Shūnan

"Shunan" redirects here. For the village in Iran, see Shunan, Iran.

Shūnan (周南市, Shūnan-shi) is a city located in east central Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.

As of May 31, 2016, the city has an estimated population of 147,074 and a population density of 224.15 persons per km². The total area is 656.13 km².

The modern city of Shūnan was founded on April 21, 2003, by the merger of the cities of Tokuyama and Shinnan'yō, the town of Kumage (from Kumage District), and the town of Kano (from Tsuno District). Its name is derived from the first character (周) of the name of the former Suō Province (周防国), and the character for south (南), reflecting its location, comprising much of the southern part of the old province.

The city is bordered in the west by the cities of Yamaguchi and Hōfu, in the east by Iwakuni, in the southeast by Hikari and Kudamatsu, and in the north by Yoshika, Shimane Prefecture. To the south is the Inland Sea.

History

• April 21, 2003: Shūnan is founded by the merger of Tokuyama, Shinnan'yō, Kano and Kumage
• May 25, 2003: Kazuto Kawamura becomes first mayor
• April 22, 2007: Yukio Shimazu defeats Ken'ichirō Kimura to become city's second mayor

Communities

• Mitake

Education

The city previously had a North Korean school, Tokuyama Korean Elementary and Junior High School (徳山朝鮮初中級学校).

Sister cities

• Delfzijl, Netherlands (1990, Shinnan'yō)
• Townsville, Australia (1990, Tokuyama)
• São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil (1973, Tokuyama)

Economy and industry

The food processing company, Shimaya, has headquarters in Shunan. Also, the petroleum company, Idemitsu Kosan; the chemical company, Tosoh and Tokuyama; the iron product company, Nisshin Steel; all have plants based in Shunan.

External links

• Shūnan City official website Template:Ja icon