{"id":6171,"date":"2021-05-10T13:03:46","date_gmt":"2021-05-10T06:03:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/?page_id=6171"},"modified":"2021-05-31T14:37:34","modified_gmt":"2021-05-31T07:37:34","slug":"nansei-islands","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/nansei-islands\/","title":{"rendered":"Nansei Islands"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

THE NANSEI ISLANDS<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

The Nansei Archipelago stretches out from the southern tip of Ky\u016bsh\u016b to Taiwan<\/strong>.<\/p>

The islands between Ky\u016bsh\u016b and the Amami islands, which include the \u014csumi,<\/strong> Tokara<\/strong> and Amami island groups, konwn as<\/strong> the Satsunan Islands<\/strong><\/em>, and are all administered by Ky\u016bsh\u016b’s Kagoshima Prefecture<\/strong>.<\/p>

All the islands beyond the Amami islands, notably the Okinawa island group <\/strong>(including Okinawa Main island, the largest of the chain) and also the Miyako<\/strong> and Yaeyama Islands <\/strong>(known as the Sakishima Islands group<\/strong>) are all administered by the Okinawa Prefecture.
<\/strong>
The islands form a continuum, were all, until recently, grouped under the name Ry\u016b-Ky\u016b islands, for their physical, cultural and historical links and continuity.
However, in May 2011, an administrative reform decreed that the term Ry\u016b-Ky\u016b would designate roughly only the islands administered by Okinawa Prefecture).
<\/strong>(more on this here<\/strong>)
<\/strong><\/p>

From a regional point of view, the island of Ky\u016bsh\u016b, along with all the Nansei islands (including those administered by both the Kagoshima and Okinawa Prefectures) are grouped into a single adminstrative unit, the Ky\u016bsh\u016b-Okinawa region<\/em><\/strong>, that we separate here for clarity.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

The Satsunan islands<\/strong>, to the north of the archipelago, offer complex conditions, with stronger seasonal temperature variations, and exposure to powerful currents.
The Kuroshio warm current<\/strong> flows directly through a deep deep trench at the Tokara islands (Tokara Gap<\/em><\/strong>) heading towards the eastern coasts of the Japanese islands.
This invites very interesting marine life and makes for surprising encounters, including sharks, rays and plenty of pelagic action.
<\/strong><\/p>

Further south, the Okinawa region<\/strong> counts multiple island group famous for their diving activities, such as the main island<\/strong> of Okinawa and its neighbouring islands (over 80 dive sites) including Kume<\/strong> island and the Kerama<\/strong> island group (Aka, Tokashiki and Zamami), but also Miyako<\/strong> Island and the Yaeyama<\/strong> Islands (which include Ishigaki, Iriomote and Yonaguni Islands, and are Japan’s main manta hotspot).<\/p>

The Nansei Islands offer Japan\u2019s most tropical, southeast Asian-like diving, with coral reefs, white sand beaches and clear, blue, and generally warm waters<\/strong> that can be dived comfortably all year around.
Because of this, and with major highlights like manta rays and hammerhead sharks<\/strong>, the islands are one of Japan\u2019s main domestic diving hotspot.
<\/strong>The islands are also Japanese diving\u2019s most international destination, since the southern region, with its two international airports (on Okinawa Main Island and Ishigaki) is now particularly popular short-haul dive destination for divers from neighbouring Asian countries.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

NANSEI ARCHIPELAGO<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

The Nansei archipelago comprises the following groups of islands:<\/p>

Satsunan islands <\/strong>(Kagoshima Pref.)<\/p>