Iriomote National Park
Encyclopedia
Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park (西表石垣国立公園 Iriomote-Ishigaki kokuritsukōen) is a national park
of Japan
, situated on the Yaeyama Islands
of the East China Sea
.
The park, originally called Iriomote National Park (西表国立公園 Iriomote kokuritsukōen) , included Iriomote Island
, Kuroshima Island, Taketomi Island
, Kohama Island
and other small islands in the Yaeyama Islands. The surrounding sea areas have also been designated as the park area.
In August 2007, the park was extended to include Ishigaki Island
, and now covers 205.69 km². However, Hateruma Island
, Hatoma Island
and Yonaguni Island
have not been covered.
The park is best known as the habitat of the Iriomote Wild Cat
, also called Yamamayaa or Yamamapikarya in Yaeyama
.
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, situated on the Yaeyama Islands
Yaeyama Islands
The Yaeyama Islands are a group of islands in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.The isles are the remotest part of Japan from the main islands and contains Japan's most southern and most western inhabited islands.The islands form the southern part of the volcanic Nansei Islands...
of the East China Sea
East China Sea
The East China Sea is a marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1,249,000 km² or 750,000 square miles.-Geography:...
.
The park, originally called Iriomote National Park (西表国立公園 Iriomote kokuritsukōen) , included Iriomote Island
Iriomote
Iriomote is the largest of the Yaeyama Islands and the second largest in Okinawa Prefecture after Okinawa Island itself....
, Kuroshima Island, Taketomi Island
Taketomi
Taketomi is an island in the Yaeyama District of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Located a ten-minute boat ride away from Ishigaki island, this island has a village in the center, also named Taketomi. Taketomi has a population of approximately 361 and an area of 6.32 km²...
, Kohama Island
Kohamajima
, or Kohama Island, is an island in the Yaeyama Islands group at the southwestern end of the Nansei Islands chain, and part of Taketomi, Yaeyama District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The island has an area of 7.84km², with a surrounding area of 16.6km²...
and other small islands in the Yaeyama Islands. The surrounding sea areas have also been designated as the park area.
In August 2007, the park was extended to include Ishigaki Island
Ishigaki, Okinawa
Ishigaki is an island west of Okinawa Hontō and the second-largest island of the Yaeyama Island group. It is within the City of Ishigaki in Okinawa Prefecture. The city functions as the business and transport center of the archipelago...
, and now covers 205.69 km². However, Hateruma Island
Hateruma
Hateruma is an island in the Yaeyama District of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Part of the town Taketomi, it is the southern-most inhabited island in Japan at 24°2’25” north latitude, 123°47’16” east longitude...
, Hatoma Island
Hatoma
Hatoma is a small island of the Yaeyama Islands, barely 1 kilometer in diameter. It is under the administration of Taketomi District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. In local language, the island's name is pronounced Patuma.- Geography :Hatoma is located just north of Iriomote...
and Yonaguni Island
Yonaguni
is one of the Yaeyama Islands. It is the westernmost inhabited island of Japan and lies from the east coast of Taiwan, between the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean proper....
have not been covered.
The park is best known as the habitat of the Iriomote Wild Cat
Iriomote cat
The Iriomote cat , is a wild cat about the size of a domestic cat that lives exclusively on the Japanese island of Iriomote. It is considered a "living fossil" by many biologists because it has not changed much from its primitive form...
, also called Yamamayaa or Yamamapikarya in Yaeyama
Yaeyama language
Yaeyama is a Ryukyuan language that is spoken in the Yaeyama Islands, the southernmost inhabited island group in Japan, with a combined population of about 50,000 . The Yaeyama Islands are situated to the southwest of the Miyako area of the Ryukyus and to the east of Taiwan. Yaeyama is most...
.