|
|
@ |
| Okinawa is located midway between Tokyo and Southeast Asia
and is Japan's southernmost point. The islands are approximately
1,000km east to west and about 400km north to south. The prefecture
is composed of 160 islands extending over a vast area of ocean.
There are 48 inhabited islands in the group. While being Japan's
southernmost point, Okinawa is also located close to many of
the nations of East Asia. Vladivostok, Beijing, the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea, The Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Hong
Kong, the Philippines, and Guam are all located in the 2,500km
radius of Okinawa that extends up to Hokkaido. |
| |
| @The average temperature is 22, around 5.3 higher than Kagoshima.
Average annual precipitation is over 2,000ml, average humidity
is 76%, and the islands enter the rainy season about a month
earlier than mainland Japan. Okinawa also has higher temperatures
and humidity in the summer months. The heavy rainfalls are similar
to the tropics. The warm mild climate is influenced somewhat
by the Kuroshio Current and the intense heat of summer is softened
by its sea breezes. Seasons are not as clearly defined as in
mainland Japan because Okinawa belongs to the subtropical zone
and has an oceanic climate. The islands receive seasonal winds
from East Asia with strong winds coming in during the winter
months from the northeast. The seasonal changes can be characterized
as a combination of subtropical oceanic climate and the weather
brought on by seasonal winds from East Asia. Okinawa is the
northern limit for Southeast Asian flora, and species such as
the Gajumaru Banyan (Ficus retusa) and Deigo Indian Coral Bean
(Erythrina variegata) as well as other tropical and subtropical
plants and flowers inhabit the islands. |
| |
| @The archipelago is extends in an arc shaped line between
the Japanese island of Kyushu and Taiwan. Approximately ten
million years ago, it connected the southern region of the Asian
continent to the islands of Japan. During that time, many species
of fauna migrated to Okinawa. By about twenty to ten thousand
years ago it was finally separated, after which evolved the
unique animals which inhabit the Ryukyu archipelago. The Yanbaru
area in the northern part of Okinawa Island is home to endangered
species such as the Noguchigera woodpecker (Sapheopipo noguchi)
and the Yanbaru Kuina (Rallus okinawae) or Okinawan Rail. The
island of Iriomote is inhabited by the Iriomote Yamaneko wildcat
(Mayailurus iriomotensis) and other rare and important species
of fauna. For the many rare and diverse flora and fauna that
can be seen on the islands, Okinawa has been called the Galapagos
of the East. With its many coral reefs, Okinawa boasts of some
of the world's most beautiful coral treasure houses. The reefs
protect the islands from natural disasters and provide abundant
fishing. The reefs are an integral part of the lives of people
here. In this way, Okinawa's geographic location and climate
have woven a distinctive natural environment. |
|
|
|
