|
The Bonin Islands, also known as the ,〔(Comparison of name usage in published sources, 1800-2000 ); retrieved 2013-4-16.〕 are an archipelago of over 30 subtropical and tropical islands, some directly south of Tokyo, Japan. The name "Bonin Islands" comes from the Japanese word ''bunin'' (an archaic reading of ''mujin''), meaning "no people" or "uninhabited". The only inhabited islands of the group are Chichi-jima (), the seat of the municipal government, and Haha-jima (), which includes Ogasawara Village. Ogasawara Municipality (''mura'') and Ogasawara Subprefecture (Tokyo Metropolis) take their names from the Ogasawara Group. However, , may also be a wider collective term that includes other islands in Ogasawara Municipality, such as the Volcano Islands, along with other small, uninhabited and isolated islands. Geographically speaking, all of these islands are part of the Nanpō Islands. A total population of 2,440 , comprising 2,000 on Chichi-jima and 440 on Haha-jima, lives in the Ogasawara Group, which have a total area of . Because the Ogasawara Islands have never been connected to a continent, many of their animals and plants have undergone unique evolutionary processes. This has led to the islands' nickname of the "The Galápagos of the Orient", and their nomination as a natural World Heritage Site on June 24, 2011.〔(【引用サイトリンク】Japan Times">title=Ogasawara Islands Join World Heritage family )〕 The giant squid (genus ''Architeuthis'') was filmed off the Ogasawara Islands for the first time in the wild on September 27, 2005, and was captured in December 2006. A 25-meter-diameter radio telescope is located in Chichijima, one of the stations of the VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry (VERA) project, and is operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. ==Geography and administration== The Bonin Islands consist of three subgroups, which are listed below along with their main islands: * Muko-jima Group (聟島列島 ''Muko-jima Rettō'') - formerly Parry Group: * *Muko-jima (, literally "Bridegroom Island"); * *Yome-jima (嫁島, "Bride Island") - formerly Kater I.; * *Nakōdo-jima or Nakadachi-jima (媒島, "Matchmaker Island"); * *Kita-no-jima (北ノ島 or 北島, "Northern Island"); * *Mae-jima - formerly the Ears; * Chichi-jima Group (父島列島 ''Chichi-jima Rettō'') - formerly Beechey Group: * *Chichi-jima (父島, "Father Island") - formerly Main I./Peel I.; * *Ani-jima (兄島, "Elder Brother Island") - formerly Hog I./Buckland I.; * *Otōto-jima (弟島, "Younger Brother Island") - formerly North I./Stapleton I.; * *Mago-jima (孫島 "Grandchild Island"); * *Higashi-jima (東島 "East Island") * *Nishi-jima (西島 "West Island") - formerly Goat I.; * *Minami-jima (南島 "South Island") - formerly Knorr I.; * Haha-jima Group (母島列島 ''Haha-jima Rettō'') - formerly Baily Group or Coffin Islands: * *Haha-jima (母島, "Mother Island") - formerly Hillsborough I.; * *Mukō-jima (向島 "Over There Island") - formerly Plymouth I.; * *Hira-jima or Taira-jima (平島, "Flat Island") * *Ane-jima (姉島, "Elder Sister Island") - formerly Perry I.; * *Imōto-jima (妹島, "Younger Sister Island") - formerly Kelly I.; * *Mei-jima (姪島, "Niece Island") Administratively, the Volcano Islands, Nishinoshima (Rosario Island), Okinotorishima (Parece Vela) and Minamitorishima (Marcus Island), are today part of Ogasawara municipality. Geographically, they are not traditionally considered part of the Bonin Islands, which are the Mukojima, Chichijima, and Hahajima island clusters.〔Freeman, Otis W. (1951). (''Geography of the Pacific,'' pp. 229-235. )〕 In other words, the historical range of the Bonin Islands (''Ogasawara Guntō'') is not the precise equivalent of the Japanese governmental unit.〔( "Bonin Islands," ) ''Encyclopædia Britannica.'' Retrieved July 06, 2009.〕 The Bonin Islands is a geographical term excluding the other islands which are today associated within the boundaries of a collective term, ''Ogasawara Shotō.'' 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bonin Islands」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|