Minamisanriku
town in Motoyoshi district, Miyagi prefecture, Japan / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Minamisanriku (南三陸町, Minamisanriku-chō, "South three land"), also spelled Minami Sanriku, is a resort town on the Pacific Coast of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.[1] The town has an area of 163.74 square kilometres (63.22 sq mi), and as of October 1, 2004 the population of the area was 19,170. The town was created on October 1, 2005, when the towns of Shizugawa and Utatsu merged to form the new town of Minamisanriku.
Minamisanriku was largely destroyed by the Japanese 2011 tsunami, with most buildings swept away by waves of 16 metres (52 ft) or more. Over half the town's population is missing and almost certainly dead.