Ryukyu Islands

From Free net encyclopedia

(Redirected from Ryukyus)

Image:East China Sea.jpg Image:Ryukyuflag.png

The Ryukyu Islands (琉球列島 Ryukyu-rettō, formerly spelled Lewchew or Luchu) or Nansei Islands (南西諸島 Nansei-shotō "southwest islands"), are an island chain stretching southwestward from the island of Kyushu in Japan. The portion south of Yoron belongs to Okinawa Prefecture, and the portion north of and including Yoron belongs to Kagoshima Prefecture. The archipelago is home to the Ryukyuan languages.

The islands have a subtropical climate with warm winters and hot summers. Precipitation is very high, and is affected by the rainy season and typhoons.

Contents

[edit]

History & modern independence movement

Main article: Ryukyuan history

The Ryukyu Kingdom was once an independent kingdom occupying the island chain, from Yonaguni Island in the southwest to Amami Oshima in the north. In 1372, it obtained tributary status to the Chinese emperor. A 1609 expedition from Satsuma on Kyushu captured the kingdom. After that, the kings of the Ryukyus paid tribute to the Japanese shogun as well as the Chinese emperor.

In 1879, the Meiji government announced the annexation of the Ryukyus. The messengers of the Ryukyuan king had kneeled outside the Chinese Prime Minister's Yamen in Beijing for three days, begging for saving the kingdom. However, the Qing Empire was weakened itself from the invasions of the Western powers and Japan; therefore, Ryukyu's request for sending military protection was not granted. China, however, diplomatically objected and the ex-President of the United States Ulysses S. Grant was asked to arbitrate. He decided that Japan's claim to the islands was stronger and ruled in Japan's favor. The claims of the indigenous Ryukyuans to the land were ignored. After Japan occupied Ryukyu, there was a series of massacres by the Japanese army that killed a major proportion of the Ryukyuan population, in order to clear the Ryukyans' strong Chinese roots, anti-Japan emotions, and common favors for China. Most Ryukyuans who survived back then were forced to adopt the Japanese language, culture and identification.

Today, there are a number of issues arising from the Ryukyus' history. Some Ryukyuans and some Japanese feel that people from the Ryukyus are not "real" Japanese. Some natives of the Ryukyus claim that the central government is discriminating against the islanders by allowing so many American soldiers to be stationed on bases in Okinawa with a minimal presence on the mainland.

Many popular singers and musical groups come from the Ryukyus. These include (among many others) the pop group Begin (ビギン), singer Amuro Namie and the group Da Pump. See also Ryukyuan songs.

[edit]

People

The Ryukyuans are known for their longevity. The Okinawa Centenarian Study attributes this phenomenon to a combination of diet, exercise, and lifestyle practices.

[edit]

Ecology

[edit]

Nansei Islands subtropical evergreen forests

The Ryukyu Islands are recognized by ecologists as a distinct subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion. The flora and fauna of the islands have much in common with Taiwan, the Philippines, and Southeast Asia, and are part of the Indomalaya ecozone.

[edit]

Coral reefs

The coral reefs of the Ryukyus are one of the World Wildlife Fund's Global 200 ecoregions. The reefs are endangered by sedimentation and eutrophication, mostly a result of agriculture, as well as damage from fishing.

[edit]

Major islands


Note: for some of the island names above, the suffix -jima, -shima, and -gashima can be interchanged, omitted, or appended. The suffix means "island." In general, the islands are listed from north to south where possible.

[edit]

See also

[edit]

Reference

[edit]

External links

et:Nansei saared es:Ryukyu fr:Îles Ryūkyū ko:류큐 제도 hr:Ryu Kyu it:Ryu Kyu nl:Riukiu-eilanden ja:南西諸島 pl:Wyspy Nansei pt:Riukyu fi:Ryūkyū-saaret sv:Ryukyuöarna uk:Рюкю острови zh:琉球群岛

Retrieved from "http://www.netipedia.com/index.php/Ryukyu_Islands"