The Tokara Islands (吐噶喇列島, Tokara-rettō) is an archipelago in the Nansei Islands, and are part of the Satsunan Islands, which is in turn part of the Ryukyu Archipelago. The 150 kilometres (81 nmi) chain consists of twelve small islands located between Yakushima and Amami-Oshima. The islands have a total area of 101.35 square kilometres (39.13 sq mi). Administratively, the whole group belongs to Toshima Village, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Only seven of the islands are permanently inhabited. The islands, especially Takarajima, are home to the Tokara Pony.

Tokara

Native name: 吐噶喇列島 (トカラ列島), Tokara rettō
Akusekijima
Map of Kagoshima Prefecture
Geography
Coordinates	29.9667°N 129.917°E / 29.9667; 129.917
Adjacent bodies of water	Pacific Ocean
Total islands	12
Area	101.35 km2 (39.13 sq mi)
Administration
Japan
Prefectures	Kagoshima
District	Kagoshima District
Village	Toshima
Demographics
Population	648 (2010)
Pop. density	6.39/km2 (16.55/sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Japanese

Etymology

One theory holds that the name “Tokara” was derived from “tohara”, or “distant sea area” (沖の海原), as viewed from Okinawa. Another theory states that the name come from the Ainu word tokap, which means “breast”. The southernmost inhabited island in the archipelago, Takarajima, has a mountain Megamiyama (女神山, Goddess Mountain) with such a shape.

History

Mention is made in the Shoku Nihongi under an entry for the year 699 of an island called “Tokan” ( 度感 ), which is usually identified with Tokara, together with the islands of Tane, Yaku and Amami, although “Tokan” is also sometimes identified with Tokunoshima, an island approximately 150 kilometres (93 miles) away. (While an entry in the earlier Nihon Shoki for the year 654 mentions a "Tokara Country" 吐火罗国, Tokara no kuni, it is a reference to the Tokhara region of Central Asia, rather than the Tokara Islands.) During the 15th and 16th centuries, the islands came under the control of the Shimazu clan of Satsuma Domain and the Ryukyu Kingdom. Ryukyu ceded its territory in the Tokara Islands to Satsuma in 1611, which was confirmed by the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1624.

In 1908, the islands were administratively organized into Jitto Village (十島村, Jitto-mura, literally “Ten islands”), of which seven were inhabited. After World War II, from 2 February 1946 all of the Satsunan islands south of 30th Latitude, including the Tokara Islands, were placed under United States military administration as part of the Provisional Government of Northern Ryukyu Islands. However, the three northern inhabited islands in the archipelago, Iōjima, Kuroshima and Takeshima, remained under the control of Japan, and were placed under the administration of the village of Mishima. The remaining Tokara Islands reverted to Japan on 10 February 1952 and are now administered as the village of Toshima.

Important Bird Area

The islands have been recognised as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because they support populations of Japanese wood pigeons, Ryukyu green pigeons, Ijima's leaf-warblers, Izu thrushes and Ryukyu robins.[1]

Islands

Photo	Name	Kanji	Area [km²]	Population 2004[2]	highest point [m]	Peak	Coordinates
	Hirase[3]			-			30°2′32.26″N 130°3′0.29″E（Toudai-Se）
	Kuchinoshima	口之島	13.33	140	628.5	Maedake	29°58′15″N 129°55′20″E
	Nakanoshima	中之島	34.47	167	979.0	Otake	29°50′30″N 129°52′30″E
	Gajajima	臥蛇島	4.07	–	497.2		29°54′11″N 129°32′30″E
	Kogajajima	小臥蛇島	0.50	–	301,0		29°52′48″N 129°37′15″E
	Tairajima	平島	2.08	88	245	Ontake	29°41′15″N 129°31′57″E
	Suwanosejima	諏訪之瀬島	27.66	48	796,0	Ontake	29°38′19″N 129°42′50″E
	Akusekijima	悪石島	7.49	72	584	Mitake	29°27′36″N 129°36′06″E
	Kojima	小島	0.36	–	56,0		29°13′40″N 129°20′45″E
	Kodakarajima	小宝島	1.00	43	102.7		29°13′26″N 129°19′34″E
	Takarajima	宝島	7.14	114	291.9	Imakira-dake	29°08′40″N 129°12′29″E
	Kaminonejima	上ノ根島	0.54	–	280,0		28°49′56″N 129°0′03″E
	Yokoate-jima	横当島	2.76	–	494.8	Higashimine	28°47′57″N 128°59′20″E
Map all coordinates in "Tokara Islands" using: OpenStreetMap  Download coordinates as: KML

References

• National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGIA). Prostar Sailing Directions 2005 Japan Enroute. Prostar Publications (2005). ISBN 1577856511

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tokara Islands.

• Tokara Islands travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Official website in Japanese
• Topographic Map 1:250.000

На других языках

[de] Tokara-Inseln

[fr] Îles Tokara

[it] Isole Tokara

[ru] Токара