Hannan, Osaka 2.42

Hannan is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Hannan is bordered by Sennan City to the northeast and Misaki-chō to the west. It is the location of Pichi-pichi beach, a locally famous public park and beach. It is the southernmost city in Osaka Prefecture, being closer in distance to Wakayama City than to Osaka city proper. The city was founded on 1 October 1991, making it the newest established city in Osaka Prefecture as of 2010.As of March 1, 2017, the city has an estimated population of 55,798 and a population density of 1,500 persons per km². The total area is 36.10 km².The principal industries in Hannan are commercial fishing, agriculture and sake production.The city's mayor is Toshihiro Fukuyama, who has served since 12 November 2008.EtymologyThe city's name was derived from the onyomi reading of the kanji 阪 (han), standing for Osaka prefecture (大阪府), and the kanji 南 (nan), meaning south. Thus it means "Southern Osaka".HistoryAlthough the city was founded in 1991, the villages and wards that make up the city have existed since the Nara period (5th to 7th centuries CE). Stone tools found in the area indicate human settlement as far back as 10000 BCE. Along with other cities south of the Yamatogawa river, the city previously belonged to the pre-modern Izumi province, running from the Nara to Edo periods.