Minami-Alps, Yamanashi



Minami-Alps (南アルプス市) is a city located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. ,  the city has an estimated population of 71,618 in 27,956 households, and a population density of 270 persons per km2. The total area of the city is 264.14 sqkm. Minami-Alps is Yamanashi Prefecture's third largest city. The city's name was chosen in September 2002 from among entries submitted by the general public.

Geography
The city is named for its location on the eastern foothills of the "Southern Alps". This mountain range includes Mount Kita, Japan's second-highest mountain, as well as a number of other mountains that top 3,000 meters. The urbanized zones lie along the three rivers running along these mountains: Midai River, Takizawa River, and Tsubo River. The area is noted for growing fruit, especially: cherries, peaches, plums, grapes, pears, persimmons, kiwi, and apples.

Surrounding municipalities

 * Yamanashi Prefecture
 * Nirasaki, Hokuto, Kai, Chūō, Ichikawamisato, Fujikawa, Hayakawa, Shōwa
 * Nagano Prefecture
 * Ina
 * Shizuoka Prefecture
 * Aoi-ku, Shizuoka

Climate
The city has a climate characterized by characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Minami-Alps is 10.3 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1539 mm with September as the wettest month.

Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Minami-Alps has recently plateaued after several decades of growth.

History
The city of Minami-Alps was established on April 1, 2003, by the merger of the towns of Kōsai, Kushigata, Shirane and Wakakusa, and the villages of Ashiyasu and Hatta (all from Nakakoma District).

Government
Minami-Alps has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 22 members.

Economy
The economy of Minami-Alps is primarily agricultural, with seasonal tourism and forestry playing secondary roles.

Education

 * Minami-Alps has 15 public elementary schools, one combined public elementary/middle school and six public middle schools operated by the city government. The city has two public high schools and one special education school operated by the Yamanashi Prefectural Board of Education.
 * International schools - Alps Gakuen (former Colégio Pitágoras) - Brazilian school

Railway

 * Minami-Alps is the only city in Yamanashi which does not have any passenger railway services.

Highway

 * [[Image:JP Expressway E52.svg|24px|link=|alt=E52]] Chūbu-Ōdan Expressway

Sister cities

 * 🇯🇵 Tsubetsu, Hokkaidō, Japan
 * 🇯🇵 Anamizu, Ishikawa, Japan
 * 🇯🇵 Ogasawara, Tokyo, Japan
 * 🇺🇸 Marshalltown, Iowa, United States
 * 🇺🇸 Winterset, Iowa, United States
 * 🇦🇺 Queanbeyan, New South Wales, Australia

Friendship city

 * 🇨🇳 Dujiangyan City, China

Notable people from Minami-Alps

 * Shin Kanemaru, politician
 * Tachū Naitō, architect, engineer
 * Masae Kasai, women's volleyball player
 * Akira Takabe, professional football player
 * Kaori Chiba, women's field hockey player