The Ryukyu Archipelago (Japanese: 琉球列島, Ryūkyū-rettō) are a collection of 100+ islands located between Kyushu and Taiwan. They are politically split between the Japanese prefectures of Okinawa and Kagoshima.
Kagoshima Prefecture 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.
Ōsumi Islands Yakushima Tanegashima Kuchinoerabu-jima Mageshima Kuroshima (Kagoshima) Iōjima (Kagoshima) Takeshima (Kagoshima) Shōwa Iōjima Denshima
Tokara Islands
Hirase Kuchinoshima Nakanoshima (Kagoshima) Gajajima Kogajajima Tairajima Suwanosejima Akusekijima Kojima Kodakarajima Takarajima Kaminonejima Yokoate-jima
Amami Islands
Amami Ōshima Kikaijima Kakeromajima Yoroshima Uke Island Tokunoshima Okinoerabujima Yoronjima Edateku Island Sukomobanare Island Yubanare Island Kiyama Island
Okinawa Prefecture Islands south of the Satsunan Islands are administered by Okinawa Prefecture. Its predecessor was the Ryukyu Kingdom, an independent nation until 1879.
Japan has de facto control over the disputed Senkaku Islands, claiming them as part of Ishigaki City in Okinawa Prefecture. However, they are not geographically within the Ryukyu Archipelago, being located further westward in the East China Sea.
Okinawa Islands
Okinawa Island Iheya Island Izena Island Iejima Sesoko Island Yokatsu Islands Ikei Island Hamahiga Island Henza Island Minamiukibara Island Miyagi Island Tsuken Island Ukibara Island Yabuchi Island Kume Island Kerama Islands Tokashiki Island Zamami Island Aka Island Geruma Island Aguni Islands Aguni Island Tonaki Island Irisuna-jima
Miyako Islands
Miyako-jima Ikema Island Irabu Island Kurima-jima Ogami Island Shimoji-shima Minna Island (Tarama, Okinawa) Tarama Island
Yaeyama Islands
Ishigaki Island Aragusuku Islands Hateruma Iriomote Island Kayama Island Kohama Island Kuroshima (Okinawa) Sotobanari Taketomi Island Yubu Island Hatoma Yonaguni
Daitō Islands
Minamidaitōjima Kitadaitōjima Okidaitōjima
Islands List of inhabited islands by population over 500. PrefectureIslandDistrictPopAreaOkinawa1,335,8271,207Amami ŌshimaAmami-Ōshima57,919712.3MiyakoMiyakojima47,676158.9IshigakiIshigaki47,637222.2TanegashimaNishinoomote-Kumage26,946445TokunoshimaŌshima21,803247.7YakushimaKumage12,509504.9OkinoerabujimaŌshima11,99693.6KumeShimajiri7,15559.1KikaijimaŌshima6,62956.9YoronjimaŌshima5,11520.8IrabuMiyakojima4,58238.7IejimaKunigami4,11823IromoteYaeyama2,253289.2Shimokoshiki-shimaSatsumasenda1,93566.1Kamikoshiki-shimaSatsumasenda1,82245.1YonaguniYaeyama1,67628.9IzenaShimajiri1,32215.4MinamidaitojimaShimajiri1,28530.5YagajiNago1,2567.8HenzaUruma1,1295.3KakeromajimaŌshima1,08077.4TaramaMiyako1,05422IheyaShimajiri1,04020.6SesokoKunigami8623.5OuNanjō7400.2TokashikiShimajiri71815.3AguniShimajiri6837.6MiyagiUruma6575.5KohamaYaeyama6217.8KitadaitojimaShimajiri59011.9ZamamiShimajiri5816.7IkemaMiyakojima5112.8
See also Ryukyu Islands
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