- 🌺 Where in the world is Okinawa’s Naha? Comparing cities at the same latitude revealed some surprising discoveries.
🌺 Where in the world is Okinawa’s Naha? Comparing cities at the same latitude revealed some surprising discoveries.
Lately, I’ve noticed more visitors from places like the US accessing my blog, and I started wondering if some might be thinking, “Where exactly is Okinawa?”
While people in Asia often picture it as a “southern island,” explaining it to international visitors is much clearer when comparing latitudes.
So this time, I looked up cities around the world at roughly the same latitude as Naha City.
It was interesting to find unexpected similarities and differences.
🌏 Okinawa and Naha are located around “26 degrees north latitude.”
Naha City is around 26 degrees north latitude.
On a world map, it’s just above Taiwan, north of the Philippines.
Living in Urasoe City, I’m always grateful for the warmth, staying around 15°C even in winter.
Looking for cities around the world at the same latitude…
Following the 26°N line, you’ll find cities like these:
Miami (USA) … Almost the same latitude
Reynosa (Mexico)
Jaipur (India)
Hainan Island (China)
All of them are much farther north than Okinawa.
In other words, there are no cities at Okinawa’s latitude in Europe.
Europe is surprisingly far north, isn’t it?
Comparing other Japanese cities to cities around the world…
Since we’re at it, I also compared major Japanese cities.
● Hokkaido, Sapporo (approx. 43°N)
Vladivostok (Russia)
Marseille (France)
Almaty (Kazakhstan)
Even at the same latitude, climate differs greatly depending on ocean currents and whether the city is inland or not.
● Tokyo (approx. 35.7°N)
Los Angeles (USA)
Athens (Greece)
Tehran (Iran)
It might be surprising that Tokyo and Los Angeles are almost at the same latitude.
● Osaka (approx. 34.7°N)
Las Vegas (USA)
Athens (Greece)
Islamabad (Pakistan)
Even at the same latitude, climate can vary significantly due to humidity and sea breezes.
🌦 Why climates differ at the same latitude
At 26°N, Okinawa is humid and warm.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are arid deserts.
The differences stem from:
Influence of the Kuroshio Current (warm current)
Monsoons (seasonal winds)
Island nation or continent
These factors greatly alter the climate.
Surrounded by sea, Okinawa stays warm in winter and enjoys pleasant sea breezes in summer.
🌺 Summary: Understanding Okinawa’s location makes it even more fascinating.
While no European city shares Naha’s latitude,
comparing it globally highlights Okinawa’s uniqueness.
Geography can be surprisingly interesting when you look into it.
If any other topics catch my interest, I’ll write about them casually.
Please read our other articles too.
