Tokara Islands
The Tokara Islands (Japanese吐 噶 喇 列岛or simplifiedトカラ 列島, Tokara - RETTO ) is an island chain which belongs to the Nansei Islands.
The island chain consists of 12 small islands between Yakushima and Amami - Oshima. The islands have a total area of 101.35 km ², and the island chain is about 150 km long. Administratively it is part of the village community Toshima and seven islands are inhabited by 699 people.
The Tokara Islands, especially the island Takara -jima, are home to the Tokara ponies.
Etymology
The community Toshima are as important for Tokara on two theories: one hand, it is derived from the word tohara, which means in about distant Sea Area (沖 の 海原) and refers to the views of the Amami and Okinawa Islands. On the other hand, however, it could tokap also originate from the Ainu word which means breast. This is on the thus -looking mountain Megami -yama (女神 山" mountain goddess " ) refer to the island Takara -jima, the first of this island, and then the entire island chain its name. However, the Ainu lived in northern Japan.
History
The Shoku Nihongi mentions for the year 699, together with Tane, and Amami an island called Yaku Tokan (度 感), which is usually identified with Tokara and then its first mention, but could also refer to the Tokunoshima 150 km away. Occasionally, an earlier mention in the Nihon Shoki is used for the year 654. However, the designated mentioned there "Land Tokara " (吐火罗 国, Tokara no kuni ) probably Tukhāra, the land of the Tocharians.
1908 the islands under the administration of the village Jitto (十 岛村, -son, literally: "Ten Islands " ), also in addition to the seven inhabited Tokara Islands nor the northerly inhabited islands Iojima, Kuroshima and Takeshima belonged. After the Second World War, the islands were south of the 30th parallel of latitude, and thus, provided the Tokara Islands February 2, 1946 U.S. administration. February 10, 1952, the islands were again returned to Japan and founded the community Toshima, although the same as Jitto writes itself, but no longer manages the three northern islands - these form a separate community called Mishima.
Islands
The island chain is formed of the following islands: