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Archipelago

    Philippine SeaJapan

    26°20′N 127°45′E

    Ryukyu Islands

    琉球諸島

    Part of Ryukyu Arc

    The Ryukyu Islands (Japanese: 琉球列島, Hepburn: Ryūkyū Rettō), also known as the Nansei Islands (南西諸島, Nansei Shotō; lit. 'Southwest Islands') or the Ryukyu Arc (琉球弧, Ryūkyū-ko), are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan.

    Kabira Bay of Ishigaki Island in Ishigaki City, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It is one of the Japan's Places of Scenic Beauty.
    Kabira Bay of Ishigaki Island in Ishigaki City, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It is one of the Japan's Places of Scenic Beauty.

    663highland / CC BY 2.5

    Chart

    5494 landforms

    Overview

    The Ryukyu Islands (Japanese: 琉球列島, Hepburn: Ryūkyū Rettō), also known as the Nansei Islands (南西諸島, Nansei Shotō; lit. 'Southwest Islands') or the Ryukyu Arc (琉球弧, Ryūkyū-ko), are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan. Administratively, they are divided between Kagoshima Prefecture (the Satsunan Islands, further divided into the Ōsumi, Tokara, and Amami Islands) and Okinawa Prefecture (further divided into the Okinawa, Miyako, Yaeyama, Daitō, and Senkaku Islands). The larger ones are mostly volcanic islands and the smaller mostly coral. The largest is Okinawa Island. The climate of the islands ranges from humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) in the north to tropical rainforest climate (Köppen climate classification Af) in the south. Precipitation is very high and is affected by the rainy season and typhoons. Except the outlying Daitō Islands, the island chain has two major geologic boundaries, the Tokara Strait (between the Tokara and Amami Islands) and the Kerama Gap (between the Okinawa and Miyako Islands). The islands beyond the Tokara Strait are characterized by their coral reefs. The Ōsumi and Tokara Islands, the northernmost of the islands, fall under the cultural sphere of the Kyushu region of Japan; local inhabitants speak a variation of the Kagoshima dialect of Japanese. The Amami, Okinawa, Miyako, and Yaeyama Islands have a native population collectively called the Ryukyuan people, named for the former Ryukyu Kingdom (1429–1875) that ruled them. The varied Ryukyuan languages are traditionally spoken on these islands, and the major islands have their own distinct languages. In modern times, the Japanese language has been the primary language of the islands, with the Okinawan Japanese dialect prevalently spoken. The outlying Daitō Islands were uninhabited until the Meiji period, when their development was started mainly by people from the Izu Islands south of Tokyo, with the people there speaking the Hachijō language. The islands were held by the United States after the 1951 Treaty of San Francisco concluded the Pacific War. They were returned to Japan under the 1971 Okinawa reversion agreement, with China disputing the Senkaku Islands. Administratively, the islands are divided between two prefectures: the northern islands, collectively called the Satsunan Islands, are part of Kagoshima Prefecture, while the southern part of the chain makes up Okinawa Prefecture. The divide is between the Amami and Okinawa Islands, with the Daitō Islands part of Okinawa Prefecture.

    From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Census, cataloged

    • Major islands8
    • Minor islands128
    • Islets725
    • Rocks & skerries4,633

    Major islands

    8
    • Okinawa Island

      Okinawa Island

      Area
      1,207 km²
      High point
      503 m

      Okinawa Island (Japanese: 沖縄島, Hepburn: Okinawa-jima; Okinawan: 沖縄 / うちなー, romanized: Uchinā; Kunigami: ふちなー, romanized: Fuchináa), also known as Okinawa Main Island (沖縄本島, Okinawa-hontō), is the largest of the Okinawa Islands and the Ryukyu (Nansei) Islands of Japan in the Kyushu region. 02 sq mi).

    • Amami Ōshima

      Amami Ōshima

      Area
      712 km²
      High point
      694 m

      Amami Ōshima (奄美大島; Japanese pronunciation: [ä̀.mä́.mʲí ó̞ò̞.ɕì.mä̀] Okinawan: Uushima; Amami Ōshima: Ushima), also known as Amami ([ä́.mä̀.mʲì]), is the largest island in the Amami archipelago between Kyūshū and Okinawa. It is one of the Satsunan Islands, all of which belong to Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.

    • Yakushima

      Yakushima

      Area
      504 km²
      High point
      1,936 m

      Yakushima (屋久島) is one of the Ōsumi Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The island, 504.88 km2 (194.94 sq mi) in area, has a population of 11,858. It is accessible by hydrofoil ferry, car ferry, or by air to Yakushima Airport.

