Tamana, Kumamoto
[file:Takaseuragawa 05.jpg|thumb|right|290px|Takase Uragawa]
Tamana is a city located in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan., the city had an estimated population of 62,784 in 28553 households, and a population density of 462 persons per km2. The total area of the city is.
Geography
Tamana is located in an inland area in the northwest of Kumamoto Prefecture.Neighboring municipalities
Kumamoto PrefectureClimate
Tamana has a humid subtropical climate with hot, humid summers and cool winters. There is significant precipitation throughout the year, especially during June and July. The average annual temperature in Tamana is. The average annual rainfall is with June as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around, and lowest in January, at around. The highest temperature ever recorded in Tamana was on 17 July 1994; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 19 February 1977.Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Tamana in 2020 is 64,292 people. Tamana has been conducting censuses since 1960.History
The area of Tamana was part of ancient Higo Province, During the Edo Period it was part of the holdings of Kumamoto Domain. After the Meiji restoration, the village of Tamana was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. It was raised to town status on May 20, 1942. The city was founded on April 1, 1954 by the merger of Tamana with the villages of Nameshi, Toyosui, Ishinuki, Tamana, Oda, Umebayashi, Ikura, Tsukiyama, Ohama, Yaga, and Tsukise.On October 3, 2005, the towns of Taimei, Tensui and Yokoshima were merged into Tamana.
Government
Tamana has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 22 members. Tamana contributes one member to the Kumamoto Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the Kumamoto 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.Economy
Tamana is a regional commercial center with a mixed economy of agriculture and light manufacturing.Education
Tamana has 15 public elementary schools and six public junior high schools operated by the city government and one public junior high school and three public high schools operated by the Kumamoto Prefectural Board of Education. There are also two private high schools. The Kyushu University of Nursing and Social Welfare is located in TamanaTransportation
Railways
JR Kyushu - Kagoshima Main LineJR Kyushu - Kyushu Shinkansen
Highways
*Sister cities
- Clarinda, Iowa, United States, sister city since 1996
- Wafangdian, Liaoning China, friendship city since 1996
Local attractions
National Historic Sites
- Daibō Kofun
- Eianji Higashi Kofun - Eianji Nishi Kofun
- Ishinuki Anakannon Cave Tombs
- Ishinukinagi Cave Tomb Cluster
Notable people from Tamana
- Makoto Izubuchi, Japanese comedian, professional wrestler and tarento
- Shizo Kanakuri, Japanese marathon runner and one of the early leaders of track and field athletics in Japan
- Kenichi Matsuoka, professional Japanese baseball player
- Hayato Mizowaki, Japanese professional baseball infielder for the Chunichi Dragons in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.
- Yoshihiro Tajiri, Japanese professional wrestler and promoter
- Tenkaihō Takayuki, retired sumo wrestler
- Katsuhiro Ueo, Japanese professional drifting driver