is a city located in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 29,814 in 11,631 households and the population density of 34 persons per km<sup>2</sup>. The total area of the city was . The town is encircled by a ring of mountains and the only way in or out is via tunnels or mountain roads.
à Âno is the largest municipality by area in Fukui Prefecture, accounting for approximately one-fifth of the prefecture's land area. The urban center retains a strong resemblance to its former castle town and is known as "Echizen's Little Kyoto". à Âno is located in mountainous northeastern Fukui Prefecture, bordered by Ishikawa Prefecture to the north and Gifu Prefecture to the east and south. The Ryà Âhaku Mountains stretch from east to south. The highest point is Echizen Sannomine (2,095 meters), the highest point in Fukui Prefecture. The ridge near the border between Gifu and Ishikawa prefectures reaches an elevation of over 2,000 meters. The à Âno Basin in the northwest, which runs along the downstream Mana River, is about 200 meters above sea level. The Kuzuryà « River flows through the city. Parts of the city are within the borders of Hakusan National Park.
Fukui Prefecture
à Âno has a Humid climate (Cfa per the Köppen climate classification system), characterized by warm, wet summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in à Âno is . The average annual rainfall is with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around .
Per Japanese census data, the population of à Âno has declined over the past 50 years.
à Âno is part of ancient Echizen Province. à Âno Castle was built during the Sengoku period by Kanamori Nagachika. During the Edo period, à Âno developed as the castle town of à Âno Domainm which was also a noted center for rangaku studies. Following the Meiji restoration, it was organised into part of à Âno District in Fukui Prefecture. Much of the old town of à Âno was destroyed in a fire on April 8, 1888. With the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. the town of à Âno was established. à Âno merged with the villages of Shimosho, Kamisho, Goka, Sakadani, Tomida, Inuigawa and Oyama and was raised to city status on July 1, 1954. à Âno annexed the neighbouring village of Nishitani on July 1, 1970. On November 7, 2005, the village of Izumi was merged into à Âno. à Âno and the surroundings were the setting for the 2011 non-fiction book For Fukui's Sake, written by a British author who resided there for two years.
à Âno has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 16 members. Katsuyama contributes two members to the Fukui Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the Fukui 1st district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
The economy of à Âno is mixed, with agriculture, forestry and seasonal tourism playing prominent roles. Taro is a major local product.
à Âno has seven public elementary schools and two middle schools operated by the city government, and two public high schools operated by the Fukui Prefectural Board of Education.