Aogashima

Aogashima
Native name:
青ヶ島
Geography
LocationIzu Islands
Coordinates32°27′25.2″N 139°46′1.2″E / 32.457000°N 139.767000°E / 32.457000; 139.767000
ArchipelagoIzu Islands
Area8.75 km2 (3.38 sq mi)
Length3.5 km (2.17 mi)
Width2.5 km (1.55 mi)
Coastline9 km (5.6 mi)
Highest elevation423 m (1388 ft)
Administration
Japan
PrefectureTokyo
SubprefectureHachijō Subprefecture
VillageAogashima
Demographics
Population170 (January 2014)

Aogashima (青ヶ島) is a volcanic island to the south of Japan in northernmost Micronesia. It is the southernmost and most isolated inhabited island of the Izu Islands. The islands border the northeast Philippine Sea and lie north of the Ogasawara Islands.[1][2] The island lies approximately 358 kilometres (222 mi) south of mainland Tokyo and 64 kilometres (40 mi) south of Hachijō-jima.

The island is administered by the village of Aogashima, which is subordinate to the Hachijō Subprefecture, which itself is governed by the City of Tokyo. The island has an area of 8.75 km2 (3.38 sq mi), and, as of 2014, its population is a mere 170 people. This means that the village of Aogashima has the smallest population of any municipality in Japan. Aogashima is also part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park.

  1. ^ Gotoh, H. et al. (2010). "Infrastructure Maintenance and Disaster Prevention Measures on Isolated Islands: the Case of the Izu Islands near Tokyo" in Island Sustainability (Favro, S., editor), p. 187.
  2. ^ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Izu Shotō," Japan Encyclopedia, p. 412.