Where is Okinawa?
			Okinawa is located midway between the Japanese mainland and the Philippines. It is closer to Hong Kong, Taipei and Manila than it is to Tokyo. It is a place of startling contrasts, beaches and bases, beauty and tragedy. That Okinawa has managed to retain it's identity and it's vitality, while under the control of -firstly Japan, then the US and then Japan again, is a testimony to the strength and character of it's people.
		Okinawa -so called "keystone of the Pacific". A heavy burden to bear.
	Okinawa is about 67 miles long, and at its narrowest point, near the midsection of the island, is only two miles wide, and at its widest point is 19 miles wide. The total area is about 454 square miles. Northern Okinawa is heavily forested and boasts the highest mountains on the island. The central portion of the island consists of mainly low hills and plains. The southern end of the island is a plateau with steep cliffs dropping to the sea. The entire southern portion is densely populated. Okinawa is often called the "Hawaii of Japan." It enjoys a subtropical climate due to the influence of the Japanese current which warms and humidifies the constant monsoonal winds.The average yearly temperature is 72 degrees Fahrenheit. February is the coolest month with a mean daily minimum of 52 degrees and July the warmest month, has a mean daily maximum of 90 degrees. Precipitation, for an average year, ranges from 53 to 118 inches of rain. The heaviest precipitation is during the so-called "rainy season" during May and June. Humidity averages 80 percent but is alleviated somewhat by the constant monsoonal winds blowing in from the north and west during winter and from the south and east during the summer. The Ryukyu Islands lie within the typhoon belt of the East China Sea. As many as 45 typhoons form within this area each year and from three to six of these can be expected to affect Okinawa directly. Typhoon season is generally from April to October.