Talk:Iwo Jima/History etc (working page)

History
The island was first sighted in the fall of 1543 by one of Ruy Lopez de Villalobos's fleet of six ships, San Juan de Letran with Bernardo de la Torre as captain. On November 15, 1799, on the course back home from the Cook's third voyage after the deaths of Captain James Cook and Captain Charles Clerke, the Discovery with Captain John Gore and the Resolution with Captain James King found the island and named it Salfer Island. The island was uninhabited until the 1800s. Japan colonized it, and by 1943, a settlement of almost 100 Japanese civilians existed on the. Most of these were either employed at a sugar mill located in the northeastern portion of the island, or at a sulphur mine and refinery located in the same general area. The inhabitants of Iwo Jima lived in five settlements, scattered over the northern half of the island. The northernmost of these settlements was Kita (literally "North"), located in the north-central part of Iwo. The village of Nishi ("West") was situated in the northwestern part of the island, while Motoyama, the largest built-up area on Iwo, was located in close proximity to the sulphur mine and refinery. The remaining two villages, Higashi ("East") and Minami ("South"), were located in the northeastern part of the island.

The island was the site of the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II, and as a result, remained occupied by the United States until 1968. It was on Mount Suribachi that one of the more famous World War II photographs was taken on February 23, 1945 by Joe Rosenthal. Major industries have included sulphur mining and sugar refining, but the island is presently uninhabited, and access requires special permission. The island is administered by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

Iwo Jima is not, and never was, a very beautiful island. It smells of sulphur and there is very little vegetation. (Additionally, there is still live ordnance on various parts of the island.) The only habitation on the island is a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force base. Also, once a year, the United States government flies civilians out to tour the island.

Geography and Geology
Only the northern part of Iwo Jima has soil permitting some gardening. Vegetables, sugar cane, and dry grains have been raised for local consumption. One of the most serious impediments to large-scale settlement of the island is the total absence of any source of fresh water, such as a lake or a river. Since the island also lacks wells, water has to be obtained from rain carefully collected in concrete cisterns.

While the northern part of the island is barren but habitable, the southern half of Iwo Jima is essentially uninhabitable. Near the narrow southern tip of the island stands Mount Suribachi. Mount Suribachi is a dormant volcanic cone, which rises to an elevation of about 550 feet (168 m) above sea level. To the north of Suribachi, inland from the beaches, the ground terraces successively upward, to form a broad tableland occupying most of the central section of the island. The area between the northern base of Suribachi and the dome-shaped northern plateau is covered by a deep layer of black, volcanic ash so soft, and so much subject to drifting, that even walking becomes a problem. Wheeled vehicles cannot negotiate such ground; tracked vehicles can move across it only with difficulty.

The northern plateau consists of several elevations; the highest of these is Hill 382, located just east of Motoyama Airfield No. 2, halfway between Motoyama and Minami; two other hills reach a height of 362 feet (110 m). Much of this terrain consists of rough and rocky ground, interspersed with deep gorges and high ridges. Sulphur vapor permeates the entire area with a characteristic smell of rotten eggs. The ground itself is hot in this part of the island.

The beaches of Iwo Jima from Kitano Point, the northernmost tip of the island, to Tachiiwa Point, two miles (3 km) to the southeast, are steep and narrow, with many rocky shoals offshore. They border terrain that rises sharply towards the northern plateau. Rough and broken ground is typical of all beaches on northern Iwo Jima, in numerous instances with cliffs that drop off sharply towards the water's edge. Beaches along the southwestern and southeastern shores of the island vary in depth from 150 to 500 feet (50 to 150 m), and generally are free from rocks offshore. The terrain would be level, rising gradually towards the interior, if it were not for the existence of sand terraces created by the action of waves. These terraces, which differ in height and width, undergo constant change, depending upon the surf and winds. Surf conditions at Iwo are unfavorable, even under normal conditions. The island does not possess any anchorage or other inlets to protect ships from the fury of the sea. Steep beaches bring breakers close to the shore.

Iwo Jima is volcanic in origin and in fact is a mostly undersea caldera formed from violent eruptions sometime in the ancient past. It is the presence of a magma chamber not far beneath the surface that is responsible for the hot ground and sulphurous smell (hydrogen sulphide and sulphur are both very common products of volcanic and geothermal activity).

There have been a number of historic volcanic eruptions, mostly small phreatic (steam-generated) eruptions and some of them were submarine eruptions. The most recent eruption was in 2001. The cone of Suribachi, however, has not been historically active.

Iwo Jima has undergone dramatic uplift over the last 700 years, likely because of an expanding magma chamber underneath. A shoreline surveyed by Captain James King in 1779 is now over 131 feet (40 metres) above sea level.

Climate
The climate of Iwo Jima is subtropical, with a cool season extending from December through April, and a warm season from May through November. Temperatures are moderate, with an average ranging between 63 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit (17 and 21 degrees Celsius) during the cool period, and 73 through 80 degrees Fahrenheit (23 and 27 degrees Celsius) during spring, summer, and autumn. Annual rainfall averages 60 inches (1,500 mm), with February the driest month, and May the wettest.

Ecology
The desolation of the island is further accentuated by the sparse vegetation and absence of native animals. In 1944, the only resident vertebrates on Iwo were in fact Japanese forces and whatever rats were accidentally introduced with supplies; the single endemic bird, a subspecies of the White-browed Crake, had gone extinct in the 1920s following the extension of the mining operations.