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Native name: Japanese:屋久島 | |
|---|---|
 Landsat image of Yakushima | |
  Yakushima Location in Japan (with southern islands in inset) Show map of Japan Yakushima Yakushima (Kagoshima Prefecture) Show map of Kagoshima Prefecture | |
| Geography | |
| Location | East China Sea |
| Coordinates | 30°20′38″N130°31′26″E / 30.34389°N 130.52389°E /30.34389; 130.52389 |
| Archipelago | Ryukyu Islands |
| Area | 504.88 km2 (194.94 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 1,936 m (6352 ft) |
| Highest point | Mount Miyanoura |
| Administration | |
| Kagoshima Prefecture | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 11,698 (2022) |
| Pop. density | 26.1/km2 (67.6/sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | Japanese |
 Interactive map of Yakushima | |
| Criteria | Natural: vii, ix |
| Reference | 662 |
| Inscription | 1993 (17thSession) |
| Area | 10,747 ha |
| Official name | Yakushima Nagata-hama |
| Designated | 8 November 2005 |
| Reference no. | 1559[1] |
Yakushima (屋久島) is one of theŌsumi Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The island, 504.88 km2 (194.94 sq mi) in area, has a population of 11,858.[2] It is accessible byhydrofoil ferry, car ferry, or by air toYakushima Airport.
The island is part of the town (chō) ofYakushima, which includes the neighbouring island ofKuchinoerabujima. 42% of the island is within the borders of theYakushima National Park.[3]
As of 2021, Yakushima's electricity generation was more than 99%hydroelectric,[4] and surplus power has been used to producehydrogen gas in an experiment byKagoshima University. The island has been a test site forHonda's hydrogenfuel cell vehicle research.
In 1980, an area of 18,958 ha (46,850 acres) was designated aUNESCOMan and the Biosphere Reserve.[5] In 1993, 10 hectares (25 acres) of wetland at Nagata-hama was designated aRamsar site.[6] Yakushima is the largest nesting ground for the endangeredloggerhead sea turtle in theNorth Pacific.[3][7] The island's unique remnant of warm/temperate ancient forest has been a naturalWorld Heritage Site since 1993.
Yakushima is located approximately 61.3 kilometres (38.1 mi) south of the southern tip ofŌsumi Peninsula in southern Kyushu, or 135 kilometres (73 nmi) south ofKagoshima. The Tanegashima Strait (Tanegashima Kaikyō) separates it from the nearby island ofTanegashima, which is home to the Japanese Space Centre. Periodic rocket launches from Tanegashima can clearly be seen from Yakushima.[citation needed]
The bedrock of the island is granite, so there are no active volcanoes.[8] The island has an area of 504.5 square kilometres (194.8 sq mi) and is roughly circular, with a circumference of 89 kilometres (55 mi) and a diameter of 28 kilometres (17 mi). Its highest elevations areMiyanouradake (宮之浦岳), at 1,935 metres (6,348 ft), andNagatadake (永田岳), at 1,886 metres (6,188 ft). Yakushima has another 30 peaks of over 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) in height. There are numeroushot springs on the island.[citation needed]
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Major settlements of the island, which make upYakushima municipality, are the port towns ofAnbō andMiyanoura; between them is locatedYakushima Airport. Other settlements are the coastal villages of Onoaida, Hirauchi, Kurio, Nagata, and the abandoned forest village of Kosugidani.
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Yakushima has been settled since at least theJōmon period. It was first mentioned in written documents of the ChineseSui dynasty of the 6th century. In 601, the Chinese sent an expedition to the "Country of Liukiu" (流求國). They noted that the people were small butpugnacious. They could not understand the local language, however, and returned to China. In 607, they sent another expedition to trade and brought back one of the islanders.
In the ancient Japanese history textShoku Nihongi, in an entry dated 702 CE, it is said that Yakushima formed part of ancientTane Province.
During theEdo period, Yakushima was ruled by theShimazu clan of theSatsuma Domain and was considered part ofŌsumi Province. Following theMeiji restoration, the island has been administered as part ofKagoshima Prefecture.
In 2017, Yakushima was struck byTyphoon Noru, causing one death.
