Kerama Islands

The Kerama Islands (慶良間諸島, Kerama-shotō, Okinawan: キラマ Kirama) are a subtropical island group 32 kilometres (20 mi) southwest of Okinawa Island in Japan.

Kerama Islands

Native name: Kerama-shotō (慶良間諸島)
Map of the Kerama Islands
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Geography
Location	Pacific Ocean
Coordinates	26°12′00″N 127°19′59″E
Archipelago	Okinawa Islands
Total islands	36
Major islands	Tokashiki Island, Zamami Island
Area	35.97 km2 (13.89 sq mi)
Administration
Japan
Prefecture	Okinawa Prefecture
Demographics
Population	1,625 (October 2010)
Pop. density	45.2/km2 (117.1/sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Ryukyuan, Japanese
Ramsar Wetland
Official name	Keramashoto Coral Reef
Designated	8 November 2005
Reference no.	1546[1]

Geography

Four islands are inhabited: Tokashiki Island, Zamami Island, Aka Island, and Geruma Island.^[2] The islands are administered as Tokashiki Village and Zamami Village within Shimajiri District.^[3] The Kerama-shotō coral reef is a Ramsar Site.^[4]

The archipelago consists of the following islands (-jima/-shima) – inhabited ones are highlighted in blue – and rocks (other suffixes, unnamed entries) with an area of at least 0.01 km².^[5][6]

Photo	Name	Japanese name	Size [km2]	Height [m]	Group	Coordinates
	Tokashiki Island	渡嘉敷島	15,31	227,3	Tokashiki	26.186667°N 127.355556°E / 26.186667; 127.355556 (Tokashiki-jima)
	Zamami Island	座間味島	6,66	160,7	Zamami	26.234444°N 127.3075°E / 26.234444; 127.3075 (Zamami-jima)
	Aka Island	阿嘉島	3,82	165,0	Zamami	26.198889°N 127.278056°E / 26.198889; 127.278056 (Aka-jima)
	Mae Island	前島	1,60	132,8	Tokashiki	26.212222°N 127.447222°E / 26.212222; 127.447222 (Maeshima)
	Kuba-shima	久場島	1,55	270,1	Zamami	26.171389°N 127.237778°E / 26.171389; 127.237778 (Kuba-shima)
	Yakabi-jima	屋嘉比島	1,26	214,4	Zamami	26.216389°N 127.244444°E / 26.216389; 127.244444 (Yakabi-jima)
	Geruma Island	慶留間島	1,15	157,3	Zamami	26.181667°N 127.289167°E / 26.181667; 127.289167 (Geruma-jima)
	Fukaji Island	外地島	0,83	76,0	Zamami	26.168333°N 127.292778°E / 26.168333; 127.292778 (Fukaji-shima)
	Amuro-jima	安室島	0,73	98,8	Zamami	26.207222°N 127.311111°E / 26.207222; 127.311111 (Amuro-jima)
	Gishippu-jima	儀志布島	0,49	113,6	Tokashiki	26.230278°N 127.369444°E / 26.230278; 127.369444 (Gishippu-jima)
	Kuroshima	黒島	0,27	126,1	Tokashiki	26.251667°N 127.404167°E / 26.251667; 127.404167 (Kuroshima)
	Un-jima	ウン島	0,26	87,0	Tokashiki	26.142778°N 127.343056°E / 26.142778; 127.343056 (Un-jima)
	Gahi-jima	嘉比島	0,13	51,0	Zamami	26.218333°N 127.286111°E / 26.218333; 127.286111 (Gahi-jima)
	Gusukushima	城島	0,11	105,9	Tokashiki	26.198611°N 127.377778°E / 26.198611; 127.377778 (Gusukushima)
	Hanari-jima	離島	0,10	59,2	Tokashiki	26.161667°N 127.338333°E / 26.161667; 127.338333 (Hanari-jima)
	Agenashiku-jima	安慶名敷島	0,10	41,6	Zamami	26.215278°N 127.295°E / 26.215278; 127.295 (Agenashiku-jima)
	Sunashiru-jima	砂白島	0,05	28,0	Zamami	26.184167°N 127.274722°E / 26.184167; 127.274722 (Sunashiru-jima)
	Ou-jima (Ubu-iwa)	奥武島(うぶ岩)	0,05	45,6	Zamami	26.156667°N 127.273333°E / 26.156667; 127.273333 (Ou-jima (Ubu-iwa))
	Kuba-iwa	くば岩	0,01	14,0	Zamami	26.159167°N 127.273056°E / 26.159167; 127.273056 (Kuba-iwa)
	Yubu-iwa	ゆぶ岩	0,01	34,0	Zamami	26.147222°N 127.269722°E / 26.147222; 127.269722 (Yubu-iwa)
	Naka-iwa	なか岩	0,01	17,0	Zamami	26.150278°N 127.268333°E / 26.150278; 127.268333 (Naka-iwa)
	Achirāne-iwa	アチラーネ岩	0,05	–	Zamami
	Mokaraku-jima	モカラク島	0,04	25,0	Zamami	26.156111°N 127.289722°E / 26.156111; 127.289722 (Mokaraku-jima)
	Tsumishiro-shima	積城島	0,02	–	Zamami	26.181111°N 127.273611°E / 26.181111; 127.273611 (Tsumishiro-shima)
	Ijakaja-jima	伊釈迦釈島	0,02	56,0	Zamami	26.215556°N 127.268333°E / 26.215556; 127.268333 (Ijakaja-jima)
	Jinojitsuru-jima	地自津留島	0,01	54,0	Tokashiki	26.237778°N 127.368611°E / 26.237778; 127.368611 (Jinojitsuru-jima)
	Sakuhara no Hana	佐久原の鼻	0,01	–	Zamami	26.178333°N 127.274167°E / 26.178333; 127.274167 (Sakuhara no Hana)
	Fukakane-se	ふかかね瀬	0,01	47,0	Zamami	26.175833°N 127.229028°E / 26.175833; 127.229028 (Fukakane-se)
	unbenannt[7]		0,01	–	Zamami	26.183333°N 127.2725°E / 26.183333; 127.2725 (Felseninsel)
	unbenannt[8]		0,01	–	Zamami	26.159444°N 127.291944°E / 26.159444; 127.291944 (Felseninsel)