    • Tanegashima

      Tanegashima

      Area
      445 km²
      High point
      238 m

      ŋä̀-]) is one of the Ōsumi Islands belonging to Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. 81 sq mi) in area, is the second largest of the Ōsumi Islands, and has a population of 33,000 people. Access to the island is by ferry, or by air to New Tanegashima Airport.

    • Iriomote Island

      Iriomote Island

      Area
      290 km²
      High point
      470 m

      Iriomote Island (西表島, Iriomote-jima; Yaeyama: Irïmutii; Iriomote: Irimutii; Okinawan: Iriumuti) is the largest of the Yaeyama Islands of Japan, and the second largest in Okinawa Prefecture after Okinawa Island itself.

    • Tokunoshima

      Tokunoshima

      Area
      248 km²
      High point
      645 m

      Tokunoshima (Japanese: 徳之島; Tokunoshima: Tukunushima), or Tokuno Island, is an island in the Amami archipelago of the southern Satsunan Islands of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.

    • Ishigaki Island

      Ishigaki Island

      Area
      223 km²
      High point
      526 m

      mä́), -ŋä́-]; Yaeyama: Ishanagï; Okinawan: Ishigachi) is a Japanese island south-west of Okinawa Hontō and the second-largest island of the Yaeyama Island group, behind Iriomote Island. It is located approximately 411 km (255 mi) south-west of Okinawa Hontō. It is within the City of Ishigaki in Okinawa Prefecture.

    • Miyako Island

      Miyako Island

      Area
      159 km²
      High point
      109 m

      Miyako Island (Japanese: 宮古島, Hepburn: Miyako-jima; Miyako: Myaaku (ミャーク); Okinawan: Naaku (ナーク)) is the largest and the most populous island among the Miyako Islands of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.

    Minor islands

    128

    Rocks & skerries

    4633

    On the chart above, at its closest zooms.

    Listing 136 of 5494; the rest are on the chart.

    Figures

    Comparative heights

    Sea level500 m1,000 m1,500 m2,000 m1,936 mYakushima979 mNakanoshima796 mSuwanosejima704 mIōjima694 mAmami Ōshima649 mKuchinoerabu645 mTokunoshima628 mKuchinoshima620 mKuroshima584 mAkusekijima526 mIshigaki503 mOkinawa497 mGajajima495 mYokoate-jima
    High points by island, metres above sea level.

