Iwaki (いわき市, Iwaki-shi) is a city located in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.

[3] The city is located at the southeastern end of Tōhoku region and borders on Ibaraki Prefecture.

The western part is a range of mountains and forests, which occupies about 70 percent of the city.

The city is rarely hit by typhoons, and experiences only 0.7 days with more than 10 centimetres (3.9 in) of snowfall in the average year.

[4] Per Japanese census data,[7] the population of Iwaki has remained relatively steady over the past 60 years.

The forms いわき, 石城, 岩城, 巖城, 巌城, and 磐城 are all ways of writing "Iwaki", which means "rocky castle".

Under the Nara period Taika Reform of 645 AD, the central government formed "Iwaki district (磐城郡)" in the northern part of the present city and "Kikuta district (菊多郡)" in the southern part.

[8] The imperial government constructed the Nakoso barrier around 708 AD against possible invasion by the Emishi tribes in the north.

In 1897, the Japanese Government Railway filled in the inner moat of Iwakidaira Castle and built Taira Station.

The cities were Taira (平), Uchigō (内郷), Iwaki (磐城), Nakoso (勿来), and Jōban (常磐); the towns, Yotsukura, (四倉) Tōno (遠野), Ogawa (小川) and Hisanohama (久之浜); and the five villages were Yoshima (好間), Miwa (三和), Tabito (田人), Kawamae (川前) and Ōhisa (大久).

[8] Taira was chosen as the location for the city hall and other administrative offices and continues to function as the centre of Iwaki.

[10] Iwaki has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 37 members.

The cities were Taira (平), Uchigō (内郷), Iwaki (磐城), Nakoso (勿来), and Jōban (常磐); the towns, Yotsukura (四倉), Tōno (遠野), Ogawa (小川) and Hisanohama (久之浜); and the five villages were Yoshima (好間), Miwa (三和), Tabito (田人), Kawamae (川前) and Ōhisa (大久).

Iwaki is rich in sightseeing resources and 7.64 million tourists visit annually.

Statistics (2006)[13] (As of 2007) Onahama Port (2003) Surrounded by the ocean and mountains, Iwaki is more closely connected to Mito in neighboring Ibaraki Prefecture than to the Nakadōri region of Fukushima, including Kōriyama or the prefectural capital of Fukushima).

Iwaki has 14 public high schools operated by the Fukushima Prefectural Board of Education.