Naha is the capital city of Okinawa Prefecture, the southernmost prefecture of Japan. As of 1 June 2019, the city has an estimated population of 317,405 and a population density of 7,939 persons per km2. The total area is 39.98 km2 (15.44 sq mi).
From top left: Shuri Castle, Shureimon, Kokusai dōri, Kinjocho Ishidatami-michi, Central Naha
Naha City Hall in 2013
Naha Harbor during the Ryukyu Kingdom
"Naha from Bamboo Village" looking toward the seashore. Artist: Wilhelm Heine (lithograph, 1856)
The Okinawan language or Central Okinawan is a Northern Ryukyuan language spoken primarily in the southern half of the island of Okinawa, as well as in the surrounding islands of Kerama, Kumejima, Tonaki, Aguni and a number of smaller peripheral islands. Central Okinawan distinguishes itself from the speech of Northern Okinawa, which is classified independently as the Kunigami language. Both languages are listed by UNESCO as endangered.
Sign in Okinawa Uno (a colonia in Bolivia), in Spanish and Okinawan: the text reads めんそ〜れ オキナワへ, Menso~re Okinawa-e.
The Tamaoton no Hinomon (玉陵の碑文), referred to as the Tamaudun no Hinomon in modern Japanese, is the oldest known inscription of Okinawan using both hiragana and kanji.
