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About Okinawa
The kanji characters for Okinawa mean "offshore rope ".  The prefecture of Okinawa is the most southern of the 47 prefectures in Japan and is made up of about 160 islands (only 44 of which are inhabited), which were previously part of the independent nation Ryukyu Kingdom. It is located in the East China Sea, part of the Pacific Ocean, between mainland Japan and Taiwan and extends 400 km from north to south and 1000 km east to west and is considered an international resort destination. The capital of Okinawa is Naha, situated on the largest and most populated island, Okinawa Island. The islands that make up the prefecture now are divided into three archipelagoes: Okinawa, Yaeyama and Miyako. . It consists about seventy islands, with the total land area of 2,245 sq. km (about 922 sq. miles).  The largest island is Okinawa with 53% of the total land area.

The Okinawan language differs greatly from mainland Japanese but nowadays few Ryukyuan languages remain, due to the use of Standard Japanese on the radio, television and government. Despite Japanese influence the Okinawans still conserve many of their traditions, including the Cherry Festival held every year mid-January and early February in Nago and Motubo, when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom.

Demography
The total population of Okinawa Prefecture is approximately 1.31-million. The population of Okinawa Island alone is approximately 1.15-million, of which approximately 300-thousand reside in Naha. The population of Nago City is about 55-thousand.
Longevity is a feature that characterizes Okinawa. While Japan boasts the world's longest average life expectancy for both men and women, the average life expectancy of the residents of Okinawa Prefecture (77.22 years for men; 85.08 years for women is fourth in the nation for men and the nation's highest for women (as of 1995). Furthermore, while the national average ratio of those over 100 years of age per 100,000 residents is 4.48 people, the same ratio for Okinawa Prefecture alone is 18.5 people (as of Sept. 30, 1998). Okinawa is truly Japan's top prefecture in terms of longevity.

Economy and Culture
The beaches of Okinawa are reported to be the best in Japan and with its coral reefs, limestone caves and its sub-tropical climate, it makes an idyllic holiday destination, popular with both Japanese and foreign visitors alike with marine sports, inculding scuba diving, fishing and surfing being particularly popular. Gyokusendo, the 5 km cave in Okinawa Honto and Shuri-jo castle and park (where the Ryukyu royal family lived for over 400 years) are two of the most popular tourist attractions.

Okinawa is a producer of many tropical fruits including bananas, pineapples, papayas, guavas, mangoes, passion-fruits and also sugar-cane.

In terms of shipment volume, the processing of foods such as sugar cane and pineapple is the number one manufacturing industry. With the construction of a major oil refinery on the East Coast of Okinawa Island, oil refining is also growing steadily, and output is now almost equal to food processing. The manufacture of beverages, feed and tobacco is the third largest industry. Okinawa's traditional crafts include Awamori rice brandy, Bingata dyed cloth, pottery, textiles and lacquer ware.

Possibly Okinawa’s most famous cultural export would be Karate, which probably developed after the ban on weapons for a large part of its history. It is thought to be a cross between Chinese Kung Fu and Okinawan martial arts and there are various styles: Shotokan, Shorin-Ryu, Uechi Ryu, Goju Ryu and Shorinjiryu.

Weather
Okinawa is in the subtropical climate zone and has comfortable weather for vacationers throughout the year.  In Japan, Okinawa is the only prefecture that is located in the subtropical climate zone.

The average annual termpature of Okinawa is 22.4 C (72.3 F).  Even during the winter, the temperature averages 16 C (60.8 F) and never dips below 10 C (50 F).

The relatively constant warm temperatures and frequent rainfall of the subtropical zone keep the islands green throughout the year.  It is not unusual for rainfall to be recorded for over half of the days of the year.  Typhoons with monsoon rains strike regularly in late summer and early fall, leaving destruction in their wake.

Administrative Divisions
Okinawa's inhabited islands are typically divided into three geographical archipelagos. From northeast to southwest:

Okinawa Prefecture includes eleven cities: