Ryukyu Islands

Definition/Scope: Archipelago, extending almost 400 miles southwest from Kyushu, southern Japan, to the northern tip of Taiwan bordering the Philippine Sea (east) and the East China Sea (west). They consist of 55 islands and islets divided into three major groups: the Amami island chain (north), the central Okinawa islands (484 square miles; Okinawa Island is the largest), and the Sakishima islands (south). The larger islands are generally volcanic in origin and have mountainous terrain, while most of the smaller

Used For:

Nansei Islands

Broader Terms:

Far East

Narrower Terms:

Amani Islands
Okinawa
Sakishima Islands