Yonaguni (与那国島 Yonaguni-jima in Japanese) is the westernmost island of Japan. It is the last of the Ryukyu Islands chain, and lies 108 kilometers (67 mi) from the east coast of Taiwan, between the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean proper.
The island is called Dunan (ドゥナン) or Dunan-chima (ドゥナンチマ) in the local Yonaguni language, which is still spoken by a few elderly inhabitants and is incomprehensible to speakers of Japanese and of other Ryukyu languages. The native name dunan is cognate with the element yona- in the Japanese name.

Geography

The island has an area of 28.88 km² (11.15 sq mi), a population around 1700, an annual mean air temperature of 23.9 °C, and annual precipitation of 3000 mm. All islands are under jurisdiction of the town of Yonaguni, Yaeyama Gun, Okinawa and has three towns: Sonai, Kubura and Higawa. It was incorporated under the control of the Ryūkyū royal court in 1610.
Yonaguni, more specifically Cape Irizaki 24°26′58″N 122°56′01″E / 24.44944°N 122.93361°E / 24.44944; 122.93361 (Yonaguni (West)) at the western tip of the island, is the westernmost point of Japan. Taiwan is said to be visible from Irizaki on a clear day.

History

Until the last ice age, Yonaguni was part of the continent.
In the 12th century, it was incorporated to the Ryūkyū Kingdom. In the 17th century, it was incorporated into the Japanese han of Satsuma. By 1879, the island was formally incorporated into Japan.
Until the early 20th century, Yonaguni was part of the larger Yaeyama village, which included the neighboring Yaeyama Islands. In 1948, it became an independent village. From 1945 to 1972, it was occupied by the United States and was then returned to Japan to form a part of Okinawa Prefecture.
On May 4, 1998, a part of the island was destroyed by a submarine earthquake.

Notable features

Yonaguni is known in Japan for the hanazake, a 120-proof rice-based distilled beverage (awamori) produced only on the island.
The island is also the only natural habitat of a distinctive horse breed, the Yonaguni horse.
Yonaguni is a popular diver's attraction because of the large numbers of hammerhead sharks that gather in the surrounding waters during winter.
In the 1980s, divers discovered a striking underwater rock formation off the southernmost point of the island. This so-called Yonaguni Monument has staircase-like terraces with flat sides and sharp corners. On account of those features, some scholars believe it is an artificial (or artificially modified) structure, thousands of years old.

Transportation

Yonaguni Airport serves Yonaguni island.