They are home to distinct plants and animals including many endemic species.

The center of Chichishima and other islands in the group (Ani-shima and Ototo-shima) is rolling plateau, while Hahajima has steep ridges and Mukojima is mostly flat.

[citation needed] The Bonin and Volcano islands are the central portion of the Izu–Bonin–Mariana Arc, an island arc created by the subduction of the Pacific Plate under the Philippine Sea Plate that stretches 2800 km.

It is currently listed as Endangered,[9] and a survey published by the Ogasawara Office of Education in 1999 estimated their number to be around 100.

[7] There are two terrestrial reptiles on the islands, the endemic Ogasawara snake-eyed skink (Cryptoblepharus nigropunctatus) and Micronesian gecko (Perochirus ateles).

[3] Land snails on several islands have been decimated by the introduced New Guinea flatworm (Platydemus manokwari).

[10] The islands are home to 40 species of freshwater fish, including an endemic goby, Rhinogobius ogasawaraensis.

[1] Ogasawara National Park, established in 1972, is the largest protected area.

In 2011, the Ogasawara Islands were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.