Okinawa Prefecture is one of Japan's southern prefectures, and consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over 1,000 km long, which extends southwest from Kyûshû (the southwesternmost of Japan's main four islands) to Taiwan. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of the largest and most populous island, Okinawa Island, which is approximately half-way between Kyûshû and Taiwan. The disputed Senkaku Islands (Mandarin: Diaoyu Islands) are also administered as part of Okinawa Prefecture at present.
The set of islands belonging to the prefecture is called Ryûkyû Shotô. Okinawa's inhabited islands are typically divided into three geographical archipelagos. From northeast to southwest such as Okinawa Shoto, Miyako Shoto & Yaeyama Shoto.
