Уонума: География, История и Современность

Uonuma is located in an inland region of south central Niigata Prefecture, bordered by Fukushima Prefecture to the east and Gunma Prefecture to the south. Parts of the city are within the borders of Oze National Park or the Echigo Sanzan Tadami Quasi National Park

Uonuma has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm, wet summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Uonuma is 12.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2049 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.0 °C, and lowest in January, at around 0.4 °C.

Per Japanese census data, the population of Uonuma has declined over the past 50 years.

The area of present day Uonuma was part of ancient Echigo Province, with the name of Uonuma appearing in the Shoku Nihongi in an entry dated 702 AD. During the Edo period, the area was largely tenryō territory administered directly by the Tokugawa shogunate or part of the holdings of Aizu Domain. The area was greatly affected by the Tenpō famine of 1835–1837. After the Meiji restoration, the area was organised as part of Kitauonuma District, Niigata with the creation of the modern municipalities system. The modern city of Uonuma was established on November 1, 2004, from the merger of the towns of Horinouchi and Koide, and the villages of Hirokami, Irihirose, Sumon and Yunotani (all from Kitauonuma District).

Uonuma has a mayor council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 20 members.

The economy of Uonuma is dominated by agriculture, predominantly rice production, along with sake brewing.

Uonuma has nine public elementary schools and six public middle schools operated by the city government. The city has two public high schools operated by the Niigata Prefectural Board of Education, and also two special education schools.