The Ryūkyū Islands (琉球諸島, Ryūkyū-shotō), also known as the Nansei Islands (南西諸島, Nansei-shotō, lit. "Southwest Islands"), are a chain of Japanese islands in a line between Kyushu and Taiwan.[1] The native people of the Ryūkyū Islands are the Ryūkyūan people and its native languages are the endangered Ryukyuan languages.
History
In the islands, the Ryūkyū Kingdom (琉球王国, Ryūkyū-ōkoku) dates from the middle 14th century.[2] It entered into a tributary relationship with Imperial China.[3]
In the early 17th century, the kingdom entered into a tributary relationship with Japan after the Satsuma Domain invaded.[4][5]
The Islands are separated into two geographical regions: the Northern Ryūkyū Islands, centered on Amami Island, and the Southern Ryūkyū Islands, centered on Okinawa Island. Sometimes the Southern Ryūkyū Islands are further divided into the Okinawa Islands and the Sakishima Islands.
