Minami-ku, Niigata

Minami-ku

南区
Minami-ku 南区
Ward
	Minami Ward
	Minami-ku Ward Office
	Location of Minami-ku in Niigata City
	Minami-ku
	Coordinates: 37°45′56.9″N 139°1′9″E / 37.765806°N 139.01917°E
Country	Japan
Region	Kōshin'etsu, Hokuriku (Chūbu)
Prefecture	Niigata
City	Niigata
Area
• Total	100.91 km2 (38.96 sq mi)
Population (September 1, 2018)
• Total	44,522
• Density	440/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Address	1235 Shirone, Minami-ku, Niigata-shi, Niigata-ken 950-1292
Phone number	025-373-1000
Website	Official website

Minami-ku (南区, Minami-ku) is one of the eight wards of Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture, in the Hokuriku region of Japan. As of 1 September 2018^[update], the ward had an estimated population of 44,522 in 15,980 households and a population density of 440 persons per km².^[1] The total area of the ward was 100.91 square kilometres (38.96 sq mi).

Geography

Minami-ku is located in an inland region of north-central Niigata Prefecture. The area is dominated by agriculture, notably rice production and horticulture.

Surrounding municipalities

Niigata Prefecture

History

The area of present-day Minami-ku was part of ancient Echigo Province. The modern town of Shirone and village of Ajikata were established on April 1, 1889 within Nakakanbara District with the establishment of the municipalities system. The village of Tsukigata was created on April 1, 1906 by the merger of three hamlets. Shirone was elevated to city status on June 1, 1959. The city of Niigata annexed Shirone, Ajikata and Tsukigata on March 21, 2005. Niigata became a government-designated city on April 1, 2007 and was divided into wards, with the new Minami Ward consisting of the former city of Shirone and former villages of Ajikata and Tsukigata.

Education

Minami-ku has 11 public elementary schools and six public middle schools operated by the Niigata city government. There is one public high school operated by the Niigata Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

Railways

Shirone Station, June 1997

Minami-ku is not served by any passenger rail service. A railway line operated by Niigata Kotsu ceased operations in 1999.

Higashi-Sekiya—Shirone—Tsukigata: closed in 1999
Tsukigata—Tsubame: closed in 1993

Transit bus

Transit bus operated by Niigata Kotsu
- W7 / W8^[2]^[3]

Highways

Local attractions

Places

Niigata Agriculture Park

Event

Shirone Giant Kite Battle

References

^ Niigata city official statistics (in Japanese)
^ 運行便別時刻表 [Bus Lines and Timetables (2016.3- )] (in Japanese). Niigata Kotsu. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
^ 路線図（西方面） [Bus Map for East Niigata (2016.3- )] (PDF) (in Japanese). Niigata Kotsu. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 April 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.