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Archipelago

    Pacific OceanJapan

    29°22′N 129°45′E

    Tokara Islands

    吐噶喇列島

    Part of Satsunan Islands

    The Tokara Islands (吐噶喇列島, Tokara-rettō) are an archipelago in the Nansei Islands, and are part of the Satsunan Islands, which are, in turn, part of the Ryukyu Archipelago.

    Yokoate-jima, Kagoshima prefecture, Japan.
    Yokoate-jima, Kagoshima prefecture, Japan.

    Japan Coast Guard / Attribution

    Chart

    218 landforms

    Overview

    The Tokara Islands (吐噶喇列島, Tokara-rettō) are an archipelago in the Nansei Islands, and are part of the Satsunan Islands, which are, in turn, part of the Ryukyu Archipelago. The 150-kilometre (93 mi)-long chain consists of twelve small islands located between Yakushima and Amami-Oshima. The islands have a total area of 101.35 square kilometres (39.13 sq mi). Administratively, the whole group belongs to Toshima Village, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Only seven of the islands are permanently inhabited. The islands, especially Takarajima, are home to the Tokara horse.

    From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Census, cataloged

    • Major islands9
    • Minor islands3
    • Islets37
    • Rocks & skerries169

    Major islands

    9
    • Nakanoshima

      Nakanoshima

      Area
      34.4 km²
      High point
      979 m

      Nakanoshima (Japanese: 中之島), is a volcanic island located in the Tokara Islands, part of the Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. It is the largest and most populous island of the islands in Toshima village. The island, 34.47 km2 in area, had 167 inhabitants as of 2005.

    • Suwanosejima

      Suwanosejima

      Area
      27.6 km²
      High point
      796 m

      Suwanose Jima (諏訪之瀬島) is one of the Tokara Islands, belonging to Kagoshima Prefecture. 66 km² in area and has a population of 84 people. Although the island has an airport, there are no regularly scheduled services, and access is normally by ferry to the city of Kagoshima on the mainland.

    • Kuchinoshima

      Kuchinoshima

      Area
      13.3 km²
      High point
      628 m

      Kuchinoshima (口之島), literally "mouth island", is one of the Tokara Islands, belonging to Kagoshima Prefecture. 15 sq mi) in area, and has a population of 140 persons. The island can only be reached by boat as it has no airport; there is regular ferry service to the city of Kagoshima on the mainland.

    • Akusekijima

      Akusekijima

      Area
      7.5 km²
      High point
      584 m

      Akusekijima (Japanese: 悪石島) is one of the Tokara Islands, a subgroup of the Satsunan Islands belonging to Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. 42 km² in area, has a population of 59 persons.

    • Takarajima

      Takarajima

      Area
      7.1 km²
      High point
      292 m

      Takarajima (宝島), literally "treasure island", is one of the Tokara Islands, belonging to Kagoshima Prefecture. 14 km² in area, had a population of 147 persons as of 2020 census data. The island can be reached only by boat as it has no airport, though there is a helipad that may be used in emergencies.

    • Gajajima

      Gajajima

      Area
      4 km²
      High point
      497 m

      Gajajima (臥蛇島), is an abandoned island in the Tokara Islands, a sub-group of the Satsunan Islands belonging to Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The island has an area of 4.07 km2 in area and was inhabited to 1970.

    • Yokoate-jima

      Yokoate-jima

      Area
      2.7 km²
      High point
      495 m

      Yokoate-jima (横当島) is an uninhabited volcanic island located in the Tokara Islands, part of the Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.

    • Tairajima

      Tairajima

      Area
      2.1 km²
      High point
      243 m

      Tairajima (平島), is one of the Tokara Islands, a sub-group of the Satsunan Islands belonging to Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. 08 km² in area, has a population of 89 persons.

    • Kodakara Island

      Kodakara Island

      Area
      0.97 km²
      High point
      103 m

      Kodakarajima (小宝島), literally "small treasure island", is one of the Tokara Islands, belonging to Kagoshima Prefecture. 0 km² in area, is the smallest inhabited island in the archipelago, and has a population of 49 people.

    Minor islands

    3

    Rocks & skerries

    169

    On the chart above, at its closest zooms.

    Listing 12 of 218; the rest are on the chart.

    Figures

    Comparative heights

    Sea level500 m1,000 m979 mNakanoshima796 mSuwanosejima628 mKuchinoshima584 mAkusekijima497 mGajajima495 mYokoate-jima292 mTakarajima267 mKogajajima248 mKaminonejima243 mTairajima103 mKodakara32 mKojima
    High points by island, metres above sea level.

    Islands by area

    0.1110100Nakanoshima: 34.4 km²NakanoshimaSuwanosejima: 27.6 km²SuwanosejimaKuchinoshima: 13.3 km²KuchinoshimaAkusekijima: 7.5 km²AkusekijimaTakarajima: 7.1 km²TakarajimaGajajima: 4 km²GajajimaYokoate-jima: 2.7 km²Yokoate-jimaTairajima: 2.1 km²TairajimaKodakara: 0.97 km²KodakaraKaminonejima: 0.45 km²KaminonejimaKogajajima: 0.37 km²KogajajimaKojima: 0.3 km²Kojima
    km², log scale
    Nakanoshima34.4 km²
    Suwanosejima27.6 km²
    Kuchinoshima13.3 km²
    Akusekijima7.5 km²
    Takarajima7.1 km²
    Gajajima4 km²
    Yokoate-jima2.7 km²
    Tairajima2.1 km²
    Kodakara Island0.97 km²
    Kaminonejima0.45 km²
    Kogajajima0.37 km²
    Kojima0.3 km²

    Sources

    Facts

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

    Photographs