Iwo Jima

Iwo Jima [ee-wuh jee-muh, ee-woh; Japanese ee-waw jee-mah] noun

1. one of the Volcano Islands, in the N Pacific, S of Japan: under U.S. administration after 1945; returned to Japan 1968.

British Dictionary definitions for iwo jima Iwo Jima noun

1. an island in the W Pacific, about 1100 km (700 miles) south of Japan: one of the Volcano Islands; scene of prolonged fighting between US and Japanese forces until taken by the US in 1945; returned to Japan in 1968. Area: 20 sq km (8 sq miles)Official Japanese name: Iō-tō

iwo jima in Culture Iwo Jima [(ee-woh, ee-wuh jee-muh)]

An island in the Pacific Ocean, taken from the Japanese by United States Marines near the end of World War II after a furious battle.

Note The battle has been immortalized by a famous photograph and a sculpture based on the photograph of half a dozen Marines raising the flag of the United States on a summit on Iwo Jima.