Irabu Island (伊良部島, Irabu-jima) (Miyako: Irav), is an island in Miyakojima, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The island is connected to Miyako Island by a 3,540-metre-long (11,610 ft) bridge Irabu Ohashi (伊良部大橋),[1] which was completed in January 2015.[2] Irabu Island is also connected via six bridges to Shimoji-shima.[1] There are multiple language variants spoken on the island: Nakachi-Irabu, Kuninaka, Sawada-Nagahama, and Sarahama (which is a variant of Ikema language spoken by descendants of emigrants from Ikema Island).[3]

Irabu Island
Native name:
Irabu-jima (伊良部島)
Irabu Island is to the west of Miyako Island
Map
Geography
LocationOkinawa Prefecture
Coordinates24°50′20″N 125°9′56″E / 24.83889°N 125.16556°E / 24.83889; 125.16556
ArchipelagoMiyako Islands
Adjacent toEast China Sea
Area29.06 km2 (11.22 sq mi)[1]
Highest elevation89.0 m (292 ft)
Administration
PrefectureOkinawa Prefecture
Demographics
Population4,693 (2015 national census)[1]
Ethnic groupsRyukyuan, Japanese
Irabu Island is in the center, Shimoji Island below, and the Irabu Bridge to the right

Etymology

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The term comes from the Japanization of the Miyakoan name Irav, in turn from Proto-Ryukyuan *erabu (tone class B). Cognates in other Ryukyuan languages include Okinoerabu irabu, referring to Okinoerabujima.[4]

Climate

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Climate data for Irabu (1981−2010 normals, extremes 1978−2009)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 27.8
(82.0)
27.5
(81.5)
29.5
(85.1)
30.2
(86.4)
32.2
(90.0)
33.8
(92.8)
35.0
(95.0)
35.1
(95.2)
33.9
(93.0)
31.8
(89.2)
31.2
(88.2)
28.9
(84.0)
35.1
(95.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 20.2
(68.4)
20.6
(69.1)
22.4
(72.3)
24.9
(76.8)
27.4
(81.3)
29.8
(85.6)
31.7
(89.1)
31.2
(88.2)
30.0
(86.0)
27.8
(82.0)
24.9
(76.8)
21.7
(71.1)
26.1
(78.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) 17.8
(64.0)
18.1
(64.6)
19.8
(67.6)
22.3
(72.1)
24.7
(76.5)
27.2
(81.0)
28.8
(83.8)
28.3
(82.9)
27.2
(81.0)
25.2
(77.4)
22.5
(72.5)
19.5
(67.1)
23.5
(74.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 15.5
(59.9)
15.8
(60.4)
17.2
(63.0)
19.9
(67.8)
22.3
(72.1)
25.1
(77.2)
26.4
(79.5)
25.9
(78.6)
24.8
(76.6)
23.1
(73.6)
20.5
(68.9)
17.3
(63.1)
21.2
(70.1)
Record low °C (°F) 6.9
(44.4)
6.3
(43.3)
5.1
(41.2)
10.0
(50.0)
14.3
(57.7)
16.3
(61.3)
22.0
(71.6)
21.5
(70.7)
17.5
(63.5)
16.7
(62.1)
10.0
(50.0)
6.4
(43.5)
5.1
(41.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 116.9
(4.60)
122.4
(4.82)
128.6
(5.06)
152.1
(5.99)
184.6
(7.27)
174.3
(6.86)
102.4
(4.03)
208.0
(8.19)
194.6
(7.66)
129.6
(5.10)
116.1
(4.57)
129.0
(5.08)
1,758.4
(69.23)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 12.9 11.7 12.9 10.2 10.7 10.4 9.2 12.3 11.9 9.2 11.1 10.5 133
Mean monthly sunshine hours 93.9 94.6 125.0 127.8 130.0 150.7 208.1 210.6 189.2 170.3 128.3 111.5 1,740
Source: JMA[5][6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Remote island related materials (離 島 関 係 資 料)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  2. ^ "伊良部島", Retrieved on 13 January 2018.[circular reference]
  3. ^ Heinrich, Patrick; Miyara, Shinsho; Shimoji, Michinori (17 February 2015). Handbook of the Ryukyuan Languages: History, Structure, and Use. Walter de Gruyter. pp. 405–406. ISBN 9781614511151.
  4. ^ National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics. "語彙詳細 - 日本の危機言語 (Detailed vocabulary - Endangered Languages of Japan)" (in Japanese). Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  5. ^ 観測史上1~10位の値(年間を通じての値). JMA. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  6. ^ 過去の気象データ検索. JMA. Retrieved 24 February 2022.