Tokara Islands

Tokara Islands Latest News

In an unprecedented seismic event, more than 1,000 earthquakes have rattled the Tokara Islands in southern Japan over the past two weeks.

About Tokara Islands

• The Tokara Islands are a small archipelago in Japan, south of Kyushu and north of the Amami Islands. 
• They are also sometimes known as the Toshima Islands, and the name is preserved in the name of the administrative division, Toshima-mura, that covers them.
• It consists of seven inhabited islands (from north to south: Kuchinoshima, Nakanoshima, Suwanosejima, Tairajima, Akusekijima, Kodakarajima, and Takarajima) and five uninhabited islands (Gajajima, Kogajajima, Kojima, Kaminonejima, and Yokoatejima). 
• As a permanently inhabited municipality stretching over an area of about 160 kilometers, Toshima is “Japan’s longest village.”
• Nakanoshima is the largest island of Toshima Village in both area and population.
  • Mount Otake dominates the northern section of Nakanoshima. At 979 meters, it is the highest mountain in the island group.
• Climate: 
  • It lies between the subtropical and temperate zones, with an average annual temperature of 20ºC. 
  • The weather is warm, and nearly all areas are frostless. The annual rainfall is about 2,700 millimeters.
• The islands are situated in one of the most seismically active regions of the world.

Source: BS

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