	71	75	79	85	86	84	75	68	67	70	75.3
Mean monthly sunshine hours	45.6	80.3	138.6	171.8	185.6	166.3	146.8	148.5	177.1	135.9	57.6	30.1	1,484.2
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency