Minami-Alps

Minami-Alps is a city in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, and the third largest city of the prefecture. It is named for its location on the eastern foothills of the Southern Alps, a range that includes Mount Kita, Japan second-highest mountain, and other peaks above 3,000 metres. Its urbanized zones lie along the Midai, Takizawa and Tsubo rivers, and the area is noted for growing fruit, especially cherries, peaches, plums, grapes, pears, persimmons, kiwi and apples. The city was established on 1 April 2003 by the merger of the towns of Kōsai, Kushigata, Shirane and Wakakusa and the villages of Ashiyasu and Hatta in Nakakoma District, and its name was chosen in September 2002 from entries submitted by the general public. The economy is primarily agricultural, with seasonal tourism and forestry playing secondary roles. The climate is hot and humid in summer and relatively mild in winter. The estimated population was 71,618 and the area is 264.14 square kilometres.