Izu-shotō (伊豆諸島)
The volcanically active Izu-shotō (Izu islands)
are a 560 km long chain of Japanese-owned islands that extend southwards from the Sagami Bay region of Honshū
(Japan's largest island). The islands mark the border between the Philippine Sea (on the west) and the open waters of
the Pacific Ocean (on the east). The islands closest to the Japanese mainland are often referred to as the Izu
Shichitō ("Izu Seven").
The chain consists of 10 main islands, numerous smaller islets, and several isolated pinnacles and stacks. In order of decreasing size the main islands of the Izu-Shotō include: Izu Ō-shima (91.6 km²), Hachijō-jima (62.5 km²), Miyake-jima (55.5 km²), Nii-jima (23.8 km²), Mikura-jima (20.5 km²), Kōzu-shima (18.5 km²), Aoga-shima (5.9 km²), Tori-shima (4.8 km²), Toshima (4.1 km²), and Shikine-jima (3.9 km²). All the main islands, with the exception of Tori-shima, are inhabited. Of the many small islets, the largest is that of Kō-jima (0.4 km²), located off the coast of Hachijo-jima. Remote pinnacles and rocks of negligible land area include the Beyonēzu-retsugan (Bayonnaise Rocks), Inamba-jima, Sōfu-iwa (Lot's Wife) and Sumisu-tō(Smith Rock).