Abukuma River

Abukuma River
The Abukuma River in 2005 at Kakuda in Miyagi
Native name	阿武隈川 (Japanese)
Location
Country	Japan
Prefectures	Miyagi, Fukushima
Cities	Shirakawa, Sukagawa, Kōriyama, Motomiya, Nihonmatsu, Fukushima, Date, Kakuda, Iwanuma
Physical characteristics
Source	Mt. Asahi (Fukushima Prefecture)
• coordinates	37°09′40″N 139°58′19″E / 37.161°N 139.972°E / 37.161; 139.972
• elevation	1,835 m (6,020 ft)
Mouth	Pacific Ocean
• location	Iwanuma, Miyagi, Japan
• coordinates	38°02′58″N 140°55′08″E / 38.0494°N 140.9190°E / 38.0494; 140.9190
Length	239 km (149 mi)
Basin size	5,390 km2 (2,080 sq mi)
Discharge
• average	67.3 m3/s (2,380 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Population	1,360,000
Tributaries
• left	Shakadō River, Sasahara River, Ōse River, Gohyaku River, Rokkaku River, Arakawa River, Matsu River, Surikami River, Shiroishi River
• right	Ōtakine River, Hirose 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 the country.^[1] It is designated as a Class A river.

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, then emptying into the Pacific Ocean as a major river. Its watershed has a 5,400 km² (2,100 sq mi) area, and about 1.36 million people live in its basin.^[2]

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).^[3] 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.