Hateruma (波照間島; ''Hateruma-jima''; Yaeyama: ''Patirooma'',

Hateruma dialect The Yaeyama language (, ''Yaimamuni'') is a Southern Ryukyuan language spoken in the Yaeyama Islands, the southernmost inhabited island group in Japan, with a combined population of about 53,000. The Yaeyama Islands are situated in the Southern ...

: ''Besїma'' "our island", Okinawan: ''Hatiruma'', Northern Ryukyuan: ''Patara'') is an

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

in the

Yaeyama District is a district located in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The district covers all of the Yaeyama Islands except Ishigaki and the disputed Senkaku Islands. As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 5,579 and the density of 15.37 pers ...

of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It is the southernmost inhabited island in Japan. It is one of the

Yaeyama Islands The Yaeyama Islands (八重山列島 ''Yaeyama-rettō'', also 八重山諸島 ''Yaeyama-shotō'', Yaeyama: ''Yaima'', Yonaguni: ''Daama'', Okinawan: ''Yeema'', Northern Ryukyuan: ''Yapema'') are an archipelago in the southwest of Okinawa P ...

, and is located south of

Iriomote-jima is the largest of the Yaeyama Islands of Japan, and the second largest in Okinawa Prefecture after Okinawa Island itself. The island has an area of and a 2005 population of 2,347. The island does not have an airstrip, and most visitors — ov ...

, the largest of the island group. Hateruma, which is composed of

coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and ...

s, has 12.7 km² of area and approximately 600 inhabitants. The primary products of the island include sugarcane, pineapple, refined sugar, and ''Awanami'', a highly prized type of the alcoholic beverage

awamori ''Awamori'' (, Okinawan: , āmui'') is an alcoholic beverage indigenous and unique to Okinawa, Japan. It is made from long grain indica rice, and is not a direct product of brewing (like ''sake'') but of distillation (like ''shōchū''). The ...

. Its southern location makes it one of the few places in Japan where the

Southern Cross Crux () is a constellation of the southern sky that is centred on four bright stars in a cross-shaped asterism commonly known as the Southern Cross. It lies on the southern end of the Milky Way's visible band. The name ''Crux'' is Latin for ...

can be observed.

Tourism

Hateruma is frequently visited by tourists from Ishigaki on day trips, as it boasts the southernmost tip of land of Japan. In addition, the southernmost school and the southernmost police station of Japan are tourist attractions. In the only village, several well-preserved old houses showing the traditional architecture with a

hip roof A hip roof, hip-roof or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope (although a tented roof by definition is a hipped roof with steeply pitched slopes rising to a peak). Thus, ...

, red tiles and a

shisa is a traditional Ryukyuan cultural artifact and decoration derived from Chinese guardian lions, often seen in similar pairs, resembling a cross between a lion and a dog, from Okinawan mythology. Shisa are wards, believed to protect from some ...

statue on the top can be seen. Many old houses are still surrounded by a thick wall consisting of dark coral stones. On the south coast, there is a monument indicating the southernmost tip of land of Japan.

Climate

Hateruma has a

tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southea ...

(''Af'' according to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

), because all twelve months have a mean temperature of at least . The temperature is consistently warm year-round, with January, the coolest month, having a mean of and an average low of . July is the warmest month, with a mean of and an average high of . The highest temperature ever recorded was in August and the lowest recorded temperature was in March. Hateruma receives of precipitation annually. Precipitation is abundant year-round, with every month receiving at least of rain.

Typhoons A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...

often bring heavy rain, so Hateruma receives more precipitation at the peak of the typhoon season. September is the wettest month, receiving of rain on average. February is the driest month, receiving of rainfall. There are a similar amount of precipitation days each month, with April having the least with 8.3 and January having the most with 11.6 days. Hateruma receives 1965.8 hours of sunshine annually, with summer being the sunniest season and winter being the least sunny season.

Infrastructure

Hateruma Airport is located on Hateruma island in Taketomi, Yaeyama District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The prefecture operates the airport, which is classified as a third class airport. Gallery Image:HaterumaAirportAnotherPic.JPG, Hateruma Airport before r ...

is located on the island, but is not currently served by any commercial flights. Haterujima is accessible by ferry from Ishigaki several times a day.

Education

The Taketomi town authorities maintain a single combined elementary and junior high school on the island: Hateruma Elementary and Junior High School (竹富町立波照間小中学校). For public senior high school students may attend schools of the

Okinawa Prefectural Board of Education The Okinawa Prefectural Board of Education (沖縄県教育委員会) is the prefectural education agency of Okinawa Prefecture in Japan. The board oversees municipal school districts in Okinawa and directly operates many high schools. Schools dir ...

References

Bibliography

* Yamakei: ''Ryukyu Nansei Shoto'', p. 120-121. Tokio 2003.

External links

美しき島々～波照間島～
(Japanese page)

(Japanese page) {{DEFAULTSORT:Hateruma Extreme points of Japan Yaeyama Islands Islands of Okinawa Prefecture