Okinawa Island
is the largest of the Okinawa Islands and the Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands of Japan in the Kyushu region. It is the smallest and least populated of the five main islands of Japan. The island is approximately long, an average wide, and has an ...
Geruma Island
is an island in the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Kerama Islands group in Shimajiri District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.
This small island is linked by a bridge to Fukaji and Aka
Aka, AKA or a.k.a. may refer to:
* "Also known as", used t ...
Ramsar Site
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O)
*** Permanent 8 ha (P)
*** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts)
**
coral reefs
A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups.
...
. Two of them were designated as Ramsar sites in November 2005: a 120-hectare area along the west coast of Tokashiki-jima and around Hanari-jima, and a 233-hectare area around Ijakaja-jima, Gahi-jima and Agenashiku-jima , i.e. H. between Aka Island and Zamami Island. These reefs are home to 248 different coral species, most notably of the
Acropora
''Acropora'' is a genus of small polyp stony coral in the phylum Cnidaria. Some of its species are known as table coral, elkhorn coral, and staghorn coral. Over 149 species are described. ''Acropora'' species are some of the major reef corals r ...
genus. On March 5, 2014, the waters and the islands were placed under protection as
Kerama Shotō National Park
is a national park in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Established in 2014, it is located in and around the Kerama Islands. The park comprises a land area of in the municipalities of Tokashiki and Zamami together with of the surrounding waters. Th ...
.
File:Coral reef life near Akajima 07.jpg, Coral reef, Aka island
File:Coral reef life near Akajima 16.jpg, Coral reef, Aka island
File:Coral reef life near Akajima 13.jpg, Clownfish, Aka island
Beaches
These are notable beaches of the Kerama Islands:
File:Ama_beach_in_Zamami_Island.jpg, Ama beach in Zamami island
File:Aharen Beach On Tokashiki Island 2009 (7373).JPG, Aharen Beach on Tokashiki Island
File:Tokashiku_Beach_On_Tokashiki_Island_2009_(7372).JPG, Tokashiku beach on Tokashiki Island
File:Tokashiku Beach on Tokashiki Island Okinawa 2018.png, Tokashiku beach
Fauna
The islands of Aka, Fukaji, Geruma and Yakabi provide the sole natural habitat of the endangered Kerama deer (Cervus nippon keramae), thought to be an introduced population of the Japanese sika deer in the early 17th century that has since adapted to their island environment.
History
The Kerama islands were historically part of the
Ryukyu Kingdom
The Ryukyu Kingdom, Middle Chinese: , , Classical Chinese: (), Historical English names: ''Lew Chew'', ''Lewchew'', ''Luchu'', and ''Loochoo'', Historical French name: ''Liou-tchou'', Historical Dutch name: ''Lioe-kioe'' was a kingdom in the ...
(1429–1879), when islanders were employed as navigators on the kingdom’s trading vessels to
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
and preliminary to the
Battle of Okinawa
The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa by United States Army (USA) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) forces against the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). The initial invasion of ...
, soldiers of the
77th Infantry Division 77th Division or 75th Infantry Division may refer to:
* 77th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht), Germany
* 77th Infantry Division of Khurasan, Iran
* 77th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
* 77th Division (People's Republic of China)
* 77th Division ( ...
landed in the Kerama Islands on March 26, 1945. Further landings followed, and the Kerama group was secured over the next five days. Kerama was used as a staging area for the assault on
Okinawa
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 Square kilometre, km2 (880 sq mi).
...
. During the battle the first civilian mass suicides that later marked the Battle of Okinawa took place. The first US Navy ship to anchor in the harbor was , a small "jeep" carrier.
Thereafter, the archipelago, like the rest of the Ryukyu Islands, was under US military administration before being returned to Japan in 1972.
The Kerama islands was the site of a true story about romance between two dogs who lived on neighboring islands that was made into the 1988 Japanese film ''I Want to See Marilyn'' (Marilyn ni Aitai). It is now a popular beach and diving destination for visitors to Okinawa.
File:Landings in the Keramas.jpg, The
77th Infantry Division 77th Division or 75th Infantry Division may refer to:
* 77th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht), Germany
* 77th Infantry Division of Khurasan, Iran
* 77th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
* 77th Division (People's Republic of China)
* 77th Division ( ...
on Zamami Island during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
Transportation
The Kerama Islands are served by the Kerama Airport, located on Fukaji Island.Map showing islands of Zamami Village Regular ferries are also available from Naha to the three largest islands, Aka, Zamami, and Tokashiki. Ferries between the islands are also available, as are boat tours.