The Ryukyu Islands, also called the Likey or Nansei Islands, extend for 1200 km in the East China Sea from Kyushu to Taiwan, separating it from the open waters of the Pacific Ocean. The archipelago belongs to the country of the Rising Sun, despite the fact that it is located at some distance from it, southeast of Japan.
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The total area of the archipelago is 4700 square meters. km, and the last census, conducted back in 2005, revealed more than 1.5 million people. However, of the nearly hundreds of islands that make up the Ryukyu, only half are suitable for living. About 90% of the population lives on the largest of them, called Okinawa. This is due to the fact that it houses the capital and economic center of Ryukyu - the city of Naha.
On larger islands, mountainous terrain prevails, while on smaller islands plains and low coastal terraces are more common. The Ryukyu Islands are fraught with some danger to the population due to the large number of active volcanoes. This is especially true of the northern part of the archipelago, where the last major eruption erupted in 1991.
Climate
The archipelago is located in the subtropical climate zone, but the monsoons also contribute to it. However, due to the remoteness of Nansei from the continent, the winter on the islands is very mild - there are no frosts and snow, and the thermometer in the coldest months does not fall below +13 o C.
In summer, heat reigns on the archipelago (a day above +30 o C), backed by high humidity. Only the sea wind helps to transfer such weather.
August and September are the times of typhoons coming to the Ryukyu Islands (photo of the archipelago is presented below), with no less frequency than the main territory of Japan.
In the summer, tourists visiting the country of the Rising Sun need to be especially careful, because hurricanes are its main scourge. Due to its proximity to the Pacific Ocean, in the tropical part of which cyclones often travel northward, Japan is very often exposed to this natural disaster, and the Nansei archipelago is no exception. In addition, the Ryukyus are located in a zone of seismic activity, which leads to frequent earthquakes.
Ryukyu story
The history of Nansei begins with the creation of the Ryukyu state at the beginning of the 15th century. The reign in it belonged to the Sh dynasty. By the end of the 15th century, the territory of the possessions expanded until the entire southern part of the archipelago and islands off the coast of Kyushu was captured.
The state tried to maintain friendly relations with neighboring powers (relations with China were especially firmly established), often acting as a mediator in the event of conflicts, thanks to which the Ryukyu Islands flourished until the 16th century. However, at the beginning of the XVII century. the cultural influence of Japan increased, and conflicts with it became more frequent.
This led to an attack on the islands, during which a representative of the Sho dynasty was captured, who later signed an agreement that the archipelago is a vassal of the Land of the Rising Sun. The state found itself in double feudal dependence: on Japan and China, and each power considered Nansei to be its property.
The case was decided by the incident with Formosa, in the history of which is called the Taiwanese campaign. As a result of the 1874 peace agreement, the Ryukyu Islands (a list of exact names can be found in encyclopedias) were assigned to Japan, and in 1879 the territory of the state officially became Okinawa Prefecture.
During the Second World War, Okinawa became the battlefield between the Japanese and American armies, thanks to which the US military bases remained on the archipelago . To date, the attitude of the indigenous population of Ryukyu to this fact remains extremely ambiguous, as well as to the Japanese metropolis.
Moreover, after 1945, the Okinawa independence movement arose, but by the 21st century it had greatly weakened, although so far a small percentage of the population has resisted ties with Japan and the United States.
Language and population
About 99% of the inhabitants of the island of Ryukyu are a special ethnic group with a slightly different physical type than the Japanese. The inhabitants of the archipelago speak the languages of the Ryukyus group, however, familiar dialects are gradually supplanted through school education, where only Japanese is used.
Due to the remoteness of the islands, dialect reading is pronounced. In total, there are 4-5 Ryukyu languages (dialects), partially understood by residents. In official situations, and for people under the age of 60, literary Japanese is used with a kind of reprimand, gradually replacing the ryukyu.
A tourist visiting the Ryukyu Islands in Japan without a guide should be prepared for the fact that only staff of various establishments intended for visiting by foreigners speak English.
sights
The richest in sights is Okinawa, the city of Naha, which houses the eponymous temples and the royal palace of Shurizo. Also on the island there are many natural areas, historical and cultural reserves open for tourists to visit.