Amami-Oshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, Northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island World Heritage Site

Official name

Amami-Oshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, Northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island | UNESCO

Country

Japan | Map

Continent

Asia

Location

28.2791° Lat, 129.3783° Lon | Map

Code

1574

Time Zone

Asia/Tokyo (JST, +0900)

Current Time

Category

Natural

Description

Inscribed 2021. Encompassing 42,698 hectares of subtropical rainforests on four islands on a chain located in the southwest of Japan, the serial site forms an arc on the boundary of the East China Sea and Philippine Sea whose highest point, Mount Yuwandake on Amami-Oshima Island, rises 694 metres above sea level. Entirely uninhabited by humans, the site has high biodiversity value with a very high percentage of endemic species, many of them globally threatened. The site is home to endemic plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, inland water fish and decapod crustaceans, including, for example, the endangered Amami Rabbit ( Pentalagus furnessi ) and the endangered Ryukyu Long-haired Rat ( Diplothrix legata ) that represent ancient lineages and have no living relatives anywhere in the world. Five mammal species, three bird species, and three amphibian species in the property have been identified globally as Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species. There are also a number of different endemic species confined to each respective island that are not found elsewhere in the property.