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Sakishima Islands

Sakishima Islands
Native name:
  • 先島諸島 (Sakishima-shotō)
  • 先島群島 (Sakishima-guntō)
  • Sachishima (Okinawan)
Sakishima Islands ISS039.jpg
View of the Sakishima Islands from the ISS
Sakishima Islands is located in Ryukyu Islands
Sakishima Islands
Sakishima Islands
Geography
Location Between the southern border of the East China Sea and northwestern border of the Philippine Sea
Coordinates 24°42′35″N 124°23′19″E / 24.709652°N 124.388477°E / 24.709652; 124.388477Coordinates: 24°42′35″N 124°23′19″E / 24.709652°N 124.388477°E / 24.709652; 124.388477
Archipelago Japanese Archipelago
Total islands 44 (20 inhabited)
Major islands
Area 818.45 km2 (316.01 sq mi)
Highest elevation 526.0 m (1,725.7 ft)
Highest point Mount Omoto
Administration
Japan
Prefecture Okinawa
Municipalities
Largest city Miyakojima (pop. 54,908 (2012))
Demographics
Population 105,708 (October 1, 2010)
Pop. density 129.2 /km2 (334.6 /sq mi)
Languages Japanese
Ethnic groups Japanese, Ryukyuan
Additional information
Time zone
 • Summer (DST)

The Sakishima Islands (先島諸島 Sakishima-shotō?) (or 先島群島, Sakishima-guntō) (Okinawan: Sachishima) are an archipelago located at the southernmost end of the Japanese Archipelago. They are part of the Ryukyu Islands and include the Miyako Islands and the Yaeyama Islands. The islands are administered as part of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.

Sakishima Islands

Ikema Bridge, between Miyako and Ikema

Shimoji

Tarama

Ishigaki

Taketomi

Kuroshima

Iriomote

Yonaguni

The Sakishima Islands were first documented in the Shoku Nihongi (797), which says that in 714 Ō no Ason Okeji (太朝臣遠建治?) paid tribute to Dazaifu with 52 islanders from Amami (奄美?), Shigaki (信覚?), Kumi (球美?) and other islands. Shigaki is believed to be the current Ishigaki (石垣?), Kumi to be the current Kume (久米?) or Komi (古見?) settlement of Iriomote. The History of Yuan (1370) documented a castaway from Mìyágǔ (密牙古) arrived to Wenzhou in 1317. This is believed to be the first documentation of Miyako (宮古?).


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Wikipedia

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