Country Area 43.19 km2 | Population 134,017 (2010) Region Kanto | |
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Mayor Junichiro Hoshino (since January 2007) | ||
Map of Abiko, Chiba
Abiko (我孫子市, Abiko-shi) is a city located in northern Chiba Prefecture, Japan.
Contents
- Map of Abiko Chiba
- Abiko city slideshow
- Geography
- Neighboring municipalities
- History
- Economy
- Universities
- Railway
- Highway
- Point of Interests
- Notable people
- References
As of April 2012, the city has an estimated population of 132,999 and a population density of 3080 persons per km2. The total area is 43.19 km2.
Abiko city slideshow
Geography
Abiko is located in the far northwestern corner of Chiba Prefecture, bordered by the Tone River to the north.
Neighboring municipalities
History
The area around Abiko has been inhabited since Japanese Paleolithic times, and archaeologists have found stone tools dated from 30,000 years ago. During the Edo period, Abiko was a river port on the Tone River and a post station on the Mito Kaidō, a highway connecting Edo with Mito. After the Meiji Restoration, Abiko Town was created in Minamisoma District, Chiba Prefecture on April 1, 1889, along with the town of Fusa and village of Kohoku. Abiko was transferred to Higashikatsushika District in 1897. On November 1, 1954, it annexed neighboring Tomise village from the same district. On April 29, 1955, Abiko annexed Fusa Town and Kohoku Village. Abiko achieved city status on July 1, 1970. In 2003, a proposal to merge Abiko with neighboring city of Kashiwa and the town of Shōnan was defeated by a public referendum. Parts of the city were damaged by soil liquefaction due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
Economy
Abiko is a regional commercial center and a bedroom community for nearby Chiba and Tokyo.