Its territorial sea is 12 nmi (22.2 km; 13.8 mi), but between 3 and 12 nmi (5.6 and 22.2 km; 3.5 and 13.8 mi) in the international straits—La Pérouse (or Sōya Strait), Tsugaru Strait, Ōsumi, and Tsushima Strait. ", "Japan aims for 24% renewable energy but keeps nuclear central", "Table 2.10 Population of Three Major Metropolitan Areas", Japan Statistics Bureau – Keihin'yō Major Metropolitan Area, "Discover the Geography of the 4 Main Islands of Japan", Satellite images of stable night time lights in Japan, "City of the future sinks into the ocean", "M 9.1 – near the east coast of Honshu, Japan", "Devastation as Tsunami Crashes Into Japan", "巨大カルデラ噴火のメカニズムとリスクを発表 (Announce the mechanism and risk of a huge caldera eruption)", "Giant lava dome confirmed in Japan's Kikai Caldera", "NASA is trying to figure out how to contain a supervolcano that could destroy humanity", Annual Report on the Environment in Japan 2006, "Colton's Japan: Nippon, Kiusiu, Sikok, Yesso and the Japanese Kuriles", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Geography_of_Japan&oldid=1001917282, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the United States Geological Survey, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing Japanese-language text, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2011, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles needing additional references from October 2018, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2020, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2016, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, varied; tropical in the south to cool continental in the north, and mountainous areas being. Four large eruptions between 300,000 and 90,000 years ago. Japan images. There are currently no protective measures to minimize the spread of millions of tons of deadly hot ash during a VEI-7 eruption. [9][113] As of 2016[update], Kyushu has a population of 12,970,479 and covers 36,782 km2 (14,202 sq mi). The easternmost Japanese island Minami-Tori-shima also uses Japan Standard Time while it is geographically 1,848 kilometres (1,148 mi) southeast of Tokyo and in the UTC+10:00 time zone. Japan is an island country consisting of four major and numerous smaller islands. Japan's sea territory is 4,470,000 km2 (1,730,000 sq mi). Install. Most regions of Japan, such as much of Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, belong to the temperate zone with humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) characterized by four distinct seasons. Japan covers 377 900 square kilometres and is 40 000 kilometers in length. They occasionally reach above the sea surface as islands. [24] Five or six typhoons pass over or near Japan every year from early August to early October, sometimes resulting in significant damage. Geography of Japan 1. Since there is little level ground, many hills and mountainsides at lower elevations around towns and cities are often cultivated. Okinawa is, due to its geographic location, most vulnerable to typhoons with an average of 7 storms per year. Last updated: July 1, 2020. It features the second largest urban area of Osaka (part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area). Important Places for the Japanese Mt. [74] The continental shelves of the sea are wide on the eastern shores along Japan. This is why currently Japan has very limited proven reserves like crude oil. Port Island, Rokkō Island and Kobe Airport were built in Kobe. The Three Views of Japan (日本三景, Nihon Sankei) is the canonical list of Japan's three most celebrated scenic sights, attributed to 1643 and scholar Hayashi Gahō. [86] As of 2019, the methane clathrate in the deep sea remains unexploited, because the necessary technology is not established yet. Japan is a shimaguni, also known as an island country. Still, until well into the 20th century most Japanese lived in rural areas. 4:00. [110][111] The area is 13,500 km2 (5,200 sq mi)[112] and has a population density of 2,642 square kilometres (1,020 sq mi). For example, the artificial island Toyosu was once occupied by a Tokyo gas factory. [16] In 1991, Japan's Unzen Volcano on Kyushu about 40 km (25 mi) east of Nagasaki, awakened from its 200-year slumber to produce a new lava dome at its summit. It is bounded by the East Sea to the west, the North Pacific Ocean to the east, and the East China Sea to the southwest. Japan”s nearest mainland neighbors are the Siberian region of Russia in the north, and Korea and China farther south. 藤田和男ほか監修 佐々木詔雄ほか編著 『天然ガスの本』 日刊工業新聞 2008年3月25日初版1刷発行, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. It is 3.6% smaller than the island of Ireland. Mid June to mid July is generally the rainy season in Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, excluding Hokkaidō since the seasonal rain front or baiu zensen (梅雨前線) dissipates in northern Honshu before reaching Hokkaido. At the time Japan did not have nuclear technology. Around Tokyo much of the landscape is made up of marine sediments---deposited when the area was occupied by seas---covered by layers of ash from eruptions by Haokone, Mt. There are four main islands – Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. During the Paleolithic period around 20,000 BCE at the height of the Last Glacial Maximum, there was a land bridge between Hokkaido and Sakhalin which linked Japan with the Asian continent. The deepest, and thus the last to close, was the western channel of the Korea Strait. Due to Japan's location only 15-17% of its land can be used for farming, as Japan was cut off from trade with the rest of the world, the people had to rely on fishing for food. [71] The Japanese archipelago had a taiga biome (open boreal woodlands). Test. Okinawa Prefecture (沖縄県) is the southernmost prefecture of Japan. Japan's area is comparable to that of Germany or California. ", "World review of fisheries and aquaculture", "離島とは(島の基礎知識) (what is a remote island? [73], The northern part of the Japanese archipelago was further fragmented until orogenesis of the northeastern Japanese archipelago began in the Late Miocene. More quiz info >> First submitted: February 23, 2020: Times taken: 146: Report this quiz: Report: Quiz and answer stats >> Start Quiz . "Okinawa-shi" in. Kawanabe, H.; Nishino, M.; and Maehata, M., editors (2012). Add to Playlist. 