Changes

*''Japanese'': 琉球諸島 ''(Ryuukyuu shotou)'' or 琉球列島 ''(Ryuukyuu rettou)''<ref>''Ryûkyû shotô'' translates roughly as "various islands of Ryûkyû," while ''Ryûkyû rettô'' means "Ryûkyû archipelago" or "Ryûkyû chain of islands."</ref>

*''Japanese'': 琉球諸島 ''(Ryuukyuu shotou)'' or 琉球列島 ''(Ryuukyuu rettou)''<ref>''Ryûkyû shotô'' translates roughly as "various islands of Ryûkyû," while ''Ryûkyû rettô'' means "Ryûkyû archipelago" or "Ryûkyû chain of islands."</ref>

The Ryûkyû Islands are a chain of islands stretching from just south of [[Kyushu]] down to just before [[Taiwan]].

The Ryûkyû Islands are a chain of islands stretching from just south of [[Kyushu]] down to just before [[Taiwan]], just to the west of the [[Kuroshio current]] which brings warm water from the south up to the Ryukyus, Japan, and Korea.

Historically independent, the islands were united under the [[Ryukyu Kingdom|Ryûkyû Kingdom]] in the 15th-16th centuries before the [[Satsuma han]] [[invasion of Ryukyu|invasion of Ryûkyû]] in [[1609]]. Those islands north of [[Okinawa Island]] were annexed by Satsuma at that time and remain part of [[Kagoshima prefecture]] today, while Okinawa and all those to the south remained under the control of the Ryûkyû Kingdom, and today comprise [[Okinawa prefecture]].

Historically independent, the islands were united under the [[Ryukyu Kingdom|Ryûkyû Kingdom]] in the 15th-16th centuries before the [[Satsuma han]] [[invasion of Ryukyu|invasion of Ryûkyû]] in [[1609]]. Those islands north of [[Okinawa Island]] were annexed by Satsuma at that time and remain part of [[Kagoshima prefecture]] today,<ref name=iojima>Iô Torishima, also known as Tokara Iôjima, though lying north of the Amami Islands, is today administered as part of Okinawa Prefecture's Kumejima City. (Pearson, 8.)</ref> while Okinawa and all those to the south remained under the control of the Ryûkyû Kingdom, and today comprise [[Okinawa prefecture]].

==Geography==

==Geography==

The islands of the chain are considered in a number of groupings. Listed from north to south, they are:

The islands of the chain are considered in a number of groupings. Listed from north to south, they are:

*[[Satsunan Islands]] (Kagoshima pref.)

*[[Satsunan Islands]] (Kagoshima pref.)

**[[Osumi Islands|Ôsumi Islands]] - incl. [[Tanegashima]], [[Yakushima]], [[Kuchinoerabujima]], [[Kuroshima (Kagoshima)|Kuroshima]], [[Takeshima (Kagoshima)|Takeshima]], and [[Iojima|Iôjima]]

**[[Osumi Islands|Ôsumi Islands]] - incl. [[Tanegashima]], [[Yakushima]], [[Kuchinoerabujima]], [[Kuroshima (Kagoshima)|Kuroshima]], [[Takeshima (Kagoshima)|Takeshima]], and [[Io Torishima|Iô Torishima]]<ref name=iojima/>

**[[Tokara Islands]] - incl. [[Kuchinoshima]], [[Nakanoshima]], [[Tairajima]], [[Suwanosejima]], [[Akusekijima]], [[Gajashima]], and [[Takarajima]]

**[[Tokara Islands]] - incl. [[Kuchinoshima]], [[Nakanoshima]], [[Tairajima]], [[Suwanosejima]], [[Akusekijima]], [[Gajashima]], and [[Takarajima]]

**[[Amami Islands]] - incl. [[Amami Oshima|Amami Ôshima]], [[Kikaijima]], [[Tokunoshima]], [[Okinoerabujima]], and [[Yoronjima]]

**[[Amami Islands]] - incl. [[Amami Oshima|Amami Ôshima]], [[Kikaigashima]], [[Tokunoshima]], [[Okinoerabujima]], and [[Yoronjima]]

*Okinawa Islands (Okinawa pref.) - incl. Okinawa Island [[Izena Island]], [[Iheya Island]], [[Kumejima]], [[Iejima]], and the [[Kerama Islands]]

*Okinawa Islands (Okinawa pref.) - incl. Okinawa Island, [[Izena Island]], [[Iheya Island]], [[Kumejima]], [[Iejima]], and the [[Kerama Islands]]

*[[Sakishima Islands]] (Okinawa pref.)

*[[Sakishima Islands]] (Okinawa pref.)

**Miyako Islands - incl. [[Miyakojima]], [[Ogami Island|Ôgami Island]], [[Ikema Island]], [[Irabu Island]], [[Shimoji Island]], [[Kurima Island]], [[Minna Island]], and [[Tarama Island]]

**Miyako Islands - incl. [[Miyakojima]], [[Ogami Island|Ôgami Island]], [[Ikema Island]], [[Irabu Island]], [[Shimoji Island]], [[Kurima Island]], [[Minna Island]], and [[Tarama Island]]

**Yaeyama Islands - incl. [[Ishigaki Island]], [[Taketomi Island]], [[Kohama Island]], [[Kuroshima (Yaeyama)|Kuroshima]], [[Hatoma Island]], [[Iriomote-jima]], [[Hateruma Island]], and [[Yonaguni Island]]

**Yaeyama Islands - incl. [[Ishigaki Island]], [[Taketomi Island]], [[Kohama Island]], [[Kuroshima (Yaeyama)|Kuroshima]], [[Hatoma Island]], [[Iriomote-jima]], [[Hateruma Island]], and [[Yonaguni Island]]

Unlike the Japanese Archipelago, which is volcanic, the islands of Ryûkyû formed from limestone coral, and so have a very different geology and topography. There are no serious mountains in the Ryukyus, and the average height above sea level across the entire archipelago is a tiny fraction of that of the far more mountainous islands of Japan and Taiwan.

