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JD1BOX Bonin Islands

Freddy, F4HEC will be active from Bonin ( Ogasawara) Islands 4 -12 December 2014 as JD1BOX.
He will be active on 80 - 10m SSB.
QSL via home call.

Bonin Islands: representing the beauty and diversity of Japan

Popularly known as the Ogasawara Islands the Bonin Islands are extensive group of islands that are of tropical as well as subtropical nature and are 1000 km south of Tokya. The word Bonin comes from Bunin that is a Japanese word which means “no people”. This is the most interesting aspect related with these islands as official sources mention that Chichi-jima is the only island where humans can be found. The terms Ogasawara Municipality as well as Ogasawara Subpre feature come from the Ogasawara group. This group of island has not been associated with any continent and researchers have suggested that plants as well as animals that are found on this island have faced great evolution because of this reason the island is known as the Galapagos of the Orient also these islands have the honor that they have been nominated for natural World Heritage Site.

Chichi-jima

The Chichi-jima that was earlier known as the Peel Island is basically largest island that is located in the Ogasawara group of islands. It is situated 240 km to the north of the lwo Jima. This part of the world lies inside the political boundary of the Ogasawara Subperfecture. The data collected suggests that 2000 individuals reside on the area of this island. An interesting point to mention here is that according to the English maps that were presented in the earlier part of 19th century the chain of island was given the name of Bonin Islands. Coming towards the climatic conditions of this region it is known as tropical savanna climate as well as humid subtropical climate. The humid temperature prevails throughout the year and never gets less than 7.8 degree centigrade and river goes above 34.1 centigrade and for this credit goes to warmer currents that arrive from the Northern Pacific gyre which is surrounding island. In comparison to other parts of Japan the area receives lesser rainfall.

People of Bonin Islands

Officially all individuals who live inside this group of islands are known as citizens of Japan and a great majority of the ancestors of locals have their roots residing in United States, Pacific Islands and Europe so these can be separated from the rest because of their names as well as ancestry, physical appearance and religion. During the war of 1946 to 1968 some people belonging to islands applied for the citizenship of United States.

Common language that is used as a communication among these people is Japanese. The OML showed its emergence during the period of 19th century. This happened because of the reason that Japanese mixed with English and this resulted into the emergence of another strange language which is still very difficult to understand. The junior schools as well as public elementary school are maintained by the local government bodies on the hand he main high school of Ogasawara are governed by higher government institutions.

The Bonin Islands Language

This is basically English based creole of Bonion Islands and it is known for having a stronger influence from Japan and because of this reason it is known as mixture of Japanese as well English. If we put a look at the history this unique language, then people speaking Austronesian as well as European languages came here during the early part of 19th century. This led to the development of Pidgin English in the region, which after sometime attained the status of being the identity of this island. The islanders attained bilingual status and during the earlier part of 20th century the popular Bonin English included different elements of the Japanese language. Interesting point to highlight here is that a dictionary of bilingual nature was also published in the year 2005.

The transportation

The Ogasawara Marine Transportation is responsible for handling Ogasawara Maru liner. The ship can be used for travelling from main islands of Japan to the Chichijima. Here, it is important to highlight that during some conditions the trip to Ogasawara gets very difficult especially when travelers get sick or when any other kind of emergency arises in these circumstances message is conveyed to the relevant authorities from where helicopters are sent towards the island for dealing with the situation. Emergencies, which arise, can also be diverted towards the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s airplane that can be used for shifting the ill.

Inside the Ogasawara village buses are being maintained and they are purely dedicated for the elderly passengers. In addition, to this you are also going to find taxi service, a company from where cars can be taken on rent, bike renting service etc. in case you are thinking about taking your own vehicles towards the islands, then it’s an act which can prove to be very costly as well as difficult. Otherwise the means of transport associated with this part of the world are satisfactory.

Flora

Interesting point to highlight here is that flora has faced a different type of evolution on each island. Because of this reason the Bonin Islands are also referred to as the Galapagos of the Orient majority of the islands act as homes to the Clinostigma genus of the plams. These islands are known for containing some very interesting species of animals and plants. These islands act as home towards 500 species of plants and of these forty three percent are considered as endemic. Three main types of forests are found here and all of them have their own natural significance as well as importance.

Fauna

Range of the Bonin Petrel stretches beyond Ogasawara for including other islands of the north Pacific area. The two important species of birds present in these islands are Vulnerable Bonin White eye and Japanese Woodpigeon. The Bonin flying fox is considered endemic and presently it is included in the list of endangered species.

Bonin Islands in fiction

Interesting point is that this group of island has been mentioned in a good number fiction related activities.

In short, these islands are wonderful places that have a unique significance as well as style of their own.

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