Hahajima
Native name: Village | Ogasawara | |
|---|---|---|
| Demographics | ||
| Population | 440 (2021) | |
| Pop. density | 22.1/km2 (57.2/sq mi) | |
| Ethnic groups | Japanese | |
Hahajima, Haha Jima, or Haha-jima (母島, meaning Mother Island) is the second-largest island within the
The highest peaks Hahajima are Chibusayama (lit. Breast Mountain), approximately 462 metres (1,516 ft), and Sakaigatake, 443 metres (1,453 ft). It is part of an archipelago that includes Chichijima approximately 50 km (31 mi) to the north and the nearby smaller islands such as Anejima and Imōtojima and Mukōjima. The group forms the Hahajima Rettō (母島列島; formerly the "Baily Group").
History
During the Pacific War, the Japanese government removed the local civilian population and fortified the island. It was attacked several times by the US bombers. First on December 4, 1944 when Navy search planes of Fleet Air Wing One joined with Seventh Air Force bombers to attack installations on the island as well as Iwo Jima. Four days later there was another attack by Fleet Air Wing One. Then on December 10, B-25 Mitchells from the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing struck at shipping moored at Hahajima.[3] The remains of defensive fortifications are now one of the island's tourist attractions.
The population, which was 1,546 in 1904 and 1,905 in 1940, is now only 450. A single road connects the abandoned village of Kitamura (北村) at the north end of the island to the village of Okimura (沖村) - formerly "Newport", at the southern end of the island, where the harbor is located. The island can be reached by ferry in about two hours from Chichijima. The economy of Hahajima is based on commercial fishing, tourism as well as a state-run rum distillery.
Education
Ogasawara Village operates the island's public elementary and junior high school, Ogasawara Village Municipal Haha-jima Elementary School and Junior High School (小笠原村立母島小中学校).[4] Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education operates Ogasawara High School[1] on nearby Chichijima.
Ecology
Hahajima is of considerable interest to
But most if not all of the endemic land snail species seem to persist on the remote Higashizaki peninsula on the eastern coast. This is a quite pristine expanse of ground, scenic but very hard to reach (one has to climb Mt. Chibusa before descending to the peninsula). It consists of sheer seacliffs surrounding a plateau with
Snails
All of these snails are endemic at least to the Bonin Islands.
- Endangered, now restricted to Hahajima and nearby Anejima[5]
- Gastrocopta boninensis - Vulnerable
- extinct, rediscovered 2003), endemic to Hahajima[5]
- Lamellidea biplicata - Vulnerable
- Lamprocystis hahajimana - Endangered
- Mandarina hahajimana - Data deficient, possibly a new taxon[5]
- Mandarina polita - Data deficient
- extinct, rediscovered 2003), endemic to Hahajima[5]
- Ogasawarana arata - Data deficient
- Paludinella minima - Data deficient
- Vertigo dedecora - Vulnerable
- Tornatellides tryoni
Birds
Among birds, the
References
Citations
- ^ "支庁の案内: 管内概要 (Japanese)". 2021-04-01. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
- ^ Welsch (2004).
- ^ "CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ, DECEMBER 1944". www.ibiblio.org. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
- ^ "学校教育." Ogasawara, Tokyo. Retrieved on March 8, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f Chiba et al. (2007)
- ^ "Apalopteron familiare". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
- ISBN 9781472937469.
- ^ "Hahajima islands". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
Bibliography
- Chiba, Satoshi; Davison, Angus & Mori, Hideaki (2007): Endemic Land Snail Fauna (Mollusca) on a Remote Peninsula in the Ogasawara Archipelago, Northwestern Pacific. Pacific Science 61(2): 257–265. DOI: 10.2984/1534-6188(2007)61[257:ELSFMO]2.0.CO;2 HTML abstract
- Welsch, Bernhard (June 2004), "Was Marcus Island Discovered by Bernardo de la Torre in 1543?", Journal of Pacific History, vol. 39, Milton Park: Taylor & Francis, pp. 109–122, S2CID 219627973.
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