In November 2023, aUnited States Air ForceV-22 Osprey crashed off the coast of Yakushima, killing seven crew members, with one crewmember going missing.[9][10][11]
The population of Yakushima reached a peak in 1960, with 24,010 inhabitants.[citation needed] It thereafter declined until about 1995 but has subsequently stabilized at 12,053 inhabitants as of 2020.[12]
Traditionally, the economic mainstays of the population were forestry and the export of wood products (principally cedarroof shingles), andcommercial fishing. Cultivation of oranges and tea, the distilling ofshōchū, and tourism are now the main sources of income.[citation needed]
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Yakushima contains one of the largest tracts of existingNansei Islands subtropical evergreen forests, an endangeredhabitatecoregion.[13] The only large animals indigenous to the island areYakushima macaques and a variety ofsika deer. TheJapanese raccoon dog is also a common animal but is not native to the island.[14]Japanese weasels (Mustela itatsi) may also be seen from time to time. The island is a spawning ground for migratoryloggerhead turtles, anddolphins are to be found offshore. The coastal areas havecoral reefs in places, although to a much lesser extent than are found farther south in the islands ofOkinawa. Yakushima, along with neighbouring Tanegashima, has been recognised as anImportant Bird Area byBirdLife International, because they support populations ofJapanese wood pigeons,Ryukyu green pigeons, andRyukyu robins.[15]
Yakushima is known for its lush vegetation. Most of the island has at one time or another been logged (dating back at least to the earlyEdo period) but has been extensively replanted and reseeded since logging ended in the late 1960s, at which time a conservation regime was established. In addition to this secondary forest, there are some remaining areas ofprimary forest, composed mainly of a variety ofCryptomeria japonica, or Japanese cedar, calledyakusugi (屋久杉), the best-known single example of which isJōmon Sugi (縄文杉), as its age is estimated to date to at least theJōmon period of Japanese history, 2,300 years ago. In addition, the island lists over 50 varieties of endemic flowers, notablyrhododendrons, and hundreds of rare endemicBryophyta, as well as a number of endemic trees.
Yakushima has ahumid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classificationCfa) with hot, humid summers and mild winters. Precipitation is extremely heavy, with at least 250 millimetres (9.8 in) in each month and as much as 773 millimetres (30.4 in) in June alone. Yakushima is Japan's wettest place,[16] and annual precipitation there is one of the world's highest, at 4,000 to 10,000 mm (160 to 390 in). There are drier periods in autumn and winter, while the heaviest downpours occur in spring and summer, often accompanied by landslides.[citation needed] It is the southernmost place in Japan where there is snow in the mountains, often for months, while the ocean temperature is never below 19 °C (66 °F)[citation needed]
| Climate data for Yakushima (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1937–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 25.3 (77.5) | 26.1 (79.0) | 29.6 (85.3) | 29.8 (85.6) | 31.9 (89.4) | 34.8 (94.6) | 35.2 (95.4) | 35.4 (95.7) | 34.7 (94.5) | 31.3 (88.3) | 32.2 (90.0) | 26.6 (79.9) | 35.4 (95.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 14.7 (58.5) | 15.5 (59.9) | 18.0 (64.4) | 21.4 (70.5) | 24.5 (76.1) | 26.9 (80.4) | 30.5 (86.9) | 30.9 (87.6) | 28.9 (84.0) | 25.2 (77.4) | 21.2 (70.2) | 16.8 (62.2) | 22.9 (73.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 11.8 (53.2) | 12.3 (54.1) | 14.6 (58.3) | 17.8 (64.0) | 21.0 (69.8) | 23.7 (74.7) | 27.0 (80.6) | 27.5 (81.5) | 25.7 (78.3) | 22.2 (72.0) | 18.2 (64.8) | 13.9 (57.0) | 19.6 (67.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 8.9 (48.0) | 9.2 (48.6) | 11.3 (52.3) | 14.2 (57.6) | 17.5 (63.5) | 21.0 (69.8) | 23.9 (75.0) | 24.6 (76.3) | 22.8 (73.0) | 19.4 (66.9) | 15.2 (59.4) | 11.0 (51.8) | 16.6 (61.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 1.0 (33.8) | 0.7 (33.3) | 1.5 (34.7) | 4.5 (40.1) | 10.1 (50.2) | 13.7 (56.7) | 18.3 (64.9) | 19.6 (67.3) | 15.2 (59.4) | 9.1 (48.4) | 5.6 (42.1) | 2.2 (36.0) | 0.7 (33.3) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 294.6 (11.60) | 289.2 (11.39) | 387.0 (15.24) | 405.5 (15.96) | 444.1 (17.48) | 860.3 (33.87) | 362.4 (14.27) | 256.5 (10.10) | 450.7 (17.74) | 309.9 (12.20) | 309.6 (12.19) | 281.8 (11.09) | 4,651.7 (183.14) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.5 mm) | 17.2 | 15.2 | 16.2 | 13.5 | 13.7 | 19.6 | 12.5 | 14.6 | 15.5 | 12.8 | 12.8 | 15.8 | 179.3 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 68 | 68 | 69 | 71 | 76 | 85 | 83 | 82 | 81 | 74 | 71 | 69 | 75 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 74.9 | 83.2 | 117.9 | 146.2 | 152.7 | 100.0 | 209.9 | 201.3 | 139.8 | 115.9 | 97.3 | 78.8 | 1,515.8 |
| Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[17] | |||||||||||||
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According to a disputed theory published in a 2009 paper,[18] airborne pollutants from China may have affected theYakushima white pine.[19]
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Yakushima Airport (KUM) is the only airfield serving the island.
Tanegayaku High Speed ShipJetfoil "Toppy" "Rocket"
The last operatingnarrow-gauge (762mm gauge) timber railway in Japan is on the island, but it only transports freight.
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There are severalonsen (hot springs) on Yakushima:
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
