Kitakami

mountains in the northeastern part of the island of Honshu, in Japan. Length, approximately 200 km; width, up to 60 km; maximum elevation, 1,914 m (at Mount Hayachine). In the west the Kitakami Mountains are restricted by the Kitakami and Mabechi valleys; in the east they extend to the Pacific Ocean and form numerous gulfs and bays in the southern part. The range is composed primarily of Paleozoic metamorphic rocks and has a deposit of iron ore (Kamaishi). The broad-leaved and mixed forests that grow on the slopes are used for timber. There is agriculture and livestock raising in the valleys.

a river in the northern part of the island of Honshu, in Japan. Length, 243 km. It rises on the western slope of the Kitakami Mountains and flows primarily from north to south in a longitudinal tectonic valley. The river falls into Ishinomaki Bay of the Pacific Ocean. High water occurs in spring and summer. Timber is floated. A hydroelectric power plant is located on the Kitakami. The lower course of the river is accessible to flatboats. There are extensive rice paddies in the Kitakami valley. The cities of Morioka and Mizusawa are on the river; the port of Ishinomaki is at the mouth.