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Ryukyu Islands
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Map highlighting the Ryukyu Islands archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean, stretching between southern Japan and Taiwan. The islands are labeled in orange and shown extending across the East China Sea, with Japan, China, Taiwan, and the Philippines visible for regional context. An inset globe in the upper left shows the location within East Asia.
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Map highlighting the Ryukyu Islands archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean, stretching between southern Japan and Taiwan. The islands are labeled in orange and shown extending across the East China Sea, with Japan, China, Taiwan, and the Philippines visible for regional context. An inset globe in the upper left shows the location within East Asia.
Ryukyu Islands, Japan

Ryukyu Islands

archipelago, Japan
Also known as: Nansei Islands, Nansei-Shotō, Ryūkyū-Shotō
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Ryukyu Islands, archipelago, extending some 700 miles (1,100 km) southwestward from the southern Japanese island of Kyushu to northeastern Taiwan. The archipelago defines the boundary between the East China Sea (west) and the Philippine Sea (east). With a total land area of 1,193 square miles (3,090 square km), the Ryukyus consist of 55 islands and islets divided into three major groups: the Amami island chain in the north, the central Okinawa islands, and the Sakishima...

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