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 globall
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Amami-Oshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, Northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island
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 metre
Collections featuring Amami-Oshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, Northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island
More UNESCO sites in Japan
- Ancient Capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara
- Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area
- Mount Fuji
- Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu
- Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region
- Himeji-jo
- Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land
- Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome)