Yonaguni

Yonaguni (Japanese: 与那国島, Hepburn: Yonaguni-jima, Yonaguni romanization: Dunan, Okinawan romanization: Yunaguni) is one of the Yaeyama Islands. It is the westernmost inhabited island of Japan and lies 108 kilometers (67 mi) from the east coast of Taiwan, between the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean proper.

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 there are three towns: Sonai, Kubura and Higawa.

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.

Climate

Yonaguni has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen climate classification Af). The average yearly temperature is 23.8 °C (74.8 °F), and the average monthly temperature ranges from 18.4 °C (65.1 °F) in January to 28.8 °C (83.8 °F) in July. September is the wettest month while July is the driest.

Yonaguni horse

The Yonaguni or Yonaguni uma (与那国馬) is a breed of horse native to the southwest islands of Japan, specifically Yonaguni Island. It is a small breed of horse phenotype but pony height, typically 11 hands (44 inches, 112 cm). It is also very rare, with fewer than 200 individuals known to live in Japan. It is one of eight horse breeds native to Japan.

History

The exact origins of the Yonaguni Horse are not clear. However, the horse has preserved its original and distinct form due to no cross-breeding occurring. In ancient times, the Yonaguni Horse was used in farming, agriculture and for the transportation of timber, but since the invention of modern machinery, this use was lost and thus the horse was no longer bred. This led to their numbers dropping to just 59 head in 1975. In this same year, a committee was formed for the preservation of the Yonaguni Horse. This encouraged people to begin breeding them again in the northern and Western regions of the island and thus they have increased in numbers to approximately 100-120 head. In the present day since they are not used for agriculture their main attraction is related tourism and the horses have become an emblem of the island.