Kitadaitō, Okinawa

Kitadaitō 北大東村
Village
北大東村• Kitadaitō-mura
Kitadaitō landscape
Flag Seal
Country	Japan
Region	Kyushu (Ryukyu)
Prefecture	Okinawa Prefecture
District	Shimajiri
Government
• - Mayor	Mitsumasa Miyagi
Area
• Total	13.10 km2 (5.06 sq mi)
Population  (June 1, 2013)
• Total	660
• Density	50.4/km2 (131/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
-Tree	Livistona
- Flower	Crinum asiaticum
Phone number	09802-3-4001
Address	218 Aza Nakano, Kitadaitō-son, Shimajiri-gun, Okinawa-ken 901-3992
Website	vill.kitadaito.okinawa.jp

Kitadaitō (北大東村, Kitadaitō-son) is a village consisting of the islands of Kitadaitōjima and Okidaitōjima of Shimajiri District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.

As of 2013, the village has an estimated population of 660 and a density of 50.4 persons per km². The total area is 13.10  km². All of the inhabitants live on Kitadaitōjima.

Climate

Kitadaitō has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with very warm summers and mild winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year; the wettest month is June and the driest month is February. The island is subject to frequent typhoons.

History

Kitadaitōjima remained uninhabited until formally claimed by the Empire of Japan in 1885. In 1900, a team of pioneers from Hachijōjima became the first human inhabitants of the island, and started the cultivation of sugar cane from 1903. Until World War II, Kitadaitōjima was owned in its entirety by Dai Nippon Sugar (now Dai Nippon Meiji Sugar), which also operated mines for the extraction of guano for use in fertilizer. After World War II, the island was occupied by the United States. The village of Kitadaitō was established in 1946. The island was returned to Japan in 1972.

Economy

Kitadaitō Airport

Formerly heavily dependent on phosphate mining, the village economy is now based on cultivation of sugar cane, commercial fishing, and seasonal tourism. There is no port on the island and ships must be loaded/offloaded by crane. The island has an airport, Kitadaito Airport, with one flight a day to Minami-Daito Airport

Education

There is the Kitadaito Village Kitadaito Elementary-Junior High School (北大東村立北大東小中学校 Kitadaitō Sonritsu Kitadaitō Shōchūgakkō) and the Kitadaito Village Kitadaito Kindergarten (北大東村立北大東幼稚園 Kitadaitō Sonritsu Kitadaitō Yōchien).

External links

Media related to Kitadaitō, Okinawa at Wikimedia Commons

• Kitadaitō official website Template:Ja icon
• Kitadaito Elementary-Junior High School Template:Ja icon
• Kitadaito travel guide from Wikivoyage