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

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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.

Okinawa Prefecture

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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.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Eastern Asia: Nansei (Ryukyu) Islands south of Japanese mainland | Ecoregions | WWF". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  2. ^ "Ryukyu Islands | archipelago, Japan". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  3. ^ "The Ryukyu Annexation in Modern East Asian History | Seoul National University Asia Center". 14 November 2019. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
  4. ^ "Senkaku Islands Information". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Retrieved 2020-10-01.