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Revision as of 22:06, 17 August 2005
Okinawa Island (沖縄本島 Okinawa-hontō, "the main island of Okinawa") is the largest of the Ryukyu Islands at the edge of the East China Sea, helping to define the sea's boundary with the open Pacific Ocean. Some one-hundred kilometers long and varying in width from only a few kilometers at the neck to sixteen or so at the thickest, it has an area of 1201.03 km² and a population of 1 200 000.
Okinawa Prefecture has its capital on Okinawa Island (at Naha). The city of Okinawa is also located on this island. Thus, Okinawa is the name of a prefecture, an island and a city.
The southern end of the island consists of uplifted coral reef, whereas the northern half has proportionally more igneous rock. The easily eroded limestone of the south has many caves, and Gyokusendo in Tamagusuku, southwest of Naha, is the most famous. An 850 m stretch is open to tourists.
The island's climate is sub-tropical, with a rainy season in and around May. The north is heavily forested, while the south has patches of forest amid the farms and cities.
The typical Okinawan castle, or gusuku, is found on Okinawa Honto.
The city of Nago and the urbanized corridor from Okinawa to Naha are in the south.
Air and sea lines connect Okinawa Island to East Asia. Naha Airport carries air traffic to the outlying islands, the major airports of Japan, and foreign countries. Ocean-going ships transport passengers and freight to similar destinations.
Photo gallery
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Cliffs at Manzamo
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Gusuku wall
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Okinawa Island is the home of Tsuboya-yaki, pottery in the Ryukyuan tradition.
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Okinawa Island from Space Shuttle Mission STS-43 (Earth Sciences and Image Analysis, NASA-Johnson Space Center)
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Gusuku Ruins
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Bullfighting arena. Okinawa is the home of a form of bullfighting sometimes compared to sumo
