Akabira, Hokkaido
Encyclopedia
is a city
located in central Sorachi
Subprefecture
, Hokkaidō
, Japan
. The name is Ainu for Mountain Ridge.
As of 2008, the city has an estimated population
of 13,597 and the density
of 105 persons per km². The total area is 129.88 km². The city was once a prosperous coal-mining city, its population reaching 59,430 in 1960. The population has been gradually declining.
Cities of Japan
||A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of...
located in central Sorachi
Sorachi Subprefecture
is a subprefecture of Hokkaidō, Japan. As of 2004, its estimated population is 373,736 and its area is 6,558.26 km².-Cities:* Akabira* Ashibetsu* Bibai* Fukagawa* Iwamizawa * Mikasa* Sunagawa* Takikawa* Utashinai* Yūbari...
Subprefecture
Subprefectures in Hokkaido
Hokkaido Prefecture had 14 branch offices called 支庁 in Japanese, which is often translated in English as subprefectures. Normally, a subprefecture consists of a few to a dozen cities, towns, and/or villages....
, Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The name is Ainu for Mountain Ridge.
As of 2008, the city has an estimated population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 13,597 and the density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of 105 persons per km². The total area is 129.88 km². The city was once a prosperous coal-mining city, its population reaching 59,430 in 1960. The population has been gradually declining.
History
- 1891 Settlement begins
- 1918 Moshiri Coal Mine opens
- 1922 Second-class municipality Akabira Village split off of first-class municipality UtashinaiUtashinai, Hokkaidois a city located in Sorachi Subprefecture, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is Japan's smallest city by population. It was formerly a prosperous coal mining city, but has declined greatly since the closing of the coal mines...
- 1929 Akabira becomes a First-Class municipality
- 1937 Shōwa Denkō Toyosato Mine opened
- 1938 Sumitomo Coal Mine, Hokkaidō Coal Mine Railroad and Akama Coal Mine opened
- 1943 Akabira Village becomes Akabira Town
- July 1, 1954 Akabira Town becomes Akabira City
- 1967 Shōwa Denkō Toyosato Mine closesd
- 1969 Moshiri Coal Mine closed
- 1973 Akema Coal Mine closed
- 1994 Sumitomo Coal Mine closed
- 2003 Mid-Sorachi Merger Committee established.
- 2007 A major elementary school in Akabira closed down. It once had about 5000 students but has dropped rapidly after the closure of the coal mines.