Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
most 94 miles (150 kilometers) as the crow flies to or from Nazé and flights there are about
40 minutes. To or from Naha, it's almost 110 “air” miles (176 kilometers). Flights there take a
little longer, just a bit under an hour.
Commercial Uses of Sulphur
One of the by-products of volcanoes is sulphur, a bright yellow, crystalline, solid, non-metallic chem-
ical element. It has been mined or gathered by man for millennia. Also known as “brimstone,” when
burned it melts to a blood-red liquid and emits an intense blue flame. Depending on other chemicals,
with which it may be associated, it can give of a strong smell, usually compared to that of rotten eggs.
Sulphur has important commercial uses, primarily as a component in ferilizers, black gunpowder,
insecticides, fungicides and, of course, matches. It is also has important medicinal and anibacterial
properies and is used in ointments and creams for the treatment of a number of skin condiions such
as scabies, ringworm, psoriasis, eczema and acne.
Geographically, Okinoerabu Island has an area of not quite 36 square miles (94 square
kilometers) and a coastline circumference of 35 miles (57 kilometers). The island is shaped as
a nicely rounded long triangle. Its maximum length is a little more than 12 miles (20 kilomet-
ers) and its maximum width is about 6 miles (10 kilometers). That width gradually decreases
as the island tapers to the northeast. In its middle section, the island is approximately 3 miles
