Photo of northern part of kyushu,
taken by Landsat.
| HELLO FROM THE CITY OF HITA
** LOCATION AND SPECIAL FEATURES **
Hita is situated in the north-west part
of Oita Prefecture, roughly in the
center of Northern Kyushu.
The town grew up where the Kagetsu River,
the Oyama River, the Kusu River,
and the Mikuma River (which forms the
upper reaches of the Chikugo River and
flows through the center of Hita from
east to west) meet so Hita is also
known as 'waterside Hita'.
The city Is surrounded by mountains
rlsing to some 1,000 metres, and its
basin,the 'Hita Basin' is well-known
throughout Japan as a scenic spot of
great natural beauty.
In 1950. it beccame the first semi-national
park in Japan, under the name
'Yaba, Hita and Hiko-san'.
** CLIMATE **
Because of the geographlcal conditions - the surrounding mountains and
valleys, and the copious flow of the rivers-the cllmate shows qualities
peculiar to inlalld areas; there is often a flat calm in the mornings and
evenings and a sharp change in the temperature between daytime and nighttime.
Hita has a mild climate, with an annual mean temperature of 15.4ßC and
annual rainfall of 1,537mm.
** BRIEF OUTLINE **
Hita covers a total area of 270.78km2. stretching 22.3km east to west, and
24.8km north to south, and is the second largest city in Oita Prefecture.
It is said that where Hita now stands was once the bottom of a lake, and the
surrounding hilIs of Hinokuma, Tsukikuma and Hoshikuma, and Oharayama,
Jigenzan and Fukiageyama were left by the waters as they drained away.
The cedar and Japanese cypress wood from the surrounding woodlands
have made Hita a nationwide leader in forestry, and the town is now
developing into an inland, mixed economy centering on timber-related
industries.
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