List of islands in the Ryukyu Archipelago
The Ryukyu Archipelago (Japanese: 琉球列島, Ryūkyū-rettō) are a collection of 100+ islands located between Kyushu and Taiwan.[1][2] They are politically split between the Japanese prefectures of Okinawa and Kagoshima.
Kagoshima Prefecture
[edit]The northernmost parts of the Ryukyu Islands are within Kagoshima Prefecture. These islands are referred to as the Satsunan Islands (薩南諸島, Satsunan-shotō), meaning “south of Satsuma”, as they were the southernmost territories of the Satsuma Domain.
- Yakushima
- Tanegashima
- Kuchinoerabu-jima
- Mageshima
- Kuroshima (Kagoshima)
- Iōjima (Kagoshima)
- Takeshima (Kagoshima)
- Shōwa Iōjima
- Denshima
- Hirase
- Kuchinoshima
- Nakanoshima (Kagoshima)
- Gajajima
- Kogajajima
- Tairajima
- Suwanosejima
- Akusekijima
- Kojima
- Kodakarajima
- Takarajima
- Kaminonejima
- Yokoate-jima
- Amami Ōshima
- Kikaijima
- Kakeromajima
- Yoroshima
- Uke Island
- Tokunoshima
- Okinoerabujima
- Yoronjima
- Edateku Island
- Sukomobanare Island
- Yubanare Island
- Kiyama Island
Okinawa Prefecture
[edit]Islands south of the Satsunan Islands are administered by Okinawa Prefecture. Its predecessor was the Ryukyu Kingdom, an independent nation until 1879.[3]
Japan has de facto control over the disputed Senkaku Islands, claiming them as part of Ishigaki City in Okinawa Prefecture.[4] However, they are not geographically within the Ryukyu Archipelago, being located further westward in the East China Sea.
- Okinawa Island
- Iheya Island
- Izena Island
- Iejima
- Sesoko Island
- Yokatsu Islands
- Kume Island
- Kerama Islands
- Aguni Islands
- Miyako-jima
- Ikema Island
- Irabu Island
- Kurima-jima
- Ogami Island
- Shimoji-shima
- Minna Island (Tarama, Okinawa)
- Tarama Island
- Ishigaki Island
- Aragusuku Island
- Hateruma
- Iriomote Island
- Kayama Island
- Kohama Island
- Kuroshima (Okinawa)
- Sotobanari
- Taketomi Island
- Yubu Island
- Hatoma
- Yonaguni
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Eastern Asia: Nansei (Ryukyu) Islands south of Japanese mainland | Ecoregions | WWF". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
- ^ "Ryukyu Islands | archipelago, Japan". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
- ^ "The Ryukyu Annexation in Modern East Asian History | Seoul National University Asia Center". 14 November 2019. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
- ^ "Senkaku Islands Information". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Retrieved 2020-10-01.