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| izu-bonin volcanic arc | |
| ogasawara islands | |
| subduction volcanoes | |
| volcanic calderas of japan | |
| islands of tokyo | |
| uninhabited islands | |
| battle of iwo jima | |
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also frequently ''Iōjima'' : “ Sulfur island”) is an island of the Japan ese Volcano Islands chain, which makes up the southern end of the Ogasawara Islands . The island is located 1,200 kilometers (650 Nm ) south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of the prefecture of Tokyo. It is famous as the site of the February–March 1945 Battle Of Iwo Jima between the United States and Japan during World War II , when the iconic photograph '' Raising The Flag On Iwo Jima '' was taken. The U.S. Occupied Iwo Jima until 1968, when it was returned to Japan. Today Iwo Jima has no permanent civilian population, but has an air base operated by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force . NAME Japanese naval officers who arrived to fortify the island before the American invasion mistakenly called it ''Iwo Jima''. In this way, the "Iwo Jima" pronunciation became mainstream and was the one used by American forces who arrived during World War II . Former island residents protested against this rendering, and the Ministry Of Land, Infrastructure And Transport ’s Geographical Survey Institute debated the issue and formally announced on June 18 , 2007 , that the official Japanese pronunciation of the island’s name would be reverted to the pre-war ''Iōtō''. Moves to revert the pronunciation were sparked by the high profile films '' Flags Of Our Fathers '' and '' Letters From Iwo Jima ''. The change does not affect how the name is written in Japanese (硫黄島), only how it is pronounced. GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES The island has an approximate area of 21 km&2 (8 mi&2) at . The most prominent feature is on the southern tip, a vent that is thought to be dormant and is 166 m (546 ft) high. Iwo Jima is unusually flat and featureless for a volcanic island. Suribachi is the only obvious volcanic feature, as it is only the raised center of a larger submerged volcanic Caldera . HISTORY Before 1945 Before World War II Iwo Jima was adminstered (as it is today) by the prefectural government of Tokyo. A census in June 1943 reported an island civilian population of 1018 (533 males, 485 females) in 192 households in six settlements. The island had a primary school, a shinto shrine, and a single police officer; it was serviced by a mail ship from Haha-jima once a month, as well as a Nippon Yusen ship once every two months. The island's economy relied upon Sulfur mining, Sugarcane farming, and Fishing ; an isolated island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with poor economic prospect, Iwo Jima had to import all Rice and consumer goods from the Home Islands . Even before the beginning of World War II , there was a garrison of the Imperial Japanese Navy at the southern part of Iwo Jima. It was off-limits to the island's civilian population, who had little contact with the naval personnel in any case, except for trade purposes. Throughout 1944 there was a massive military buildup on Iwo Jima, in anticipation of An American Invasion ; in July its civilian population were forcibly evacuated, and no civilians have settled permanently on the island ever since. After the Battle Of Iwo Jima in 1945, the U.S. Occupied Iwo Jima until 1968, when it was returned to Japan. Reunion of honor During the memorial service a granite plaque was unveiled with the message: It is inscribed on both sides of the plaque, with the English translation facing the beaches where U.S. forces landed and the Japanese translation facing inland, where Japanese troops defended their position. After that, the Japan-U.S. combination memorial service of the 50th anniversary was held in front of this monument in March 1995. The 55th anniversary was held in 2000, followed by a 60th reunion in March 2005 (see U.S. National Park Service photo below). |
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