Iwo Jima

Landsat photo of Iwo Jima, circa 2000

Iwo Jima (Japanese 硫黄島 Iōtō, or Iōjima, meaning "sulfur island") is a volcanic island in Japan, part of the Volcano Islands (the southern part of the Ogasawara Islands), approximately 650 nautical miles (1200 km) south of Tokyo (24.754°N, 141.290°E). It is famous as a site of a battle in February and March, 1945, between the United States and Japan during World War II.

It has an approximate area of 8 square miles (21 km²). The most prominent feature of the island is Mount Suribachi (or Suribachiyama), a vent which is thought to be dormant, and is 546 feet (166 m) in height. Iwo Jima is unusually flat and featureless for a volcanic island. Suribachi is the only obviously volcanic feature, although Iwo Jima is almost entirely volcanic in origin, as it is only the raised center of a larger submerged volcanic caldera.

Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima

Naval air base

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) operates a naval air base on Iwo Jima. The airstrip has a length of 2650 meters and a width of 60 m. Its orientation is 07/25. The four-letter ICAO code is RJAW and the three-letter IATA code is IWO. The JMSDF is in charge of support, air-traffic control, fuelling, and rescue. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force also utilizes the base. The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force is in charge of explosive-ordinance disposal. The United States Navy also utilizes the base for operations such as nighttime landing practice.

See also

*Battle of Iwo Jima
*Raising the flag on Iwo Jima

External links and references

*Iwo-Jima, Volcano Islands, Japan
*A slideshow/short film featuring the Iwo Jima Monument
*History of U.S. Marine Corps Operations in World War II Volume IV: Western Pacific Operations by George W. Garand and Truman R. Strobridge
*[1],[2] - Satellite photos taken on Dec 4, 2003, from www.spaceimaging.com
*Reflections on Taiwan History -- from the vantage point of Iwo Jima