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Japan Ryukyu Islands
The Ryukyu Islands include more than 200 islands and
islets--
some little more than coral outcrops--of which less than
half are
populated. They extend in a chain generally southwestward
from the
Tokara Strait, which separates them from the outlying
islands of
Kyushu, to within 120 kilometers of Taiwan. The Ryukyus
are
considered part of the Ryushu region but historically
have been
quite distinctively separate from the rest of the region.
The islands are the tops of mountain ranges along the
outer
edge of the continental shelf. They are generally hilly or
mountainous, with active volcanos occurring mainly in the
northern
part of the archipelago. Okinawa is the largest and
economically
the most important of the Ryukyus. There is little
industry, and
the economy relies heavily on tourism. Northern Okinawa is
quite
rugged and forested, while the southern part consists of
rolling
hills. Although agriculture and fishing remained the
occupations of
most of the population in the Ryukyus, the region
experienced
considerable industrial expansion during the period of
United
States occupation from 1945 to 1972.
Data as of January 1994
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