is a city located in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 59,876 in 23024 households and a population density of 270 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Mitoyo is located in western Kagawa Prefecture. It faces the Seto Inland Sea to the north and borders Tokushima Prefecture across the Sanuki Mountains to the south. In the north, the Shonai Peninsula with Mt. Shiude and Mt. Myoken stretches out to the northwest. Some coastal parts of the city are within the borders of the Setonaikai National Park. The city includes Awashima Island and Shishijima in the Seto Inland Sea between Shikoku and Honshu. Neighbouring municipalities Kagawa Prefecture Zentsuji Kan'onji Tadotsu Kotohira Mannō Tokushima Prefecture Miyoshi Higashimiyoshi Climate Mitoyo has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot, humid summers, and cool winters. Some rain falls throughout the year, but the months from May to September have the heaviest rain. The average annual temperature in Mitoyo is . The average annual rainfall is with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Mitoyo was on 6 August 2017; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 4 February 1999. Demographics Per Japanese census data, the population of Mitoyo in 2020 is 61,857 people. Mitoyo has been conducting censuses since 1920. History The area of Mitoyo was part of ancient Sanuki Province and has been inhabited since prehistoric times. A number of shell moundss from the Jōmon period have been identified, and the Minami Kusagi Shell Mound is the largest shell mound in Kagawa Prefecture and the Kotsutajima Shell Midden is the oldest in the Seto Inland Sea region. During the Edo Period, the city area was divided between the holdings of Marugame Domain and Tadotsu Domain, and direct tenryō holdings of the Tokugawa shogunate. Following the Meiji restoration, the area was dived into villages within Mino District, which merged with Toyota District to form Mitoyo District, Kagawa in 1899. The city of Mitoyo was established on January 1, 2006, from the merger of all seven towns of Mitoyo District: Mino, Nio, Saita, Takase, Takuma, Toyonaka and Yamamoto. Government Mitoyo has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 22 members. Mitoyo