Shima, Mie

This article is about the city. For the town, seeShima, Mie (town).

Shima Chí ma thị
City
Sunset overAgo Bay,Shima
Flag Emblem
Location of Shima in Mie Prefecture
Shima
Coordinates:34°20′N136°50′E
Country	Japan
Region	Kansai
Prefecture	Mie
Government
• Mayor	Chihiro Takeuchi
Area
• Total	179.67 km2(69.37 sq mi)
Population (January 31, 2024)
• Total	45,073
• Density	250/km2(650/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9(Japan Standard Time)
- Tree	Albizia julibrissin
- Flower	Crinum asiaticum
- Bird	Kentish plover
- Fish	Japanese spiny lobster
Phone number	0599-44-0001
Address	3098-22 Agocho; Ugata, Shima-shi, Mie-ken 517-0592
Website	Official website

Shima City Hall

Shima(Japanese:Chí ma thị,Hepburn:Shima-shi)is acityinMie Prefecture,Japan. As of 31 January 2024,the city had an estimatedpopulationof 45,073 in 22,511 households and apopulation densityof 251 persons per km².The total area of the city is 179.67 square kilometres (69.37 sq mi). Shima hosted the2016 G7 Summit.

Geography

Shima is located on the southern half of Shima Peninsula in far eastern Mie Prefecture, facingIse Bayof the Pacific Ocean. The city has a complicatedriascoast with two large inlets:Matoya BayandAgo Bay.Matoya Bay is famous foroystercultivation and Ago Bay is famous forpearlcultivation. Both are sightseeing spots and all of the city is within the borders of theIse-Shima National Park.

Shima has three inhabited islands; Watakano Island,Kashiko Islandand Masaki Island. Watakano Island is located in Matoya Bay, and the others are in Ago Bay.

Neighboring municipalities

Mie Prefecture

• Ise
• Minamiise
• Toba

Climate

Shima has aHumid subtropical climate(KöppenCfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Shima is 16.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1965 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.6 °C, and lowest in January, at around 6.8 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,the population of Shima has decreased rapidly over the past 20 years.

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1950	65,444	—
1960	65,266	−0.3%
1970	62,032	−5.0%
1980	63,065	+1.7%
1990	62,877	−0.3%
2000	61,628	−2.0%
2010	54,694	−11.3%
2020	46,057	−15.8%

History

All of Shima was within the borders of ancientShima Province.With the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889, the town of Waga and villages of Katada, Fuseda, Koshiga, and Goza were established. The town of Shima was established on December 1, 1954 by the merger of these municipalities. Shima was raised to city status on October 1, 2004, from the merger of the former town of Shima with the towns ofAgo,Daiō,HamajimaandIsobe(all fromShima District). Recently there has been anger from its famous divers aimed at its sexist new tourist mascot.

Government

Shima has amayor-councilform of government with a directly elected mayor and aunicameralcity council of 20 members. Shima contributes two members to the Mie Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Mie 4th district of thelower houseof theDiet of Japan.

Economy

Commercial fishingand tourism play important roles in the local economy.

Education

Shima has seven public elementary schools and six public middle schools operated by the city government and two public high schools operated by the Mie Prefectural Department of Education. There is also one private high school.

Transportation

Railway

Kintetsu Railway-Shima Line

• Gochi-Kutsukake-Kaminogō-Shima-Isobe-Anagawa-Shima-Yokoyama-Ugata-Shima-Shimmei-Kashikojima

Highways

• Iseshima Skyline
• National Route 167
• National Route 260

Local attractions

Two of Japan's fifteen climbable lighthouses are located in Shima:Anorisakiand Daiosaki. Each was featured in thelocation shootingof two prominent films of the 1950s, Anorisaki inKinoshita'sTimes of Joy and Sorrow(1957) and Daiosaki inOzu'sFloating Weeds(1959).

External links

• Official website(in Japanese)
• Geographic data related toShima, MieatOpenStreetMap