is a city

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 Ishikawa Prefecture

Ishikawa Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island. The capital is Kanazawa.- History :Ishikawa was formed from the merger of Kaga Province and the smaller Noto Province.- Geography :Ishikawa is on the Sea of Japan coast...

 in the Hokuriku region

Hokuriku region

The is located in the northwestern part of Honshū, the main island of Japan. It lies along the Sea of Japan within the Chūbu region. It is almost equivalent to Koshi Province and Hokurikudō area in pre-modern Japan....

 of 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...

.

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 109,285 with a 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 294 persons per km². The total area is 371.13 km².

The modern city was founded on December 1, 1940, although its history extends to feudal times. It is the third-largest city in the population in Ishikawa prefecture after Hakusan city

Hakusan, Ishikawa

is a city located in Ishikawa, Japan.The city was founded on February 1, 2005 from the merger of the city of Mattō with seven towns and villages from Ishikawa District. As of April 1, 2008 population data, the city has an estimated population of 110,654 and a density of 147 persons per km²...

 was formed and came to the second in 2005.

Komatsu Airport

Komatsu Airport

is an airport located west southwest of Komatsu Station in the city of Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. It serves the southern Ishikawa Prefecture including the capital Kanazawa , and the northern Fukui Prefecture including the capital Fukui.- Overview :Japan Air Self-Defense Force Komatsu...

 is the main airport

Airport

An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...

 of Ishikawa. It is located about an hour driving distance southwest from Kanazawa

Kanazawa, Ishikawa

is the capital city of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan.-Geography, climate, and population:Kanazawa sits on the Sea of Japan, bordered by the Japan Alps, Hakusan National Park and Noto Peninsula National Park. The city sits between the Sai and Asano rivers. Its total area is 467.77 km².Kanazawa's...

 (the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture). It is served by JR West Hokuriku Main Line

Hokuriku Main Line

The is a 358.3 kilometer line of the West Japan Railway Company from Maibara Station in Maibara, Shiga to Naoetsu Station in Jōetsu, Niigata. It serves the Hokuriku region on the northern central coast of Honshū, the largest island of Japan, as well as offering connections to the regions of...

, Hokuriku Expressway

Hokuriku Expressway

The ,The ,The ,(abbreviated as , is a 4-laned national expressway in Japan. It is owned and managed by East Nippon Expressway Company and Central Nippon Expressway Company.-Overview:...

 and
National Highways

National highways of Japan

Japan has a nationwide system of distinct from the expressways. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and other government agencies administer the national highways. Beginning in 1952, Japan classified these as Class 1 or Class 2. Class 1 highways had one- or two-digit numbers, while...

 Routes 8

Route 8 (Japan)

National Route 8 is an important highway in the Hokuriku and Kansai regions. It connects the prefectural capitals of Niigata, Toyama, Kanazawa , Fukui, Otsu , and Kyoto.-Route Data:*Length:...

, 305, 360 and 416.

Komatsu Limited, the construction and mining equipment company, was named after the city.

Interesting places in Komatsu are the Nata-Dera Buddhist temple complex, the Yunokuni-no-mori traditional handicrafts village, Hoshi Ryokan

Hoshi Ryokan

is a ryokan in the Awazu Onsen area of Komatsu, in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Founded in 717, it was the world's oldest hotel still in operation according to the Guinness World Records until that title was given to Nisiyama Onsen Keiunkan in Yamanashi, Japan. The hotel has been operated by the...

 (the worlds oldest hotel), and the Motorcar Museum of Japan which is the largest museum dedicated to motor vehicles in Japan with a 12,000 square metre display area. Nearby is the well-known Kaga

Kaga, Ishikawa

is a city located in the southwest of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan.Created as an old temple town, the city was greatly developed by the Maeda clan in the early Edo period...

 hot-springs district.

Komatsu is twinned with Gateshead Council (North East England, United Kingdom) and operates an exchange program involving 10 students (aged 13-17) every two years.