Tanega-shima

is one of the Ōsumi Islands belonging to Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The island, 444.99 km2 in area, is the second largest of the Ōsumi Islands, and has a population of 33,000 people. Access to the island is by ferry, or by air to New Tanegashima Airport. Administratively, the island is divided into the city, Nishinoomote, and the two towns, Nakatane and Minamitane. The towns belong to Kumage District. Tanegashima is the easternmost and the second largest (after Yakushima) of the Ōsumi Islands. It is located approximately south of the southern tip of Ōsumi Peninsula in southern Kyushu, or south of Kagoshima. The Vincennes Strait (Yakushima Kaikyō) separates it from Yakushima. The island is of volcanic origin; however, unlike neighboring Yakushima, it presents a flat appearance, with its highest elevation at only above sea level. The island has a length of and a width ranging from to . The climate is subtropical. The island, along with neighbouring Yakushima, has been recognised as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because they support populations of Japanese wood pigeons, Ryukyu green pigeons and Ryukyu robins. File:犬城IMGP1389.JPG|In the vicinity of Inu Castle Coast, Daikoya District File:Nakatane_town.jpg|Town area of Nakatane (中種子町), Kagoshima, Japan File:馬立IMGP1382.JPG|Weathered rocks near Mt. Iwasaki File:千座の岩屋.jpg|Chikura Caverns File:Kadokuramisaki.jpg|Cape Kadokura File:Osumi Islands Map Japan.png|Ōsumi islands map Tanegashima has a long history of Kofun. Other burials on Tanegashima, namely the Yokomine and Hirota sites, attest to a uniquely well-developed Yayoi period culture at the end of the 4th century AD. The artifacts include magatama, an engraved pendant, and emblems with apparent writing. During the Nara period, the embryo state of Japan began to make contact with Tanegashima. According to the Nihonshoki, the imperial court hosted a banquet for the islanders of Tanegashima in 677. In 679, the court sent a mission to the island who returned in 681.