Irabu Island

Irabu Island
Native name:
Irabu-jima (伊良部島)
Irabu Island is to the west of Miyako Island
Map
Geography
LocationOkinawa Prefecture
Coordinates24°50′20″N 125°9′56″E / 24.83889°N 125.16556°E / 24.83889; 125.16556
ArchipelagoMiyako Islands
Adjacent toEast China Sea
Area29.06 km2 (11.22 sq mi)[1]
Highest elevation89.0 m (292 ft)
Administration
PrefectureOkinawa Prefecture
Demographics
Population4,693 (2015 national census)[1]
Ethnic groupsRyukyuan, Japanese
Irabu Island is in the center, Shimoji Island below, and the Irabu Bridge to the right

Irabu Island (伊良部島, Irabu-jima) (Miyako: Irav), is an island in Miyakojima, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The island is connected to Miyako Island by a 3,540-metre-long (11,610 ft) bridge Irabu Ohashi (伊良部大橋),[1] which was completed in January 2015.[2] Irabu Island is also connected via six bridges to Shimoji-shima.[1] There are multiple language variants spoken on the island: Nakachi-Irabu, Kuninaka, Sawada-Nagahama, and Sarahama (which is a variant of Ikema language spoken by descendants of emigrants from Ikema Island).[3]

  1. ^ a b c d "Remote island related materials (離 島 関 係 資 料)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  2. ^ "伊良部島", Retrieved on 13 January 2018.[circular reference]
  3. ^ Heinrich, Patrick; Miyara, Shinsho; Shimoji, Michinori (17 February 2015). Handbook of the Ryukyuan Languages: History, Structure, and Use. Walter de Gruyter. pp. 405–406. ISBN 9781614511151.