is a city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 224,358 in 109,541 households, and a population density of 1300 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Ōta is located in the extreme southeastern portion of Gunma Prefecture in the northern Kantō Plains, bordered by Tochigi Prefecture to the east and Saitama Prefecture to the south. The city is located northwest of Tokyo between the Tone and Watarase rivers. It is located about 80 kilometers northwest of central Tokyo, about 30 kilometers east of the prefectural capital at Maebashi, about 40 kilometers east of Takasaki. The elevation of the city ranges from 30–40 meters in lowland in the south, southwest, northeast, and east, to 40–70 meters in the northwest. Surrounding municipalities Gunma Prefecture Isesaki Kiryū Midori Ōizumi Ōra Tochigi Prefecture Ashikaga Saitama Prefecture Kumagaya Fukaya Climate Ōta has a Humid continental climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Ōta is 14.4 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1260 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.7 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.5 °C. Demographics Per Japanese census data, the population of Ōta has increased steadily over the past 60 years. History During the Edo period, the area of present-day Ōta contained two post towns on the Nikkō Reiheishi Kaidō, a subroute to Nikkō Kaidō which connected the Nakasendō directly with Nikkō, bypassing Edo, the , (from which the city takes its name) and . Ōta Town was created within Nitta District, Gunma Prefecture on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system after the Meiji Restoration. On April 1, 1940, Ōta merged with the villages of Kuai and Sawano from Nitta District, and with the village of Niragawa from Yamada District. On November 1, 1943, Ōta absorbed the village of Shimanogō, also from Nitta District. Ōta was elevated to city status on May 3, 1948. The city expanded on April 1, 1957, by annexing the village of Kyodo (from Nitta District), and the village of Kyūhaku (from Yamada District), and by annexing parts of the village of Yabakawa (Yamada District) on July 1, 1960. On April 1, 1963, Ōta absorbed the village of Hosen (Nitta District), followed by the village of Kesatoda (Yamada