The Yaeyama Islands (八重山諸島 "Yaeyama-shotō", also 八重山列島 "Yaeyama-rettō", Yaeyama: "Yaima" Okinawan: "Eema") are an archipelago or group of islands in the southwest of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. They cover . The islands are southwest of the Miyako Islands. They are part of the Ryukyu Islands archipelago. The Yaeyama Islands are the remotest part of Japan from the main islands. They contain Japan's most southern (Hateruma) and most western (Yonaguni) inhabited islands. The city of Ishigaki serves as the political, cultural, and economic head of the Yaeyama Islands.