    Islands by area

    0.11101001,00010,000Okinawa: 1,207 km²OkinawaAmami Ōshima: 712 km²Amami ŌshimaYakushima: 504 km²YakushimaTanegashima: 445 km²TanegashimaIriomote: 290 km²IriomoteTokunoshima: 248 km²TokunoshimaIshigaki: 223 km²IshigakiMiyako: 159 km²MiyakoOkinoerabujima: 93.5 km²OkinoerabujimaKakeromajima: 77.2 km²KakeromajimaKume: 59.6 km²KumeKikai: 56.9 km²KikaiKuchinoerabu: 35.8 km²KuchinoerabuNakanoshima: 34.4 km²NakanoshimaMinamidaitō: 30.5 km²MinamidaitōIrabu: 29.2 km²IrabuYonaguni: 28.9 km²YonaguniSuwanosejima: 27.6 km²SuwanosejimaIejima: 22.8 km²IejimaIheya: 20.7 km²IheyaYoronjima: 20.6 km²YoronjimaTarama: 19.8 km²TaramaKuroshima: 15.4 km²KuroshimaTokashiki: 15.3 km²TokashikiIzena: 14.2 km²IzenaUke: 13.3 km²UkeKuchinoshima: 13.3 km²KuchinoshimaHateruma: 12.7 km²HaterumaKitadaitō: 11.9 km²KitadaitōIōjima: 11.6 km²IōjimaKuroshima: 10 km²KuroshimaShimoji: 9.6 km²ShimojiYoroshima: 9.4 km²YoroshimaMageshima: 8.2 km²MageshimaKohama: 7.9 km²KohamaYagaji: 7.8 km²YagajiAguni: 7.6 km²AguniAkusekijima: 7.5 km²AkusekijimaTakarajima: 7.1 km²TakarajimaZamami: 6.7 km²Zamami
    km², log scale. 16 without a known area.
    Okinawa Island1,207 km²
    Amami Ōshima712 km²
    Yakushima504 km²
    Tanegashima445 km²
    Iriomote Island290 km²
    Tokunoshima248 km²
    Ishigaki Island223 km²
    Miyako Island159 km²
    Okinoerabujima93.5 km²
    Kakeromajima77.2 km²
    Kume Island59.6 km²
    Kikai Island56.9 km²
    Kuchinoerabu Island35.8 km²
    Nakanoshima34.4 km²
    Minamidaitō Island30.5 km²
    Irabu Island29.2 km²
    Yonaguni28.9 km²
    Suwanosejima27.6 km²
    Iejima22.8 km²
    Iheya Island20.7 km²
    Yoronjima20.6 km²
    Tarama Island19.8 km²
    Kuroshima15.4 km²
    Tokashiki Island15.3 km²
    Izena Island14.2 km²
    Uke Island13.3 km²
    Kuchinoshima13.3 km²
    Hateruma12.7 km²
    Kitadaitō Island11.9 km²
    Iōjima11.6 km²
    Kuroshima10 km²
    Shimoji Island9.6 km²
    Yoroshima9.4 km²
    Mageshima8.2 km²
    Kohama Island7.9 km²
    Yagaji Island7.8 km²
    Aguni Island7.6 km²
    Akusekijima7.5 km²
    Takarajima7.1 km²
    Zamami Island6.7 km²
    Edateku Island5.8 km²
    Miyagi Island5.6 km²
    Taketomi Island5.4 km²
    Henza Island5.2 km²
    Takeshima4.2 km²
    Gajajima4 km²
    Aka Island3.8 km²
    Uotsuri Island3.8 km²
    Tonaki Island3.6 km²
    Kouri Island3.2 km²
    Sesoko Island3 km²
    Kurima Island2.8 km²
    Ikema Island2.8 km²
    Yokoate-jima2.7 km²
    Iōtorishima2.5 km²
    Minna Island2.2 km²
    Hamahiga Island2.1 km²
    Uchibanari island2.1 km²
    Tairajima2.1 km²
    Tsuken Island1.9 km²
    Aragusuku Islands1.8 km²
    Ikei Island1.7 km²
    Mae Island1.6 km²
    Shimoji Island1.6 km²
    Kamiji Island1.6 km²
    Kuba Island1.5 km²
    Kudaka Island1.4 km²
    Sotobanari1.3 km²
    Yakabi Island1.3 km²
    Geruma Island1.2 km²
    Oki Daitō Island1.1 km²
    Noho Island1.1 km²
    Hatoma0.97 km²
    Kodakara Island0.97 km²
    Sukomobanare Island0.93 km²
    Kuba Island0.9 km²
    Fukaji Island0.83 km²
    Yanaha Island0.8 km²
    Amuro Island0.71 km²
    Ōjima0.65 km²
    Yabuchi Island0.61 km²
    Kerama Islands0.49 km²
    Minnajima0.47 km²
    Gushikawa Island0.47 km²
    Kaminonejima0.45 km²
    Minamikojima0.4 km²
    Kayama Island0.39 km²
    Unnamed island0.38 km²
    Kogajajima0.37 km²
    Small Island0.37 km²
    Ōha Island0.37 km²
    Kiyama Island0.36 km²
    Eniyabanare Island0.35 km²
    Nakanshi0.33 km²
    Kitakojima0.31 km²
    Kojima0.3 km²
    Ukibaru Island0.3 km²
    Ou Island0.3 km²
    Ogami Island0.28 km²
    Kuroshima0.27 km²
    Ōjima0.27 km²
    Irisuna-jima0.26 km²
    Unjima Island0.26 km²
    Miyagi Island0.24 km²
    Nakanokamishima0.23 km²
    Yanoshita Island0.23 km²
    Unnamed island0.2 km²
    Kamiyama Island0.19 km²
    Unnamed island0.19 km²
    Nagannu Island0.18 km²
    Nakashima Island0.18 km²
    Senaga Island0.18 km²
    Yubanare Island0.17 km²
    Yubu Island0.16 km²
    Hatejima Island0.14 km²
    Hamiyajima Island0.13 km²
    Gahi Island0.13 km²
    Gushikujima Island0.11 km²
    Unnamed island0.11 km²
    Hanarijima0.1 km²

    Groups within

    4

    Sources

    Facts

    • Geometry, areas and high points: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Copernicus GLO-30, via Talus.
    • Wikidata
    • Wikidata
    • Talus
    • Wikipedia

    Photographs