Japan – Ogasawara Islands
The Ogasawara Islands are a group of 30 islands located about a thousand kilometers away from Tokyo to the south of Izu Islands. These are also known as Bonin Islands which translates to “uninhabited islands” in Japanese. The archipelago is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is mostly referred to as “the Galapagos of the East” due to its disconnection from the continent.
Although initially uninhabited, the islands were later discovered by the European and Japanese in the late 16th and 17th centuries, respectively. It is claimed that the Spanish explorer, Bernardo de la Torre, has discovered Ogasawara around 1543 A.D. The islands was under US occupation for a while and the inhabitants had a unique creole language.
Chichi-jima and Haha-jima are the two main inhabited islands in the archipelago.
Categories: Japan
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