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Ryukyu Islands

(Encyclopedia)Ryukyu Islands rēo͞oˈkyo͞o [key], Jap. Ryukyu-retto or Nansei-shoto [southwest group], archipelago (1990 est. pop. 1,500,000), c.1,850 sq mi (4,790 sq km), SW Japan, in the W Pacific Ocean. The ch...

Baker Island

(Encyclopedia)Baker Island, uninhabited island, 1 sq mi (2.6 sq km), central Pacific, near the equator, c.1,650 mi (2,660 km) SW of Honolulu. The arid coral island was discovered in 1832 by Capt. Michael Baker, an ...

Funafuti

(Encyclopedia)Funafuti fo͞onäfo͞oˈtē [key], capital and chief atoll of Tuvalu, S Pacific. It comprises 30 islets of a reef 13 mi (21 km) long, with a land area of c.1 sq mi (2.6 sq km). The islet of Fongafale ...

Juan de Nova Island

(Encyclopedia)Juan de Nova Island hwän də nōˈvə [key], 1.7 sq mi (4.4 sq km), in the Mozambique Channel, Indian Ocean, between Madagascar and Mozambique. A possession of France administered by a high commissio...

Pescadores

(Encyclopedia)Pescadores pĕskədôrˈəz, –rəs [key], Mandarin Penghu or P'eng-hu, group of 64 small islands (2010 pop. 86,967), area c.50 sq mi (130 sq km), in Taiwan Strait, c.25 to 30 mi (40–50 km) off the...

Queensland

(Encyclopedia)Queensland, state (2016 pop. 4,703,193), 667,000 sq mi (1,727,200 sq km), NE Australia. Brisbane is the capital; other important cities are Gold Coast, Toowoomba, Townsville, Rockhampton, Cairns, and ...

Rodriguez

(Encyclopedia)Rodriguez or Rodrigues rōdrēˈgəs [key], island (1996 est. pop. 34,883), 42 sq mi (109 sq km), in the Indian Ocean, c.350 mi (560 km) E of Mauritius, of which it is a dependency. One of the Mascare...

bobbin

(Encyclopedia)bobbin, implement on which thread is wound, used in sewing, spinning, weaving, and lace making. Sometimes the wooden spools of sewing thread are called bobbins. The bobbin of a sewing machine is a met...

Niue

(Encyclopedia)Niue nēo͞oˈā [key], coral island (2015 est. pop. 2,000), c.100 sq mi (260 sq km), South Pacific, freely associated with New Zealand. Alofi is the capital. The inhabitants are mainly Protestant Pol...

Kanton

(Encyclopedia)Kanton kăntŏnˈ, kănˈtŏn [key], coral atoll, 3.5 sq mi (9 sq km), central Pacific, largest of the Phoenix Islands, which comprise part of Kiribati, c.2,000 mi (3,220 km) SE of Honolulu, Hawaii. A...