Group of islands, 520 km/323 mi from the Japanese mainland, forming part of the Japanese Ryukyu Islands in the west Pacific; Okinawa is also the name of the largest island, and of a city on Okinawa; area 2,250 sq km/869 sq mi; population (1995 est) 1,318,000. The capital is Naha.
The arms depict the Carpathian Mountains which traverse the Slovak Republic. The flag uses the pan-Slav colours representing liberation from foreign domination. Effective date: 3 September 1992.