Ryukyu

American  

[ryoo-kyoo, ree-oo-kyoo] / ˈryu kyu, riˈu kyu /

noun

1. a chain of Japanese islands in the western Pacific Ocean between Japan and Taiwan. 3,120 square miles (1,205 square kilometers).

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Etymology

Origin of Ryukyu

First recorded in 1930–45; from Japanese Ryūkyū Shōto “Ryukyu Archipelago”

Example Sentences

As global warming continues, the migration of Borelis matsudai to the northern Ryukyu Islands, where it has yet to be found, may be further facilitated.

From Science Daily • Sep. 19, 2023

Two U.S. aircraft carriers, the USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan, had been operating around the geopolitically important Ryukyu Islands in the Philippine Sea since Thursday, Global Times cited a Beijing-based think tank as saying.

From Reuters • Jun. 12, 2023

Japan’s Ryukyu archipelago dominates key access points for Chinese naval units into the wider Pacific, and covers Taiwan’s northeast approaches.

From Washington Times • May 7, 2023

During the day, pale thrushes and Ryukyu robins visited the bright red fruits, but the birds tended to consume only a little bit of fruit at a time.

From New York Times • Jan. 26, 2023

In the North Pacific, humpback whales winter in tropical regions over the shallow coastal shelfs associated with the Hawaiian Islands, Baja California, central Mexico, the Ryukyu Islands, Bonin Islands, and Mariana Islands.

From Humpback Whales in Glacier Bay National Monument, Alaska by Commerce, United States Department of