Abashiri is best known as the site of the Abashiri Prison, a Meiji-era facility used for the incarceration of political prisoners. The old prison has been turned into a museum, but the city's new maximum security prison is still in use.
As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 42,548 and the density of 90.36 persons per km². The total area is 470.88 km².