1. has active volcanoes and earthquakes 2. fierce typhoons that come in from the southern pacific. In 2018 NASA published a theoretical plan to prevent a volcanic eruption by pumping large quantities of cold water down a borehole into the hydrothermal system of a supervolcano. Pupils complete a worksheet that guides them through an overview of Japanese geography. climate with much rain and snow, produced when cold, moisture-bearing seasonal winds from the continent are stopped in their advance by the Central Alps and other mountains which run along Japan’scenter like a backbone. Tokyo, Kokusai Bunka Shinkokai, 1961 (OCoLC)586067919: Document Type: [14] Northeastern Japan, north of Tanakura fault, had high volcanic activity 14–17 million years before present. It is the 7th largest island in the world. Due to the large North-South extension of the country, the climate varies strongly in different regions. The climate of the northern island of Hokkaido and the Sea of Japan coast is colder, and snow falls in large amounts. [34] It began in the 12th century. Trees uprooted by the Great Earthquake (1923) lie over the road near Fujisawa, Japan, on Honshu . [24] The longest, the Shinano River, which winds through Nagano Prefecture to Niigata Prefecture and flows into the Sea of Japan, is 367 km (228 mi) long. Add to favorites 0 favs. Japan extends from 20° to 45° north latitude (Okinotorishima to Benten-jima) and from 122° to 153° east longitude (Yonaguni to Minami Torishima). 16. During the advance of the last Ice Age, the world sea level dropped. The U.S. Senate Resolution of April 28, 1952, ratifying of the San Francisco Treaty, explicitly stated that the USSR had no title to the Kurils. [92] Following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami disaster in 2011, the nuclear reactors were shut down. Mikuni Mts. Mount Fuji broke the Japanese record lows for each month except January, February, March, and December. 81% of the population lives on Honshu, 10% on Kyushu, 4.2% on Hokkaido, 3% on Shikoku, 1.1% in Okinawa Prefecture and 0.7% on other Japanese islands such as the Nanpō Islands. Opposition from local governments has delayed several restarts that remain pending. Marine life and mineral resources in the territorial waters. The beautiful countryside has a backbone of volcanoes and mountains up the islands’ length with flood plains and valleys either side. Japan map. Nearly 1 in 3 Japanese people live in the Greater Tokyo Area. [11] The Exclusive Economic Zone stretches from the baseline out to 200 nautical miles (370 km) from its coast. The temperature can drop to under 5°C in winter. The subduction plates have pulled the Japanese archipelago eastward, created the Sea of Japan and separated it from the Asian continent by back-arc spreading 15 million years ago.[14]. To the north the Sea of Okhotsk separates it from the Russian Far East, to the west the Sea of Japan separates it from the Korean Peninsula, to the southwest the East China Sea separates the Ryukyu Islands from China and Taiwan, to the east is the Pacific Ocean. The Geospatial Information Authority of Japan measures Japan's territory annually in order to continuously grasp the state of the national land. [47], The Japan Median Tectonic Line (MTL) is Japan's longest fault system. [135] More recent major quakes are the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake and the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, a 9.1-magnitude[136] quake which hit Japan on March 11, 2011. It runs parallel to Japan's volcanic arc, passing through central Honshū to near Nagoya, through Mikawa Bay, then through the Seto Inland Sea from the Kii Channel and Naruto Strait to Shikoku along the Sadamisaki Peninsula and the Bungo Channel and Hōyo Strait to Kyūshū. An Introduction to the Geography of Japan . Thus Japan possesses one of the largest ocean territories with a combination of all depths from shallow to very deep sea. [129] The Kuril Islands were first inhabited by the Ainu people and then controlled by the Japanese Matsumae clan in the Edo Period. [32], Extensive coastal shipping, especially around the Seto Inland Sea, compensates for the lack of navigable rivers. More than 50% of the country is mountainous and covered by forests. Because it is difficult to live and farm on mountain slopes, most Japanese people have always lived in the few flat areas along the coastal plains. [114] It has the second highest population density of 307.13 km2 (118.58 sq mi) (2016). In Tokyo and Chiba Prefecture, there have been frequent accidents with natural gas that was released naturally from the Minami Kantō gas field. [24] Tokyo is between 35°N - 36°N, which is comparable to that of Tehran, Athens, or Las Vegas.