Unlike the Japanese Archipelago, which is volcanic, the islands of Ryûkyû formed from limestone coral, and so have a very different geology and topography. There are no serious mountains in the Ryukyus, and the average height above sea level across the entire archipelago is a tiny fraction of that of the far more mountainous islands of Japan and Taiwan.

The archaeological record shows that human habitation in the Ryukyus began roughly 20,000 to 30,000 years ago. More recent major waves of immigration, from a variety of directions, settled the northern Ryukyus around 9000 years ago, and the Sakishima Islands (the southern Ryukyus) around 4500 years ago.

The archaeological record shows that human habitation in the Ryukyus began roughly 20,000 to 30,000 years ago. More recent major waves of immigration, from a variety of directions, settled the northern Ryukyus around 9000 years ago, and the Sakishima Islands (the southern Ryukyus) around 4500 years ago.

The overall chain of islands continues relatively regularly from Kyushu to Taiwan, with one island, or small group of islands, after another; however, there is a significant gap between Okinawa and the islands to the south. As a result, while the people of Okinawa and the various islands north of it engaged in considerable trade with one another and with "mainland" Japan, the islanders of Sakishima remained disconnected from those interactions until around the 11th century CE.

The overall chain of islands continues relatively regularly from Kyushu to Taiwan, with one island, or small group of islands, after another, such that one can travel from one island to another without ever being out of sight of land (provided it's a clear day); however, there is a significant gap, 270 km wide, between Okinawa and the islands to the south, known as the Kerama Gap.<ref>Pearson, 4.</ref> As a result, while the people of Okinawa and the various islands north of it engaged in considerable trade with one another and with "mainland" Japan, the islanders of Sakishima remained disconnected from those interactions until around the 11th century CE.<ref name=pear1>Pearson, 1.</ref>

The 10th-11th centuries saw considerable technological and commercial developments in [[Song Dynasty]] China ([[960]]-[[1279]]), along with various concurrent developments in [[Heian period]] Japan. Interactions between China, Japan, and the Ryukyus increased, and migrants between the three regions introduced the cultivation of rice, wheat, barley, and other crops, and the raising of livestock into the Ryukyus.

The 10th-11th centuries saw considerable technological and commercial developments in [[Song Dynasty]] China ([[960]]-[[1279]]), along with various concurrent developments in [[Heian period]] Japan. Interactions between China, Japan, and the Ryukyus increased, and migrants between the three regions introduced the cultivation of rice, wheat, barley, and other crops, and the raising of livestock into the Ryukyus.<ref name=pear1/>

The people of the various islands, over the course of time, formed up into complex societies, generally taking the form of chiefdoms.

The people of the various islands, over the course of time, formed up into complex societies, generally taking the form of chiefdoms.

By the beginning of the 14th century, the various chiefs of areas of Okinawa Island were unified under a single head chieftain, sometimes today retroactively called a "king." However, in the 1310s, the headchieftain [[Eiji]] was succeeded by his son [[Tamagusuku]] who, whether for lack of personal charisma or leadership ability, or for some other reason, failed to command the loyalty of the other chieftains. The island of Okinawa thus came to be divided into three chiefdoms, or kingdoms, known as [[Hokuzan]], [[Chuzan|Chûzan]], and [[Nanzan]]. This period of division is known as the [[Sanzan period]].

By the beginning of the 14th century, the various chiefs of areas of Okinawa Island were unified under a single head chieftain, sometimes today retroactively called a "king." However, in the 1310s, the headchieftain [[Eiji]] was succeeded by his son [[Tamagusuku]] who, whether for lack of personal charisma or leadership ability, or for some other reason, failed to command the loyalty of the other chieftains. The island of Okinawa thus came to be divided into three chiefdoms, or kingdoms, known as [[Hokuzan]], [[Chuzan|Chûzan]], and [[Nanzan]]. This period of division is known as the [[Sanzan period]].

Chûzan entered into [[tribute|tributary relations]] with [[Ming Dynasty]] China in [[1372]], with the other two doing the same within the ensuing several years.

Chûzan entered into [[tribute|tributary relations]] with [[Ming Dynasty]] China in [[1372]], with the other two doing the same within the ensuing several years. Chûzan quickly grew more wealthy and more powerful than the other two, conquering them and uniting the island of Okinawa under its control by [[1429]].

 

Over the rest of the 15th and 16th centuries, the Ryûkyû Kingdom, as the Okinawan state might now be called, extended its influence to the north and to the south, making islands as far south as Yonaguni and Hateruma, and as far north as the Amamis its tributaries, or conquering them outright. The kingdom meanwhile engaged quite actively in overseas trade, becoming a crucial hub of maritime trade between Korea, Japan, China, and various polities of Southeast Asia.

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