is a town

Towns of Japan

A town is a local administrative unit in Japan. It is a local public body along with prefecture , city , and village...

 located in Matsumae District

Matsumae District, Hokkaido

is a district located in southwestern Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaidō, Japan.As of 2004, the district has an estimated population of 16,068 and a density of 33.45 persons per km²...

, Oshima

Oshima Subprefecture

is a subprefecture of Hokkaidō, Japan. As of 2004 it had a population of 456,621 and an area of 3,715.38 km².Hakodate Airport is located in the City of Hakodate.- Geography :-Towns and villages by district:* Futami District** Yakumo* Kameda District...

, Hokkaidō, 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 former home of the Matsumae Han

Han (Japan)

The or domain was the name of the estate belonging to a warrior in Japan after the 17th century. The fiefs of the daimyos of the samurai class of Japan during the Edo period were called han.-Edo period:...

, it has an Edo period

Edo period

The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....

 castle

Castle

A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...

, Matsumae Castle

Matsumae Castle

is a castle located in Matsumae in Hokkaidō, Japan. It was the home of the Matsumae Han. It is perhaps the only traditional style Edo period castle in Hokkaidō.-History:...

, the only one in Hokkaidō, and Ryūun-in

Ryūun-in (Matsumae)

is a temple in Matsumae, Hokkaidō, Japan. Five of its buildings are Important Cultural Properties.-Structures:The Hondō, Kuri, Sōmon, Shōrō, and Dozō have all been designated Important Cultural Properties.-References:...

.

The total area of the town is 293.11 square kilometre.

Geography

The town is located on the southern end of the Matsumae Peninsula. In addition the town governs the two islands in the Tsugaru Strait

Tsugaru Strait

is a channel between Honshu and Hokkaido in northern Japan connecting the Sea of Japan with the Pacific Ocean. It was named after the western part of Aomori Prefecture...

, Oshima and Kojima

Ko Island (Oshima)

or Kojima is an uninhabited island in the Sea of Japan, southwest of the mainland portion of the town of Matsumae town and is the southernmost point in Hokkaidō. It is under the administration of the town of Matsumae in Matsumae District, Oshima Subprefecture in Hokkaidō, Japan...

.

Demographics

On March 31, 2009, the town had 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 9,568 and 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 32.6 persons per km².

In 2008, the town had an estimated population of 9,967 and a density of 33.84 persons per km².

External links

• Official website in Japanese