The Ryukyu Islands, in Japanese called the Nansei Islands (南西諸島 Nansei-shoto) (literally Southwest Islands) are a chain of Japanese islands in the western Pacific Ocean at the eastern limit of the East China Sea.

They stretch southwest from the island of Kyushu to the island of Taiwan. The islands are administratively divided into Satsunan Islands to the north, belonging to Kagoshima Prefecture, and Ryukyu Shoto to the south, belonging to Okinawa Prefecture, Japan (Yoron Island is the southernmost island of the Satsunan Islands and Yonaguni the southermost of the Ryukyu Islands). The largest of the islands is Okinawa Island.
The islands have a subtropical climate with warm winters and hot summers. Precipitation is very high, and is affected by the rainy season and typhoons.

The Miyako Islands's Map

The archipelago is home to the Ryukyuan languages. The original dialects are native to each island and distinct from one.

The Miyako Islands (宮古列島, Miyako Retto) are a group of islands in Okinawa Prefecture, east of the Yaeyama Islands.

Reference
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%AE%AE%E5%8F%A4%E5%88%97%E5%B3%B6