Ryukyu Islands
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ryukyu Islands (琉球列島 Ryukyu-rettō) or Nansei Islands (南西諸島 Nansei-shotō) are a chain of islands located between China and Japan. The weather is tropical and gets lots of rain and storms.
The Ryukyu Kingdom (琉球王国 ryūkyūōkoku) was an independent kingdom which ruled most of the Ryukyu Islands from the 14th century to the 19th century. In 1372, it became a tributary of China. In 1609, a Japanese invasion forced it to become a tributary to Japan also. The Ryukyu Kingdom was annexed by Japan during the Meiji Restoration.
Karate was invented by the local people (mainly from Okinawa). The Japanese did not allow the locals to own weapons, so karate was developed (karate means "way of the empty hands")
