Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
1,210km²
Area
646km
Coastline
503m
Highest point
Mount Yonaha
1,224,726
People
29°C
Warmest sea
August
615km
To the mainland
When to go to Okinawa
Best for the beach from May to July and from October to November.
The sea is warmest in August (29 °C) and coolest in February (21 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Smallest of the five main islands of Japan
Okinawa is an island in Japan. It covers 1,210 km², with 646 km of coastline. Its highest point, Mount Yonaha, rises to 503 m. About 1,224,726 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 615 km away.
Getting there
- Naha International Airport (OKA)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire at OKA airport (Naha)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesHeshikiya-Tsuken
- 615 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From May to July and from October to Novemberbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Okinawa.
- 325beachesKariyushi Beach, Miyuki Beach, Malibu Beach and 322 more
- 190viewpointsCape Zanpa, Ishijo Gate, Iri-no-azana and 187 more
- 6lighthousesSedakasaki Lighthouse, Cape Zanpa Lighthouse and 4 more
- 14ferry terminalsNaha (Tomari port), Motobu Harbor, Unten Port and 11 more
- 7marinasGinowan Marina, Hamagawa Fishing Port, Ishikawa Fishing port and 4 more
- 47named peaksMt. Yonaha, Mt. Yaedake, Mt. Katsuudake and 44 more
- 41waterfallsTodoroki Falls, Hira Falls, Fukugawa Waterfall and 38 more
- 36castles and fortsOmono Gusuku ruins, Shuri Castle, Iso Castle Site and 33 more
- 79ruins and archaeological sitesKozuchi-no-ko's residence ruins, Former Navy Headquarters Cave, Agena Castle Ruins and 76 more
- 38dive centresWorld Diving, Peace Ocean, Marine Club Sea Time and 35 more
- 2waymarked walking routesHabu Hill Trail
- 32campsitesWOODPECKER Nakijin and 31 more
- 569hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 1,733restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Okinawa in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Okinawa, each with its own numbers.
3beaches and covesCoastya
1lakeLakeyas
1waterfallCascadyas
Largest lake
0.43km²
Lake Man
according to Lakeyas
Beach with the warmest sea
28.9°C
White Beach
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
1 lakes
on Lakeyas, the lake atlas
- Lake Man0.43km²
Lakeyas is coming soonOpen Lakeyas ↗
1 waterfalls
on Cascadyas, the waterfall atlas
- Hiji Falls
Cascadyas is coming soonOpen Cascadyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 92 m above the sea. 89 % of it is below 200 m.
- 37 %0–50 m
- 52 %50–200 m
- 11 %200–500 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
50 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Naha317,625 people
- Okinawa142,752 people
- Uruma125,303 people
- Urasoe115,690 people
- Ginowan100,125 people
- Gushikawa65,251 people
- Tomigusuku64,612 people
- Nago63,554 people
- Itoman61,007 people
- Nanjō44,043 people
- Yomitan41,206 people
- Kanegusuku40,440 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 19 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 27 | 24 | 21 |
| Night low (°C) | 17 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 23 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 22 | 19 |
| Sea (°C) | 22 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 24 |
| Rain (mm) | 68 | 62 | 91 | 143 | 228 | 309 | 138 | 173 | 195 | 140 | 87 | 78 |
| Wet days | 14 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 21 | 16 | 19 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 13 |
| Sun h/day | 2.9 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 5.1 | 6.2 | 9.2 | 8.3 | 7.2 | 5.8 | 4.1 | 2.9 |
| Wind (km/h) | 25 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 26 | 25 | 26 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.1 | +0.3 | +0.6 | −0.5 | −0.1 | +0.6 | +0.4 | +0.7 | +0.2 | +0.7 | +0.6 | +0.7 |
| 2021 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +0.9 | +0.4 | +0.8 | +0.2 | −0.4 | −0.7 | +0.9 | +0.8 | +0.2 | ±0.0 |
| 2022 | −0.1 | +0.4 | +0.8 | +1.1 | +0.3 | −0.1 | ±0.0 | +1.0 | +0.4 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.1 |
| 2023 | ±0.0 | +0.4 | +0.5 | +0.6 | −0.3 | −0.3 | +0.2 | −0.5 | +0.7 | +0.9 | +0.7 | +0.6 |
| 2024 | +0.5 | +0.8 | +0.3 | +0.9 | +0.7 | −0.2 | +1.2 | +1.5 | +1.3 | +1.4 | +1.6 | +0.7 |
| 2025 | −0.3 | −0.6 | +0.2 | −0.6 | +0.1 | +1.1 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +1.5 | +2.2 | +1.5 | +0.6 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Iejima
Japan23 km²172 m30 km away
OkinoerabujimaJapan94 km²240 m116 km away
Kume IslandJapan60 km²310 m118 km away
TokunoshimaJapan248 km²645 m178 km away
Amami ŌshimaJapan713 km²694 m244 km away
Kikai IslandJapan57 km²211 m287 km away
Miyako IslandJapan159 km²115 m325 km away
Minamidaitō IslandJapan31 km²75 m336 km awayAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q600614) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, Lakeyas, Cascadyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST; HydroLAKES (Messager et al. 2016) · CC BY 4.0, LakeTEMP (Korver et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0 |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers or canyons?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, month by month, in seven languages.
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islands
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rivers
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canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Coming soonVisit