Nansei Shotô is a subtropical island chain of Japan located roughly between the 31st and 24th parallels, south of
.
Common amongst the subtropical Nansei Islands are a diverse coral population, visits from seasonal
During the ice age and several other times in prehistory, Japan was connected to Asia by land bridges, one of them became the Nansei Islands and
.
Okinawa used to be ruled by the Ryûkyû kingdom until Japan's invasion during the
and continued to invade Okinawa.
After the destruction of Okinawa's capital city,
, by arial bombardment,
the land invasion that followed resulted in 35% (more than 130,000) Okinawan civillian fatalities and many priceless historical buildings perished. After the end of war, Okinawa remained American territory from 1945 to 1972. Okinawa is a strategic military location for America where 75% of all
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