Population 8,980 (2011) | Area 1,116 km² Local time Wednesday 4:41 AM | |
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Time zone Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) Weather -5°C, Wind SW at 14 km/h, 82% Humidity | ||
Esashi (枝幸町, Esashi-chō) is a town in Esashi District, Sōya Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan.
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Map of Esashi, Esashi District, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan
As of 2011, its estimated population is 8,980 and its area is 1,115.67 square kilometres (430.76 square miles).
The name comes from the Ainu word Esaushi, meaning "cape" (in the geographic sense).
Geography
Esashi is located at the southeast tip of Sōya Subprefectures. The town faces the Sea of Okhotsk to the east, the town of Utanobori to the west, the town of Bifuka to the southwest, Ōmu to the south, and Hamatonbetsu to the north. The southern border of the city is marked by the Toinai River, and the north is marked by Cape Kamui.
The residential districts of Esashi are on a long, narrow strip of the coast ranging from north to south; 67.08% of the town is forested, 14.7% is unused plain land, and only .44% of the town consists of residential land.
History
Esashi District was established in 1869 in Kitami Province (1868-1882), a short-lived province in the north of Hokkaido. The district was historically under the control of the Kaga Domain on Honshu; this control ended in 1870.
It consisted of four villages: Esashi, Tonbetsu, Utanobori and Rebun Village (礼文村, apparently unrelated to the town of Rebun on Rebun Island) In September, 1891 a town hall for the 3 villages set up.