Okinawa Island (沖縄島, Okinawa-jima, Okinawan: 沖縄/うちなー, Uchinaa[4] Kunigami: ふちなー, Fuchináa), officially Okinawa Main Island (沖縄本島, Okinawa-hontō),[5] is the largest of the Okinawa Islands and the Ryukyu (Nansei) Islands of Japan in the Kyushu region. It is the smallest and least populated of the five main islands of Japan.[6] The island is approximately 106 kilometres (66 mi) long, an average 11 kilometres (7 mi) wide,[7] and has an area of 1,206.98 square kilometers (466.02 sq mi). It is roughly 640 kilometres (350 nmi; 400 mi) south of the main island of Kyushu and the rest of Japan. It is 500 km (270 nmi; 310 mi) northeast of Taiwan. The total population of Okinawa Island is 1,384,762.[3] The greater Naha area has roughly 800,000 residents, while the city itself has about 320,000 people. Naha is the seat of Okinawa Prefecture on the southwestern part of Okinawa Island. Okinawa has a humid subtropical climate.
Okinawa has been a critical strategic location for the United States Armed Forces since the Battle of Okinawa and the end of World War II. The island was formally controlled by the United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands until 1972, with around 26,000 U.S. military personnel stationed on Okinawa today, comprising about half of the total complement of the United States Forces Japan, spread among 31 areas, across 13 bases and 48 training sites. United States military installations cover approximately 25% of the island.
^"Okinawa | Facts, History, & Points of Interest". Archived from the original on 4 April 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
^"Statistical reports on the land area by prefectures and municipalities in Japan as of 2018" (PDF) (in Japanese). Geospatial Information Authority of Japan. 1 October 2018. p. 103. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 March 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
^ abCite error: The named reference okinawa-population was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^語彙詳細―首里・那覇方言 Archived 19 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Okinawa Center of Language Study. Retrieved on 2 December 2014.
^"Okinawa Main Island". Visit Okinawa Japan | Official Okinawa Travel Guide.
^"離島とは(島の基礎知識) (what is a remote island?)". MLIT (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism) (in Japanese). Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. 22 August 2015. Archived from the original (website) on 13 November 2007. Retrieved 9 August 2019. MILT classification 6,852 islands(main islands: 5 islands, remote islands: 6,847 islands)
^"Okinawa Island | island, Japan". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 19 November 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
OkinawaIsland (沖縄島, Okinawa-jima, Okinawan: 沖縄/うちなー, Uchinaa Kunigami: ふちなー, Fuchináa), officially Okinawa Main Island (沖縄本島, Okinawa-hontō), is the largest...
The OkinawaIslands (沖縄諸島, Okinawa Shotō, or 沖縄群島, Okinawa Guntō) are an island group in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan and are the principal island group...
the Satsunan Islands of Kagoshima Prefecture to Taiwan (Hualien and Yilan Counties). Okinawa Prefecture's largest island, OkinawaIsland, is the home...
a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into...
Battle of Okinawa (Japanese: 沖縄戦, Hepburn: Okinawa-sen), codenamed Operation Iceberg,: 17 was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa...
in Okinawa Prefecture after OkinawaIsland itself. The island has an area of 289.27 km2 (111.69 sq mi) and a 2005 population of 2,347. The island does...
Ishigaki Island (石垣島, Ishigaki-jima, Yaeyama: Ishanagï, Okinawan: Ishigachi), also known as Ishigakijima, is a Japanese island south-west of Okinawa Hontō...
government in the Ryukyu Islands, Japan (centered on OkinawaIsland), replacing the United States Military Government of the Ryukyu Islands (itself created at...
Okinawa (沖縄) is a name with multiple referents. The endonym refers to OkinawaIsland in southwestern Japan. Today it can cover some surrounding islands...
Naval Base Okinawa, now Naval Facility Okinawa, is a number of bases built after the Battle of Okinawa by United States Navy on OkinawaIsland, Japan. The...
compilation of ancient poems and songs from OkinawaIsland. This suggests the presence of a divine place named Okinawa. The Chinese monk Jianzhen, who traveled...
Half, Okinawa Prefecture The Central Group or Ryukyu proper: OkinawaIsland Kumejima Iheyajima Izenajima Agunijima Iejima Iōtorishima Kerama Islands Tokashikijima...
located on the East China Sea coast of the southern part of OkinawaIsland, the largest of Okinawa Prefecture. The modern city was officially founded on May...
which originated among the indigenous people of OkinawaIsland. Due to its central location, Okinawa was influenced by various cultures with a long history...
the east coast of the south of OkinawaIsland, the Katsuren Peninsula, and the eight Yokatsu Islands. The Yokatsu Islands include numerous sites important...
advocating for the independence of the Ryukyu Islands (commonly referred to as Okinawa after the largest island) from Japan. The current political manifestation...
The Kerama Islands (慶良間諸島, Kerama-shotō, Okinawan: キラマ Kirama) are a subtropical island group 32 kilometres (20 mi) southwest of OkinawaIsland in Japan...
military presence on Okinawa. Strategic bombers were deployed to the bases on Okinawa. Before the 1972 reversion of the island to Japanese administration...
Aka Island (阿嘉島, Aka-jima) is an island in the Pacific Ocean and is part of the Kerama Islands group in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The island is commonly...
Agriculture came to the islands around the 12th century, and the people shifted to farming from hunting. As on OkinawaIsland, this resulted in the development...
subtropical, evergreen broad-leaved forest that is at least 30 years old on OkinawaIsland, with tall trees of more than 20 cm in diameter. Nesting is between...
group of islands in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, belonging to the Ryukyu Islands. They are situated between OkinawaIsland and the Yaeyama Islands. In the...
the Ryukyu Islands and the Daitō Islands (also known as Okinawa Prefecture) to Japan, if the United States Armed Forces could occupy Okinawa as well have...
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