File:Ama_beach_in_Zamami_Island.jpg, Ama beach in Zamami island
File:Aharen Beach On Tokashiki Island 2009 (7373).JPG, Aharen Beach on Tokashiki Island
File:Tokashiku_Beach_On_Tokashiki_Island_2009_(7372).JPG, Tokashiku beach on Tokashiki Island
File:Tokashiku Beach on Tokashiki Island Okinawa 2018.png, Tokashiku beach
Flora
The archipelago has several extensive coral reefs
A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups.
...
. Two of them were designated as Ramsar sites in November 2005: a 120-hectare area along the west coast of Tokashiki-jima and around Hanari-jima, and a 233-hectare area around Ijakaja-jima, Gahi-jima and Agenashiku-jima, i.e., between
Aka Island and
Zamami Island. These reefs are home to 248 different coral species, most notably of the ''
Acropora'' genus. On March 5, 2014, the waters and the islands were placed under protection as
Kerama Shotō National Park.
File:Coral reef life near Akajima 07.jpg, Coral reef, Aka island
File:Coral reef life near Akajima 16.jpg, Coral reef, Aka island
File:Coral reef life near Akajima 13.jpg, Clownfish, Aka island
Fauna
The islands of Aka, Fukaji, Geruma and Yakabi provide the sole natural habitat of the endangered
Kerama deer (''Cervus nippon keramae''), thought to be an introduced population of the Japanese
sika deer
The sika deer (''Cervus nippon''), also known as the northern spotted deer or the Japanese deer, is a species of deer native to much of East Asia and introduced to other parts of the world. Previously found from northern Vietnam in the south t ...
in the early 17th century that has since adapted to their island environment.
History
The Kerama islands were historically part of the
Ryukyu Kingdom
The Ryukyu Kingdom was a kingdom in the Ryukyu Islands from 1429 to 1879. It was ruled as a Tributary system of China, tributary state of Ming dynasty, imperial Ming China by the King of Ryukyu, Ryukyuan monarchy, who unified Okinawa Island t ...
(1429–1879), when islanders were employed as navigators on the kingdom’s trading vessels to
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and preliminary to the
Battle of Okinawa
The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa Island, Okinawa by United States Army and United States Marine Corps forces against the Imperial Japanese Army during the Pacific War, Impe ...
, soldiers of the
77th Infantry Division landed in the Kerama Islands on March 26, 1945. Further landings followed, and the Kerama group was secured over the next five days. Kerama was used as a staging area for the assault on
Okinawa. During the battle the first civilian mass suicides that later marked the Battle of Okinawa took place. The first US Navy ship to anchor in the harbor was , a small
"jeep" carrier.
Thereafter, the archipelago, like the rest of the Ryukyu Islands, was under US military administration before being returned to Japan in 1972.
The Kerama islands was the site of a true story about romance between two dogs who lived on neighboring islands that was made into the 1988 Japanese film ''I Want to See Marilyn'' (Marilyn ni Aitai). It is now a popular beach and diving destination for visitors to Okinawa.
File:Landings in the Keramas.jpg, The 77th Infantry Division on Zamami Island during World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
Transportation
The Kerama Islands are served by the
Kerama Airport, located on
Fukaji Island.
Map showing islands of Zamami Village
Regular ferries are also available from Naha to the three largest islands, Aka, Zamami, and Tokashiki. Ferries between the islands are also available, as are boat tours.
References
External links
IMDB entry for ''I Want to See Marilyn''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kerama Islands
Archipelagoes of Japan
Ramsar sites in Japan
Okinawa Islands
Islands of Okinawa Prefecture
Archipelagoes of the Pacific Ocean