is a village located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the village had an estimated population of 1,746 in 971 households, and a population density of 15 persons per km². The total area of the village is . Nanmoku, like many rural areas in Japan, is seeing a significant amount of population decline; in 1955 there were more than 10,000 inhabitants. The majority of the remaining villagers are over 60 years in age (57.1% in 2012), with a median age of 62.5 for the total population – the oldest in Japan. Geography Nanmoku is located in southwestern Gunma Prefecture bordering on Nagano Prefecture to the west. Part of the village is within the borders of the Myōgi-Arafune-Saku Kōgen Quasi-National Park. Mountains: Mount Arafune (1423 m) Mount Hikage (1407 m) Mount Ōya (1081 m) Eboshidake (1182 m) Mount Kurotaki (870 m) Mount Yotsumata (900 m) Tateiwa (1265 m) Rivers: Nanmoku River Ōshiozawa River Kumakura River Ōnita River Surrounding municipalities Gunma Prefecture Shimonita Kanna Ueno Nagano Prefecture Saku Sakuho Climate Nanmoku has a Humid continental climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Nanmoku is 11.0 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1127 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.0 °C, and lowest in January, at around -1.3 °C. Demographics Per Japanese census data, the population of Nanmoku peaked around the year 1950 and has decreased drastically since then. History During the Edo period, the area of present-day Nanmoku was largely part of the tenryō territory held directly by Tokugawa shogunate within Kōzuke Province. The area was divided into villages with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. village of Nanmoku was created on March 15, 1955 by the merger of the villages of Iwado, Tsukigata and Ozawa. Government Nanmoku has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral village council of eight members. Nanmoku, together with the other municipalities in Kanra District contributes one member to the Gunma Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Gunma 5th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan. Economy The economy of Nanmoku is heavily dependent on agriculture. Education Nanmoku has a nursery school, elementary school, and middle school operated by the village government. The village does not