Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- An island group of southwest Japan extending about 1,135 km (705 mi) between Kyushu and Taiwan. The archipelago was incorporated into Japan in 1879 and returned to Japanese sovereignty in 1972 after occupation by US forces following World War II.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a chain of 55 islands in the western Pacific to the to the southwest of Japan (returned by United States to Japan in 1972)
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word Ryukyu Islands.
Examples
-
Okinawa is located within a string of tiny islands (known as the Ryukyu Islands) extending southwards from Kyushu all the way to Taiwan.
Hot-screensaver 2010
-
The 160 tropical islands that make up the Okinawa Prefecture (also known as the Ryukyu Islands) look and feel very different from the rest of Japan, with their own language, cuisine and customs.
-
In view of the upheavals in East Asia that followed the war, including independence efforts in French Indo-China and the Dutch East Indies as well as a civil war in China, the fact that the United States effectively occupied Japan and the Ryukyu Islands meant that the U.S. strategic position was safe.
Between War and Peace Col. Matthew Moten 2011
-
Operation Iceberg, the landing on the west coast of Okinawa, was designed to seize the largest of the Ryukyu Islands as a major staging base for the invasion of Kyushu.
Between War and Peace Col. Matthew Moten 2011
-
Associated Press A dynamite blast sent debris high into the air as a U.S. Marines demolition crew blasted Japanese resistance in a cave on Okinawa on the Ryukyu Islands on May 21, 1945, during World War II.
-
In view of the upheavals in East Asia that followed the war, including independence efforts in French Indo-China and the Dutch East Indies as well as a civil war in China, the fact that the United States effectively occupied Japan and the Ryukyu Islands meant that the U.S. strategic position was safe.
Between War and Peace Col. Matthew Moten 2011
-
Operation Iceberg, the landing on the west coast of Okinawa, was designed to seize the largest of the Ryukyu Islands as a major staging base for the invasion of Kyushu.
Between War and Peace Col. Matthew Moten 2011
-
Late Thursday, Typhoon Muifa was positioned near the Ryukyu Islands, midway between Japan's main islands and Taiwan.
-
The Pacific air forces rendezvoused in the Ryukyu Islands that summer.
Whirlwind Barrett Tillman 2010
-
The Pacific air forces rendezvoused in the Ryukyu Islands that summer.
Whirlwind Barrett Tillman 2010
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.