Samegawa, Fukushima
# Samegawa, Fukushima

Samegawa (鮫川村, Samegawa-mura) is a village located in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 January 2020, the village had an estimated population of 3,081 in 1107 households, and a population density of 23 persons per $km^2.$ The total area of the village was 131.34 square kilometres (50.7 sq mi).

## Geography

Samegawa is located in the southernmost portion of Fukushima prefecture, bordering on Ibaraki Prefecture to the southeast. The area of the village is hilly with an altitude of between 400 and 600 meters, and over fifty percent covered in forest. Samegawa has a humid climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Samegawa is 10.5 °C (50.9 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,500 mm (59 in) with September as the wettest month.

### Neighboring municipalities

* Fukushima Prefecture
   * Iwaki
   * Hanawa
   * Tanagura
   * Ishikawa
   * Asakawa
   * Furudono
* Ibaraki Prefecture
   * Kitaibaraki

## Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Samegawa peaked around the year 1950 and has been in decline over the past 70 years.

## Climate

Samegawa has a humid climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Samegawa is 10.5 °C (50.9 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,500 mm (59 in) with September being the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 22.6 °C (72.7 °F), and lowest in January, at around −0.5 °C (31.1 °F).

## History

The area of present-day Samegawa was part of ancient Mutsu Province. After the Meiji Restoration, it was organized as part of Higashishirakawa in the Nakadōri region of Iwaki Province. Samegawa village was formed on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system.

## Education

Samegawa has two public elementary schools and one public junior high school operated by the village government, and one public high school operated by the Fukushima Prefectural Board of Education.

* Fukushima Prefectural Shumei Commercial High School
* Samegawa Junior High School

## Transportation

### Railway

* Samegawa does not have any passenger railway service.

### Highway

* National Route 289
* National Route 349