Beaches

These are notable beaches of the Kerama Islands:

Notable beaches

Name	Island	Japanese name
Aharen Beach	Tokashiki Island	阿波連ビーチ（渡嘉敷島）
Tokashiku Beach	Tokashiki Island	渡嘉志久ビーチ（渡嘉敷島）
Ama Beach	Zamami Island	阿真ビーチ（座間味島）
Furuzamami Beach	Zamami Island	古座間味ビーチ（座間味島）
Kitahama Beach	Aka Island	北浜ビーチ（阿嘉島）

• 
  Ama beach in Zamami island
• 
  Aharen Beach on Tokashiki Island
• 
  Tokashiku beach on Tokashiki Island
• 
  Tokashiku beach

Flora

The archipelago has several extensive coral reefs. Two of them were designated as Ramsar sites in November 2005: a 120-hectare area along the west coast of Tokashiki-jima and around Hanari-jima, and a 233-hectare area around Ijakaja-jima, Gahi-jima and Agenashiku-jima, i.e., between Aka Island and Zamami Island. These reefs are home to 248 different coral species, most notably of the Acropora genus.^[9] On March 5, 2014, the waters and the islands were placed under protection as Kerama Shotō National Park.

• 
  Coral reef, Aka island
• 
  Coral reef, Aka island
• 
  Clownfish, Aka island

Fauna

The islands of Aka, Fukaji, Geruma and Yakabi provide the sole natural habitat of the endangered Kerama deer (Cervus nippon keramae), thought to be an introduced population of the Japanese sika deer in the early 17th century that has since adapted to their island environment.^[10]

History

The Kerama islands were historically part of the Ryukyu Kingdom (1429–1879), when islanders were employed as navigators on the kingdom’s trading vessels to China.^[11]

During World War II and preliminary to the Battle of Okinawa, soldiers of the 77th Infantry Division landed in the Kerama Islands on March 26, 1945. Further landings followed, and the Kerama group was secured over the next five days. Kerama was used as a staging area for the assault on Okinawa. During the battle the first civilian mass suicides that later marked the Battle of Okinawa took place.^{[citation needed]} The first US Navy ship to anchor in the harbor was USS Makin Island, a small "jeep" carrier.^{[citation needed]}

Thereafter, the archipelago, like the rest of the Ryukyu Islands, was under US military administration before being returned to Japan in 1972.

The Kerama islands was the site of a true story about romance between two dogs who lived on neighboring islands that was made into the 1988 Japanese film I Want to See Marilyn (Marilyn ni Aitai).^[12] It is now a popular beach and diving destination for visitors to Okinawa.

• 
  The 77th Infantry Division on Zamami Island during World War II

Transportation

The Kerama Islands are served by the Kerama Airport, located on Fukaji Island.^[13] Regular ferries are also available from Naha to the three largest islands, Aka, Zamami, and Tokashiki. Ferries between the islands are also available, as are boat tours.