| Karumai | |||||
| Native Name Lang: | ja | ||||
| Settlement Type: | Town | ||||
| Flag Alt: | Flag of Karumai, Iwate | ||||
| Image Blank Emblem: | Emblem of Karumai, Iwate.svg | ||||
| Blank Emblem Alt: | Emblem of Karumai, Iwate | ||||
| Blank Emblem Type: | Emblem | ||||
| Mapsize: | 300 | ||||
| Pushpin Map: | Japan | ||||
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 300 | ||||
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of Karumai in Japan | ||||
| Coordinates: | 40.3268°N 141.4605°W | ||||
| Subdivision Type: | Country | ||||
| Subdivision Name: | Japan | ||||
| Subdivision Type1: | Region | ||||
| Subdivision Name1: | Tōhoku | ||||
| Subdivision Type2: | Prefecture | ||||
| Subdivision Name2: | Iwate | ||||
| Subdivision Type3: | District | ||||
| Subdivision Name3: | Kunohe | ||||
| Leader Title: | -Mayor | ||||
| Area Total Km2: | 245.82 | ||||
| Population Total: | 8895 | ||||
| Population As Of: | March 1, 2020 | ||||
| Population Density Km2: | auto | ||||
| Timezone1: | Japan Standard Time | ||||
| Utc Offset1: | +9 | ||||
| Blank Name Sec1: | Phone number | ||||
| Blank Info Sec1: | 0195-46-2111 | ||||
| Blank1 Name Sec1: | Address | ||||
| Blank1 Info Sec1: | Karumai dai-10 jiwari 85, Karumai-machi, Kunohe-gun, Iwate 028-6302 | ||||
| Blank Name Sec2: | Climate | ||||
| Blank Info Sec2: | Dfa | ||||
| Module: |
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is a town located in Iwate Prefecture, Japan., the town had an estimated population of 8,895 in 3769 households,[1] and a population density of 36 persons per km². The total area of the town is 245.82sqkm.
Karumai is located in far northcentral Iwate Prefecture, bordered by Aomori Prefecture to the north.
Aomori Prefecture
Iwate Prefecture
Karumai has a humid oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) characterized by mild summers and cold winters. The average annual temperature in Karumai is 9.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1209 mm with September being the wettest month and February being the driest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 22.5 °C, and lowest in January, at around -2.4 °C.[2]
Per Japanese census data,[3] the population of Karumai peaked at around the year 1960 and has steadily declined over the past 60 years.
The area of present-day Karumai was part of ancient Mutsu Province, dominated by the Nambu clan from the Muromachi period, and part of Hachinohe Domain under the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate. During the early Meiji period, the village of Karumai within Kitakunohe District, Iwate Prefecture was created on April 1, 1889, with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. Kita-Kunohe District and Minami-Kunohe Districts merged to form Kunohe District on April 1, 1897. The village was raised to town status on January 1, 1925. The neighboring villages of Kogarumai and Hareyama were merged with Karumai on January 1, 1955.
Karumai has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 12 members. Karumai, as part of Kunohe District, contributes two seats to the Iwate Prefectural legislature. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Iwate 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
The economy of Karumai is based on agriculture, particularly the various grains, including millet, livestock raising, and the production of charcoal. The hardy kiwi is a noted local specialty.[4]
Karumai has three public elementary schools and one public middle school operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Iwate Prefectural Board of Education.