Nagato

Nagato is a city in northwestern Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. Its north side faces the Sea of Japan, where the open coastline is eroded terrain while coves such as Fukagawa Bay and Senzaki Bay and Aburaya Bay form good natural harbours, and the southern part of the city is on the western edge of the Chūgoku Mountains. Nagato also encompasses Ōmijima Island, connected to the Senzaki Peninsula by a large road bridge, and much of the island lies within the Kita-Nagato Kaigan Quasi-National Park. The area was part of ancient Nagato Province and, in the Edo period, part of the holdings of Chōshū domain. The city of Nagato was established on 31 March 1954 by the merger of Fukawa and Senzaki with the villages of Kayoi and Tawarayama, and in 2005 it annexed the villages of Yuya, Heki and Misumi. The main industries are commercial fishing, agriculture, animal husbandry and food processing, and tourism is also a major component of the local economy. The estimated population was 31,518 and the area is 357.31 square kilometres.