Shibata, Miyagi

Shibata 柴田町
Town
Shibata Town Office
Flag Seal
Location of Shibata in Miyagi Prefecture
Shibata
Coordinates: 38°03′23″N 140°45′57″E / 38.05639°N 140.76583°ECoordinates: 38°03′23″N 140°45′57″E / 38.05639°N 140.76583°E
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Miyagi
District	Shibata
Area
• Total	54.03 km^2 (20.86 sq mi)
Population (September 2015)
• Total	39,072
• Density	723/km^2 (1,870/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
- Tree	Momi Fir
- Flower	Sakura
- Bird	Pheasant
Phone number	0224-55-2111
Address	2-3-45 Funaoka-chuo, Shibata-machi, Shibata-gun, Miyagi-ken 989-1692
Website	Official website

View of Funaoka

Shibata (柴田町 Shibata-machi) is a town located in Shibata District, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. As of September 2015, the town had an estimated population of 39,072 and a population density of 723 persons per km². The total area was 54.03 square kilometres (20.86 sq mi).

Geography

Shibata is located in south-central Miyagi Prefecture. The Shiroishi River runs through the town.

Neighboring municipalities

• Miyagi Prefecture
  • Iwanuma
  • Kakuda
  • Natori
  • Ōgawara
  • Murata
  • Watari

History

The area of present-day Shibata was part of ancient Mutsu Province.The villages of Funaoka and Tsukinoki were established on April 1, 1889 with the establishment of the municipalities system. Tsukioki was promoted to town status on April 1, 1904 and Funaoki on November 3, 1941. The two towns merged to form Shibata on April 1, 1956

Economy

The economy of Shibata is largely based on agriculture.

Education

• Sendai University
• Shibata has six elementary schools, three middle schools, one high school and one special education school.

Transportation

Railway

• JR East - Tōhoku Main Line
  • Funaoka - Tsukinoki

Highway

• National Route 4
• National Route 349

Local attractions

• Site of Funaoka Castle

Sister city relations

•  Brazil – Assis Chateaubriand (Paraná), Brazil^[1] since April 13, 1981
•  China – Danyang, Jiangsu, China,^[1] since February 23, 1994
•  Japan - Kitakami, Iwate, Japan, since January 25, 1980
•  Japan - Date, Hokkaido, Japan, since May 30, 1988 (friendship city)

References

1. [hhttp://www.clair.or.jp/cgi-bin/simai/e/03.cgi?p=04&n=Miyagi%20Prefecture "International Exchange"]. List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Retrieved 21 November 2015.

External links

Media related to Shibata, Miyagi at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website (Japanese)