The island has an area of 289 km_. The total population is less than 2,000, and infrastructure is limited to a single coastal road connecting the hamlets on the northern and eastern shores. The island does not have an airstrip, and most visitors—over 150,000 in 2003—arrive from
Ishigaki
by ferry. Administratively the island belongs to
Taketomi Town
,
Okinawa Prefecture
,
Japan
.