Sakishima Islands
Native name:
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View of the Sakishima Islands from the ISS
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 Sakishima Islands
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| Geography | |
| Location | Between the southern border of the East China Sea and northwestern border of the Philippine Sea |
| Coordinates | 24°42′35″N 124°23′19″E / 24.709652°N 124.388477°ECoordinates: 24°42′35″N 124°23′19″E / 24.709652°N 124.388477°E |
| Archipelago | Japanese Archipelago |
| Total islands | 44 (20 inhabited) |
| Major islands | |
| Area | 818.45 km2 (316.01 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 526.0 m (1,725.7 ft) |
| Highest point | Mount Omoto |
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Japan
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| Prefecture | Okinawa |
| Municipalities | |
| Largest city | Miyakojima (pop. 54,908 (2012)) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 105,708 (October 1, 2010) |
| Pop. density | 129.2 /km2 (334.6 /sq mi) |
| Languages | Japanese |
| Ethnic groups | Japanese, Ryukyuan |
| Additional information | |
| Time zone | |
| • Summer (DST) |
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The Sakishima Islands (先島諸島 Sakishima-shotō?) (or 先島群島, Sakishima-guntō) (Okinawan: Sachishima) are an archipelago located at the southernmost end of the Japanese Archipelago. They are part of the Ryukyu Islands and include the Miyako Islands and the Yaeyama Islands. The islands are administered as part of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.
Sakishima Islands
Ikema Bridge, between Miyako and Ikema
The Sakishima Islands were first documented in the Shoku Nihongi (797), which says that in 714 Ō no Ason Okeji (太朝臣遠建治?) paid tribute to Dazaifu with 52 islanders from Amami (奄美?), Shigaki (信覚?), Kumi (球美?) and other islands. Shigaki is believed to be the current Ishigaki (石垣?), Kumi to be the current Kume (久米?) or Komi (古見?) settlement of Iriomote. The History of Yuan (1370) documented a castaway from Mìyágǔ (密牙古) arrived to Wenzhou in 1317. This is believed to be the first documentation of Miyako (宮古?).
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