Lot's Wife (crag)

Sōfugan (Japanese孀妇 岩, also: sofu - iwa, literally transferred " widow rocks ", free from the English rock Lot 's Wife ) is a small rocky island of volcanic origin in the Pacific Ocean. It is the southernmost island of the Izu Islands.

Management

As the entire island chain of the Izu Islands Sōfugan belongs administratively to the prefecture of Tokyo. They are part of the sub-prefecture Hachijo, which is managed by Hachijo -jima off. However, you belong to, as well as the three Izu Islands Bayonnaise Rocks, Sumisu -jima Torishima and to no congregation and are thus de facto unincorporated community. They are claimed by the communities Aogashima and Hachijo.

Geography

Sōfugan lies some 650 kilometers south of Tokyo and 76 km south of the neighboring island of Torishima. The almost vertical rocks protruding from the ocean has dimensions of 84 × 56 meters (0.005 km ²) and reaches a height of 99 m above sea level. Sofugan represents the summit of a stratovolcano, which rises 2,200 meters from the sea floor.

History

Sōfugan was discovered on April 9, 1788 by John Meares and baptized Lot's Wife by him, in reference to the biblical person Lot, whose wife of the tradition is solidified by a pillar of salt. On 8 February 2008 Sōfugan came into the headlines when a Russian military aircraft, a Tupolev Tu- 95 in the vicinity of the island to be invaded for three minutes in Japanese airspace.