Mihama is located on the coast in central Wakayama Prefecture, facing the Kii Channel to the southwest. The eastern part of the town is part of the Hidaka Plain and is the center of the city. The western part is designated as Enjukaigan Prefectural Natural Park. The highest point is Mount Nishiyama, with an elevation of 329 meters.
Mihama has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Mihama is 16.8 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1878 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.7 °C, and lowest in January, at around 7.3 °C.[2] The area is subject to typhoons in summer.
Demographics
Per Japanese census data,[3] the population of Mihama has remained fairly steady over the past 70 years.
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±%
1920
5,799
—
1930
6,863
+18.3%
1940
6,960
+1.4%
1950
8,667
+24.5%
1960
8,550
−1.3%
1970
8,741
+2.2%
1980
8,832
+1.0%
1990
8,920
+1.0%
2000
8,802
−1.3%
2010
8,077
−8.2%
2020
6,867
−15.0%
History
The area of the modern town of Inami was within ancient Kii Province. The villages of Matsubara, Mio and Wada were established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. These three villages merged on October 1, 1954 to form the town of Mihama.
