Nankan is located in the northwestern tip of Kumamoto Prefecture. It borders Fukuoka Prefecture in the north and west. It is about 50 kilometers northwest of Kumamoto City.
Nankan has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Nankan is 16.9 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1932 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.9 °C, and lowest in January, at around 6.0 °C.[2]
Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Nankan is as shown below
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±%
1960
17,679
—
1970
14,278
−19.2%
1980
12,498
−12.5%
1990
12,247
−2.0%
2000
11,821
−3.5%
2010
10,564
−10.6%
2020
8,979
−15.0%
History
The area of Nankan was part of ancient Higo Province, and developed as a post town and barrier gate guarding the northern border Higo from the Nara period. During the Edo Period it was part of the holdings of Kumamoto Domain. After the Meiji restoration, the town of Nankan was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889.
Government
Nankan has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 12 members. Nankan, collectively with the other municipalities of Tamana District, contributes one member to the Kumamoto Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of the Kumamoto 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
Economy
The local economy is based on agriculture, with rice and bamboo as the main crops.
Education
Nakan has four public elementary schools and one public junior high school operated by the town government. The town does not have a high school.
