Iriomote Island

Iriomote Island
Native name:
西表島
Map of Iriomote Island
Iriomote Island in relation to the other Yaeyama Islands
Geography
LocationBordering the Pacific Ocean and East China Sea, southwest of mainland Japan and east of Taiwan
Coordinates24°20′24″N 123°48′36″E / 24.34000°N 123.81000°E / 24.34000; 123.81000
ArchipelagoYaeyama Islands
Area289.27 km2 (111.69 sq mi)[1]
Coastline130.0 km (80.78 mi)[1]
Highest elevation469.5 m (1540.4 ft)
Highest pointMt. Komi (古見岳, Komi-dake)
Administration
Japan
PrefectureOkinawa Prefecture
TownTaketomi, Okinawa
Demographics
Population2,347 (2005)
Ethnic groupsRyukyuan, Japanese

Iriomote Island (西表島, Iriomote-jima, Yaeyama: Irïmutii; Iriomote: Irimutii; Okinawan: Iriumuti) 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 289.27 km2 (111.69 sq mi) and a 2005 population of 2,347. The island does not have an airstrip, and most visitors—over 390,000 in 2006—arrive from Ishigaki by ferry, a 31.4 km (19.5 mi) ride to Uwahara Port (上原港) on Iriomote's northeast coast or Ōhara Port (大原港) on the southeast coast. Administratively, the island belongs to Taketomi Town, Okinawa Prefecture.[1] Its infrastructure is limited to a single coastal road connecting the hamlets on the northern and eastern shores.

  1. ^ a b c 知・旅・住 離島総合情報サイト 沖縄のしまじま [Know, Travel, Live: Remote Islands General Information Site: Okinawa's Islands] (in Japanese). Okinawa Prefecture. Archived from the original on June 28, 2004. Retrieved June 11, 2012.