Udone-shima

Udone-shima is a volcanic, deserted island located in the Pacific Ocean approximately south of Tokyo in between Toshima and Nii-jima, in the northern portion of the Izu archipelago, Japan.

Geography

The island is the remnant of an andesite lava dome with sheer sides, the only visible portion of a submarine volcanic caldera. The above sea-level portion has a surface area of approximately 0.4 square kilometers, with a summit height of. The main island is surrounded by a number of rocks.
Despite its small size, the island was formerly inhabited during the Meiji period by a small community of fishermen who also engaged in sericulture, or silk farming. A small Shinto shrine still exists on the island.

Natural history

This island shares many similarities in its biodiversity with neighboring islands such as Nii-jima. Being surrounded by rough sea, vicinity to the island is rather difficult to visit in fact, and this made the natural environments of the islands and nearby atolls protected. Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins that newly inhabited around Udone-shima as their residential range has been expanded wider even onto Honshu coasts. Larger sharks inhabit the area. Historically, a breeding colony of now-extinct Japanese sea lions once existed on the island as well.