From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yonaguni
Geography
The island has an area of 28.88 km2 (11.15 sq mi), a population around 1700, an annual mean air temperature of 23.9 °C, and annual precipitation of 3000 mm. All islands are under jurisdiction of the
town of
Yonaguni,
Yaeyama Gun,
Okinawa and there are three towns: Sonai, Kubura and Higawa.
It was incorporated under the control of the Ryūkyū royal court in 1610.
Marker for Japan's westernmost point,
Cape Irizaki. Taiwan is said to be visible from Irizaki on a clear day.
Climate
Yonaguni has a
tropical rainforest climate (
Köppen climate classification Af). The average yearly temperature is 23.8°C (74.8°F), and the average monthly temperature ranges from 18.4°C (65.1°F) in January to 28.8°C (83.8°F) in July. September is the wettest month while July is the driest.
History
In the 12th century, it was incorporated to the
Ryūkyū Kingdom. In the 17th century, it was incorporated into the Japanese
han of
Satsuma. By 1879, the island was formally incorporated into Japan.
Until the early 20th century, Yonaguni was part of the larger Yaeyama village, which included the neighboring
Yaeyama Islands. In 1948, it became an independent village. From 1945 to 1972, it was occupied by the
United States and was then returned to Japan to form a part of
Okinawa Prefecture.
On May 4, 1998, a part of the island was destroyed by a submarine
earthquake.
Notable features
Yonaguni is known in Japan for the
hanazake, a 120-
proof rice-based
distilled beverage (
awamori) produced only on the island.