Abukuma River

The Abukuma River (阿武隈川, Abukuma-gawa), with a length of 234 km (145 mi), is the second longest river in the Tōhoku region of Japan and the 6th longest river in Japan. It runs through Fukushima Prefecture and Miyagi Prefecture, rising from springs in the peaks of the Nasu mountains, collecting water from tributaries leaving the Ōu Mountains and the Abukuma Highlands (阿武隈高地, Abukuma-kōchi), then emptying into the Pacific Ocean as a major river. It has a 5,390 km² area watershed, and about 1.2 million people live along its basin.[1]

Abukuma River
The Abukuma River in 2005 at Kakuda in Miyagi
Native name阿武隈川
Location
CountryJapan
PrefecturesMiyagi, Fukushima
CitiesShirakawa, Sukagawa, Kōriyama, Motomiya, Nihonmatsu, Fukushima, Date, Kakuda, Iwanuma
Physical characteristics
SourceMt. Asahi (Fukushima Prefecture)
  elevation1,835 m (6,020 ft)
MouthPacific Ocean
  location
Iwanuma, Miyagi, Japan
  coordinates
38.0494°N 140.9190°E / 38.0494; 140.9190
Length239 km (149 mi)
Basin size5,390 km2 (2,080 sq mi)
Discharge 
  average67.3 m3/s (2,380 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Tributaries 
  leftShakadō River, Sasahara River, Ōse River, Gohyaku River, Rokkaku River, Arakawa River, Matsu River, Surikami River, Shiroishi River
  rightŌtakine River, Hirose River

The Abukuma River flows north through Fukushima Prefecture's Nakadōri region, past the cities of Shirakawa, Sukagawa, Kōriyama, Nihonmatsu, Date, and Fukushima. The portion of the river flowing between Nihonmatsu and Fukushima forms a deep ravine called Hōrai-kyō (蓬莱峡).[2] Crossing the northern edge of the long but low Abukuma hills, the Abukuma River then flows into Miyagi Prefecture, past the city of Kakuda and between Iwanuma and Watari before reaching the Pacific. Abukuma has a tributary called the Arakawa River.

Notes

  1. Takeda, page 51.
  2. Takeda, page 52.

References

  • Takeda, Toru; Hishinuma, Tomio; Oguma, Chiyoichi; Takiguchi, R. (July 7, 2001), Fukushima - Today & Tomorrow, Aizu-Wakamatsu City: Rekishi Shunju Publishing Co., ISBN 4-89757-432-3
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