Ie, Okinawa

Ie
伊江村
Iijima
Village

Location of Ie in Okinawa Prefecture
Ie

Location in Japan

Coordinates: 26°42′48″N 127°48′26″E / 26.71333°N 127.80722°ECoordinates: 26°42′48″N 127°48′26″E / 26.71333°N 127.80722°E
Country Japan
Region Kyushu
Prefecture Okinawa Prefecture
District Kunigami
Area
 • Total 22.75 km2 (8.78 sq mi)
Population (Dec. 2012 (est.))
 • Total 4,610
 • Density 200/km2 (520/sq mi)
Time zone Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
Website Village of Ie

Ie (伊江村 Ie-son, Kunigami: Ii, Okinawan: Ii (伊江)) is a village located in Kunigami District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.[1] The village lies on the island of Iejima.

As of 2012, the village has an estimated population of 4,610 and the density of 200 persons per km².[2] Ie is in a period of sustained population loss, and has the highest rate of population loss in Okinawa Prefecture.[3] The total area of the village is 22.75 square kilometres (8.78 sq mi). Iejima Airport serves the village.[4]

Geography

The Village of Ie covers the entirety of Ie Island, and is located to the northwest of Okinawa Island off the Motobu Peninsula. The village is connected to Okinawa via ferry service.[1]

History

The Village of Ie was the site of intense fighting during World War II in the Battle of Okinawa. Ernie Pyle (1900 – 1945), a popular World War II-era American journalist and winner of the 1944 Pulitzer Prize was killed in Ie on April 18, 1945. Pyle was initially buried on the island, but is now interred at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.[1]

Approximately 1,500 villagers survived the Battle of Okinawa, and were removed first to the Kerama Islands, then to Okinawa Island. Residents of Ie were allowed to return to the island during a two-year period starting in May 1946. Life in the village was hard after World War II; little housing remained on the island, and prewar property boundaries were difficult or impossible to determine. Residents in the immediate post-war period lived homes made of scavenged materials and relied on American rations for food.[4]

An elementary school was built immediately after the war, and the first village hall was constructed in front of Udunyama. One third of the village remains under U.S. military control.[4]

Transportation

Air

The Village of Ie has a single airport, Iejima Airport, but regular flights to Naha ended in 1977. The runway of the airport were part of the Ie Shima Airfield complex built during World War II. Iejima Airport is primarily used in training exercises by the United States military.[1]

Ferry service

The Village of Ie is connected to Okinawa Island via ferry service. A car ferry from Port Toguchi in the town of Motobu takes approximately 30 minutes. The village is also connected to the prefectural capital of Naha via a one hour high-speed ferry from the Port of Tomari.[1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "伊江（村）" [Ie]. Nihon Daihyakka Zensho (Nipponika) (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2013. OCLC 153301537. Retrieved 2013-01-14.
  2. ↑ "沖縄県の推計人口: Population Estimates (Okinawa Prefecture)" (XLS) (in Japanese). Naha, Okinawa Prefecture: Statistics Section, Planning Dept., Okinawa Prefecture. 2012. Retrieved Jan 21, 2013.
  3. ↑ 平成 22 年国勢調査確報値: 沖縄県の人口、世帯、住居 [2010 National Census Confirmed Data: the Population, Households, and Residences of Okinawa Prefecture] (PDF) (in Japanese). Naha, Okinawa Prefecture: Statistics Section, Planning Dept., Okinawa Prefecture. 2010. Retrieved Jan 21, 2013.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "伊江村" [Ie]. Nihon Rekishi Chimei Taikei (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2013. OCLC 173191044. Retrieved 2013-07-17.

External links

Media related to Iejima at Wikimedia Commons