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Ryukyu Archipelago

Ryukyu Islands
Nansei-shotō (南西諸島?, Southwest Islands)
Ryūkyū-shotō (琉球諸島?, Ryukyu Islands)
Ruuchuu (琉球/ルーチュー?, Okinawan language)
Location of the Ryukyu Islands in Japan
Location of Ryukyu Islands
Geography
Location On the boundary between the East China Sea and the Philippine Sea
Coordinates 26°30′N 128°00′E / 26.5°N 128°E / 26.5; 128Coordinates: 26°30′N 128°00′E / 26.5°N 128°E / 26.5; 128
Total islands 100+
Major islands Okinawa, Amami
Area 4,642.11 km2 (1,792.33 sq mi)
Highest elevation 1,936 m (6,352 ft)
Highest point Mt. Miyanoura-dake
Administration
Japan
Prefecture Okinawa Prefecture, Kagoshima Prefecture
Demographics
Demonym Ryukyuans
Population 1,550,161 (2005)
Pop. density 333.93 /km2 (864.87 /sq mi)
Ethnic groups Ryukyuan, Japanese

The Ryukyu Islands /riˈkjuː/(琉球諸島 Ryūkyū-shotō?), known in Japanese as the Nansei Islands (南西諸島 Nansei-shotō?, lit. "Southwest Islands") and also known as the Ryukyu Arc (琉球弧 Ryūkyū-ko?), are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yonaguni the southernmost. The larger are mostly high islands and the smaller ones are mostly coral islands. The largest of the islands is Okinawa.


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Wikipedia

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