Amami, Kagoshima

Amami

奄美市
Amami 奄美市
City
	Skyline of Amami City
	Flag Seal
	Location of Amami in Kagoshima Prefecture
	Amami Amami Amami (Asia)
	Coordinates: 28°22′42″N 129°29′40″E / 28.37833°N 129.49444°E
Country	Japan
Region	Kyushu (Amami Islands)
Prefecture	Kagoshima Prefecture
First official recorded	657 AD
Naze City Settled	July 1, 1946
Current city name changed for	March 20, 2006
Government
• Mayor	Tsuyoshi Asayama
Area
• Total	308.15 km2 (118.98 sq mi)
Population (October 1, 2016)
• Total	42,718
• Density	145/km2 (380/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
-Tree	Ryūkyūmatsu and Banyan
- Flower	Sharinbai and Hibiscus
-Other Plants	Hikagehego
Phone number	0997-52-1111
Address	25-8 Naze-saiwaichō, Amami-shi, Kagoshima-ken 894-0025
Website	www.city.amami.lg.jp

Amami (奄美市, Amami-shi) is a city located on the island of Amami Ōshima, in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.

Amami is the most populated municipality on Amami Ōshima. The most urban part of the municipality as well as the island's main port is a small city also known as Naze. As of June 2013, the city has an estimated population of 44,561 and a population density of 145 persons per km². The total area is 308.15 km².

History

The village of Naze was established on April 1, 1908. It was elevated to town status on October 1, 1922. As with all of the Amami Islands, the village came under the administration of the United States from July 1, 1946, to December 25, 1953. It was elevated to city status on July 1, 1946.

The modern city of Amami was established on March 20, 2006, from the merger of the city of Naze, the town of Kasari, and the village of Sumiyō (both from Ōshima District).

Geography

Amami, located on the eastern and northern portion of Amami Ōshima, is bordered by the East China Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The Kasari area of the city is an exclave, separated from the main part of Amami by the town of Tatsugō.

Climate

Amami has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with long, hot, humid summers and mild winters. Precipitation is abundant throughout the year, with particularly heavy rainfall in May, June, August and September. The area is subject to frequent typhoons.

Climate data for Amami, Kagoshima
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	17.0 (62.6)	17.5 (63.5)	19.8 (67.6)	23.3 (73.9)	26.0 (78.8)	29.0 (84.2)	32.1 (89.8)	31.7 (89.1)	30.2 (86.4)	26.7 (80.1)	23.0 (73.4)	19.2 (66.6)	24.6 (76.3)
Daily mean °C (°F)	14.2 (57.6)	14.6 (58.3)	16.6 (61.9)	20.0 (68.0)	22.6 (72.7)	25.6 (78.1)	28.4 (83.1)	28.1 (82.6)	26.6 (79.9)	23.3 (73.9)	19.8 (67.6)	16.1 (61.0)	21.3 (70.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	11.3 (52.3)	11.7 (53.1)	13.4 (56.1)	16.7 (62.1)	19.5 (67.1)	22.9 (73.2)	25.4 (77.7)	25.3 (77.5)	23.7 (74.7)	20.3 (68.5)	16.8 (62.2)	13.0 (55.4)	18.3 (65.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	187.7 (7.39)	154.1 (6.07)	195.9 (7.71)	214.6 (8.45)	319.2 (12.57)	406.7 (16.01)	220.2 (8.67)	311.0 (12.24)	298.5 (11.75)	219.0 (8.62)	190.2 (7.49)	153.5 (6.04)	2,870.6 (113.01)
Average relative humidity (%)	69	70	71	74	78	80	78	79	79	73	71	70	74
Mean monthly sunshine hours	62.0	59.9	85.4	115.7	122.7	131.7	223.2	191.7	156.2	126.2	87.7	73.4	1,435.8
Source: NOAA (1961-1990) ^[1]

Surrounding municipalities

Transportation

Airport

Amami Airport

Seaport

Naze Port is a regional transportation hub, with frequent ferry service to Kagoshima, Tokyo, Kobe, and Osaka, as well as Okinawa, the other Amami islands, and Tokara Islands.