The city has Mount Chōkai on its northern border; however, the urban center is in the flatlands of the Shōnai Plains on the right bank of the Mogami River.

The inhabited island of Tobishima, approximately 38 kilometres (24 mi) off the coast of the mainland, is within the administrative borders of the city.

The island, as well as part of the mainland portion of the city, is within the borders of the Chōkai Quasi-National Park[2] Akita Prefecture Yamagata Prefecture Sakata has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters.

[6] With the establishment of the modern municipalities system after the start of the Meiji period, the area was organized as Sakata Town under Akumi District, Yamagata Prefecture in 1878.

The city largely escaped damage during World War II, save for a lone air raid on its port district on August 10, 1945, which left 30 people dead or missing.

The men were used as forced labor at the Port of Sakata and some worked for Nittsu, also known as Nippon Express, still operating in Japan today.

On October 29, 1976, Sakata suffered from a major fire which gutted 22.5 hectares of its city center, destroying 1,774 buildings and injuring 964 people (and one fatality).

In terms of national politics, the city is part of Yamagata District 3 of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

There is a large parade in the central streets of the city, which features festival floats and dancers from schools, local companies, and community organizations.