Hannan

Hannan is a city in the southwestern part of Osaka Prefecture, Japan, bordered by Osaka Bay to the north and by the Izumi Mountains and Wakayama Prefecture to the south. It lies about 45 kilometres from central Osaka and about 10 kilometres from central Wakayama. Since the Edo period its main industry was textile production of cotton and silk using the abundant water of the Izumi Mountains; at one point more than 700 companies were involved, though synthetics and overseas competition have hit the trade hard, and the quarrying of sandstone is another traditional industry. Commercial fishing, including nori seaweed and oysters, and agriculture, notably a local eggplant and onions, remain important. The climate is humid subtropical, and the city is governed by a directly elected mayor and a council of 14 members.