Suwanosejima
| Native name: Japanese: 諏訪之瀬島 | |
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| Geography | |
| Location | East China Sea |
| Coordinates | 29°38′N 129°43′E / 29.633°N 129.717°E |
| Archipelago | Tokara Islands |
| Area | 27.66 km2 (10.68 sq mi) |
| Coastline | 27.15 km (16.87 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 796 m (2,612 ft) |
| Highest point | Otake |
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Japan
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| Kagoshima Prefecture | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 48 (2004) |
| Ethnic groups | Japanese |
Suwanosejima (諏訪之瀬島?) is one of the Tokara Islands, belonging to Kagoshima Prefecture. The island covers 27.66 km² in area and has a population of 48 persons. Although the island has an airport, there are no regularly scheduled services, and access is normally by ferry to the city of Kagoshima on the mainland. The island is about nine hours by boat from the mainland. The islanders are dependent mainly on agriculture, fishing and seasonal tourism.
Suwanosejima is the second largest of the islands in the Tokara archipelago, and is located 21 kilometres (11 nmi) southwest from Nakanoshima. The highest elevation is Otake (御岳?), with a height of 796 metres (2,612 ft) above sea level, which is the exposed cone of an active stratovolcano arising from the ocean floor. The local climate is classified as subtropical, with a rainy season from May through September.
Suwanosejima has been populated sporadically (depending on volcanic activity), for several thousand years. The island was once part of the Ryukyu Kingdom. During the Edo period, Suwanosejima was part of Satsuma Domain and was administered as part of Kawabe District.
It was abandoned after a great 15th century eruption, until it was resettled by people of the Amami Islands in the 19th century. After large-scale Plinian eruptions from 1813-1814, which ejected a large amount of scoria and saw lava flows to the west coast, the island was abandoned by its inhabitants again until 1883. Further eruptions occurred in 1877, 1914-1915, 1921, 1922-1925, 1938, 1940, 1949, 1950-1954, 1957-1999, 2001-2002 and 2004-present. One of the most active volcanic islands in the world, Suwanosejima recorded 156 volcanic eruptions in 2008 and 216 in 2009.
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