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Minami-ku, Sapporo

Minami
南区
Ward
Minami Ward
Location of Minami-ku in Sapporo
Location of Minami-ku in Sapporo
Country Japan
Prefecture Hokkaidō
City Sapporo
Established April 1, 1972
Area
 • Total 657.48 km2 (253.85 sq mi)
Population (2014)
 • Total 141,745
 • Density 220/km2 (560/sq mi)
  Estimation as of December 31, 2014
Time zone Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
Postal 005-8612
Address 2-2-1 Makomanaisaiwaicho, Higashi-ku, Sapporo-shi, Hokkaido
Website Minami-ku Ward Office

Minami-ku, Sapporo (南区、札幌?) is one of the 10 wards in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. Minami-ku is directly translated as "south ward". Having the area of 657.23 km² in total, Minami-ku occupies 60 percent of the area of Sapporo.

According to the jūminhyō (registry) in 2008, 149,139 people were living in Minami-ku. The total area of the ward is 657.23 km², which is the largest in Sapporo. 17 mountains including Mount Yoichi (1488.1 metres, the highest mountain in Sapporo) are included in the ward, along with part of the Shikotsu-Tōya National Park.

Sapporo's five wards: Chūō-ku, Toyohira-ku, Kiyota-ku, Nishi-ku, Teine-ku, have boundaries with Minami-ku, and four cities (Chitose, Otaru, Date, Eniwa), two towns (Kimobetsu, Kyōgoku), and a village (Akaigawa) also have boundaries.

Originally, the area where currently Minami-ku is located has been famous for the hot springs in Jōzankei area and mines in Ishiyama area, and many pioneers and their families have settled from the outside of Hokkaidō. In 1918, the Jōzankei Railroad was opened for traffic from Shiroishi area to current Minami-ku area. In 1946, after the end of World War II, American army took over farms in Makomanai area and built a military facility called Camp Crawford.


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