| Shōbara | |||
| Native Name Lang: | ja | ||
| Settlement Type: | City | ||
| Image Map1: | Shobara in Hiroshima Prefecture Ja.svg | ||
| Pushpin Map: | Japan | ||
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Japan | ||
| Coordinates: | 34.8544°N 133.0192°W | ||
| Subdivision Type: | Country | ||
| Subdivision Name: | Japan | ||
| Subdivision Type1: | Region | ||
| Subdivision Name1: | Chūgoku (San'yō) | ||
| Subdivision Type2: | Prefecture | ||
| Subdivision Name2: | Hiroshima | ||
| Subdivision Type3: | District | ||
| Leader Title: | Mayor | ||
| Leader Name: | Kozo Kiyama 木山 耕三 (since April 2013)[1] | ||
| Leader Title1: | Vice Mayor | ||
| Unit Pref: | Metric | ||
| Area Total Km2: | 1246.49 | ||
| Population Total: | 32,343 | ||
| Population As Of: | March 31, 2023 | ||
| Population Density Km2: | auto | ||
| Timezone1: | JST | ||
| Utc Offset1: | +09:00 | ||
| Blank Name Sec1: | City hall address | ||
| Blank Info Sec1: | 1-10-1 Nakamoto-chō, Shōbara-shi, Hiroshima-ken 727-8501 | ||
| Blank Name Sec2: | Climate | ||
| Blank Info Sec2: | Cfa | ||
| Module: |
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right|thumb|270px| Shōbara City Hallright|thumb|270px| Bihoku-kyuryo Parkright|thumb|270px| Shobara city center area aerial photograph
is a city in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan., the city had an estimated population of 32,343 in 14984 households and a population density of 26 persons per km².[2] The total area of the city is 1246.49sqkm.
Shōbara is located in the Chugoku Mountains in the northeast corner of Hiroshima Prefecture.
Shōbara has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) characterized by cool to mild winters and hot, humid summers. The average annual temperature in Shōbara is . The average annual rainfall is with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around, and lowest in January, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Shōbara was on 5 August 2021; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 26 February 1991.
Per Japanese census data, the population of Shōbara in 2020 is 33,633 people. Shōbara has been conducting censuses since 1920.
The Shōbara area is part of ancient Bingo Province. During the Edo Period, it was part of the holdings of Hiroshima Domain. Following the Meiji restoration, the village of Shōbara was established within Mikami District, Hiroshima with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Mikami District became part of Hiba District, Hiroshima on October 1, 1898 at which time Shōbara was raised to town status. On March 31, 1954 Shōbara merged with the villages of Takamura, Honda, Shikinobu, Yamauchi-Higashi, Yamauchi-Nishi, and Yamauchi-Kita and was raised to city status.
On March 31, 2005, the towns of Hiwa, Kuchiwa, Saijō, Takano, and Tōjō (all from Hiba District), and the town of Sōryō (from Kōnu District) were merged into Shōbara. Hiba District and Kōnu District were both dissolved as a result of this merger.
Shōbara has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 20 members. Shōbara contributes one member to the Hiroshima Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the Hiroshima 5th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
The main economic activities in Shōbara are agriculture, mining (kaolinite, limestone) and hydroelectric power generation.
Shōbara has 18 public elementary schools, and seven public junior high schools operated by the city government, and five public high school operated by the Hiroshima Prefectural Board of Education. The prefecture also operates one special education school for the disabled and one agricultural college. The Prefectural University of Hiroshima has a campus in Shōbara.
JR West (JR West) - Geibi Line
JR West (JR West) - Kisuki Line
- Mianyang, Sichuan, China since September 29, 1990.