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Iriomote Island

Coordinates: 24°20′N 123°48′E / 24.333°N 123.800°E / 24.333; 123.800
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Iriomote Island
Map
Geography
LocationBordering the Pacific Ocean and East China Sea, southwest of mainland Japan and east of Taiwan
Coordinates24°17′33″N 123°51′43″E / 24.29250°N 123.86194°E / 24.29250; 123.86194
ArchipelagoYaeyama Islands
Administration
Japan
Demographics
Population2347
Additional information
Official websitehttp://www.iriomote.com

Iriomote (西表島, Iriomote-jima, Yaeyama: Irimutii; Okinawan: Iriumuti) is the largest of the Yaeyama Islands and the second largest in Okinawa Prefecture after Okinawa Island itself.

The island has an area of 289.27 km² and a 2005 population of 2347. The island does not have an airstrip, and most visitors—over 390,000 in 2006—arrive from Ishigaki by ferry, a 31.4 km ride to Uwahara Port (上原港) on Iriomote's northeast coast or Ōhara Port (大原港) on the southeast coast. Administratively the island belongs to Taketomi Town, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.[1] Infrastructure is limited to a single coastal road connecting the hamlets on the northern and eastern shores.

Geography and climate

Iriomote belongs to tropical rainforest climate (Af). The average yearly temperature is 23.4°C (74.1°F), and the average monthly temperature ranges from 18.5°C (65.3°F) in January to 28.4°C (83.1°F) in July. The average annual rainfall of Iriomote is around 2,500mm. Iriomote has a typhoon season that, on average, runs from June to September.

90% of the island is covered by dense jungle and mangrove swamps. 80% of the island is protected state land, and 34.3% of the island forms the Iriomote National Park. The highest point on the island is Mt. Komi (古見岳 Komidake) at 469.5 meters. Around 21 km northwest (24°33′29″N 124°00′00″E / 24.558°N 124.00°E / 24.558; 124.00 (Iriomotejima)) of Iriomote is an active undersea volcano which last erupted in 1924; the summit is 200 m below sea level.

The island's Urauchi River is the largest river in Okinawa Prefecture, and the smaller Nakama River (仲間川, Nakama-gawa) also flows within the island. Iriomote is also home to Pinaisara Falls, the largest waterfall in Okinawa Prefecture.[2]

Wildlife

The island is famed for the Iriomote cat (Prionailurus bengalensis iriomotensis), a Critically Endangered wild cat found only on Iriomote.[3] As of 2007 the population size is estimated to be 100–109 individuals.[4]

The island has a venomous snake—Trimeresurus elegans, known locally as the habu, is a species of pitviper whose bite has a fatality rate of 3% and a permanent disability rate of 6–8%.[5]

Culture

The Iriomote dialect of the Yaeyama language is spoken by some people on the island.

History

The island had few settlements of Ryukyuans fishermen and rice growers on the coastal areas, but it never had a large population until the Iriomote Coal Mine operated between 1889 and 1959.

During the war some residents of Ishigaki were forcibly made to take refuge in Iriomote, many of whom contracted malaria.

After the war, the US Forces in Japan eradicated malaria from the island, and the island has been malaria-free since.

The island, together with the rest of Okinawa Prefecture, remained a US-controlled territory until 1972. Iriomote was returned to Japan on 17 June 1972.

Economy

Apart from tourism, the island economy is sustained by agricultural production, primarily of pineapple, sugarcane, mango, and fishing.

  • Tudumari-no-hama (Tsukigahama Beach)
    Tudumari-no-hama (Tsukigahama Beach)
  • Urauchi-gawa: the longest river in Okinawa.
    Urauchi-gawa: the longest river in Okinawa.
  • Mariyudō-no-taki: Waterfall on the Urauchi River.
    Mariyudō-no-taki: Waterfall on the Urauchi River.
  • Kampire-no-taki: A section of the Kampire waterfall on the Urauchi River.
    Kampire-no-taki: A section of the Kampire waterfall on the Urauchi River.
  • Pinaisara-no-taki: Waterfall on the north of the island.
    Pinaisara-no-taki: Waterfall on the north of the island.
  • Mangrove on the Nakama River
    Mangrove on the Nakama River
  • Sakishimasuou tree: Said to be the biggest and oldest mangrove tree in Japan.
    Sakishimasuou tree: Said to be the biggest and oldest mangrove tree in Japan.
  • Hoshizuna-no-hama (Star Sand Beach): Beachcombers looking for star-shaped sand grains.
    Hoshizuna-no-hama (Star Sand Beach): Beachcombers looking for star-shaped sand grains.
  • Star sand from Hoshizuna-no-hama: Abraded calcium-carbonate tests of foraminifers from nearby reefs.[6]
    Star sand from Hoshizuna-no-hama: Abraded calcium-carbonate tests of foraminifers from nearby reefs.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c "知・旅･住　離島総合情報サイト　沖縄のしまじま" (in Japanese). Okinawa Prefecture. Retrieved 11 June 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ "Introducing places of interest: Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park (Iriomote)". Ministry of the Environment. accessdate=11 June 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Missing pipe in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ Template:IUCN
  4. ^ 環境省. "イリオモテヤマネコ生息状況等総合調査（第４次）の結果について（お知らせ）" (in Japanese). Retrieved 10 June 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ U.S. Navy (1991). Poisonous Snakes of the World. New York: Dover Publications Inc. ISBN 0-486-26629-X.
  6. ^ Hohenegger, J., Larger foraminifera as important calcium-carbonate producers in coral reef environments and constituting the main components of carbonate beach sands; examples from the Ryukyu archipelago. Institut für Paläontologie, Universität Wien.

24°20′N 123°48′E / 24.333°N 123.800°E / 24.333; 123.800

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