Ryukyu Islands

A general term for the islands of Okinawa Prefecture, which make up the southern half of the Nansei Islands (Ryukyu Islands) that stretch from Kyushu Island to Taiwan Island. The northern half, which is part of Kagoshima Prefecture, is called the Satsunan Islands. It consists of 160 islands, with a total area (prefectural area) of 2,276.15 square kilometers, 45 of which are inhabited, and a population of 1,392,818 (2010). Arranged in an arc on the border between the Pacific Ocean and the East China Sea, most of the islands are non-volcanic and of land-island origin. It has a subtropical climate, with the Kuroshio Current flowing along its coast, and coral reefs, mainly fringing reefs, have developed along the coast.

The Ryukyu Islands are divided into the Okinawa Islands, centered around the main island of Okinawa, and the Sakishima Islands, which are further divided into the Miyako Islands (islands) and the Yaeyama Islands (islands).

[Shigekazu Mezaki]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

九州島から台湾島に連なる南西諸島（琉球列島）中の南半にあたる沖縄県の島々の総称。なお北半の鹿児島県の島々は薩南諸島(さつなんしょとう)とよぶ。160島からなり、総面積（県面積）は2276.15平方キロメートルで、有人島は45島、人口139万2818（2010）。太平洋と東シナ海との境界に弧状に並び、大半が陸島起源の非火山島からなる。亜熱帯性気候下にあり、黒潮がこの沿岸を流れ、海岸部は裾礁(きょしょう)を主体としたサンゴ礁が発達する。

　琉球諸島は、沖縄本島を中心とした沖縄諸島と、先島諸島(さきしましょとう)に二分され、先島諸島はさらに宮古列島(みやこれっとう)（諸島）と八重山列島(やえやまれっとう)（諸島）とに区分される。

［目崎茂和］

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