[24]. It is the 6th most populous country in Asia(excluding Russia), with a population of over 125 million people. Japan shares maritime (water) borders with China, North Korea, South Korea, Philippines, Northern Mariana Islands, and Russia. For example, maps and geography textbooks divide Japan into the eight regions, weather reports usually give the weather by region, and many businesses and institutions use their home region as part of their name (Kinki Nippon Railway, Chūgoku Bank, Tohoku University, etc.). Throughout history, Japan was never fully invaded nor colonized by foreigners. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government spent an additional 3.8 billion yen ($33.5 million) to pump out groundwater by digging hundreds of wells. This presentation also includes some information related to the tradition of the Japanese While Japan has eight High Courts, their jurisdictions do not correspond with the eight regions. Loading ... Add to tournament . volcanic eruptions, tsunami, earthquakes and typhoons, air pollution; acidification of lakes and reservoirs; overfishing; deforestation, Source 2: nbakki.hatenablog.com/archive/category/Nature. It spread over vast areas around the volcano and reached Edo almost 100 kilometres (60 mi) away. Japan lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire and is home to 108 of the world's 1,500 or so active volcanos, including more than 10 percent of the active volcanos that are a threat to h… Japan's remote location, surrounded by vast seas, rugged, mountainous terrain and steep rivers make it secure against invaders and uncontrolled migration from the Asian continent. The second largest plain is the Nōbi Plain 1,800 km2 (690 sq mi) with the third-most-populous urban area Nagoya. It triggered a large tsunami and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, one of the worst disasters in the history of nuclear power.[137]. It consists of a great string of islands in a northeast-southwest arc that stretches for approximately 1,500 miles (2,400 km) through the western North Pacific Ocean. [9] The Ryukyu Islands and Nanpō Islands are south and east of the main islands. [138], Mount Fuji is a dormant stratovolcano that last erupted on 16 December 1707 till about 1 January 1708. These plains had the largest agricultural production and large bays with ports for fishing and trade. [108] Honshu is roughly 1,300 km (810 mi) long and ranges from 50 to 230 km (31 to 143 mi) wide, and the total area is 225,800 km2 (87,200 sq mi). The coastal length is about 7,600 km (4,700 mi) with the largest part (3,240 km or 2,010 mi) belonging to Russia. Japan considers the northern territories (aka Southern Chishima) part of Nemuro Subprefecture of Hokkaido Prefecture. [1] It is the 4th largest island country in the world and the largest island country in East Asia. Geography of Japan : official name, capital, main cities in Japan, area (377,970.00 km²), climate (Climate in Japan can vary noticeably from one island to another. However this can be very costly, so for a private residential block of land, a Swedish weight sounding test is more common. The term has been the international standard since at least the early 19th century. "Geography and climate set parameters for human action" (Japan's Geography). There are 6,852 islands in total. Japan's Geography (1) A country's geography influences the development of its society and culture in many ways. Examples of land reclamation in Japan include: Much reclaimed land is made up of landfill from waste materials, dredged earth, sand, sediment, sludge and soil removed from construction sites. [24] Because of its wide range of latitude,[24] seasonal winds and different types of ocean currents,[citation needed] Japan has a variety of climates, with a latitude range of the inhabited islands from 24°N - 46°N, which is comparable to the range between Nova Scotia and The Bahamas in the east coast of North America. Destructive earthquakes occur several times a century. [139][140] The Hōei eruption of Mount Fuji did not have a lava flow, but it did release some 800 million cubic metres (28×10^9 cu ft) of volcanic ash. Rulers have, in the past, shown large political control and closed outside influence, possible only because of Japan's separation. The insular geography is a major factor for the isolationist, semi-open and expansionist periods of Japanese history. [118] It has a total population of approximately 81,859,345 (2016). [29] Lake Biwa is an ancient lake and estimated to be the 13th oldest lake in the world dating to at least 4 million years ago. Read more. Fuji), of which about 20 remain active. Add to Wishlist. The Geography of Japan Around 400 million years ago, Japan was a peninsula, connected to the huge landmass known as Asia. Kyushu (pronounced kee-oo-shoo) While these are the largest and most populated islands, there are many more. However, mining is strictly regulated in many areas because it is directly below Tokyo, and is only slightly mined in the Bōsō Peninsula. You can vist "Travel Destinations in Japan" for the introduction of … STUDY. Unzen erupted in 1792 and killed more than 15,000 people. Japan is a chain of islands that stretches north and south in the northern Pacific Ocean. Between July and October, typhoons, grown from tropical depressions generated near the equator, can attack Japan with furious rainstorms. [62], During the 2013 eruption southeast of Nishinoshima, a new unnamed volcanic island emerged from the sea. The Mongols tried to invade Japan twice and failed in 1274 and 1281. Sign in and subscribe for the latest Japan travel news and updates. There are also nearly 4,000 smaller islands, too! There are also nearly 4,000 smaller islands! However, its climate varies from cool humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb) in the north such as northern Hokkaido, to warm tropical rainforest climate (Köppen climate classification Af) in the south such as the Yaeyama Islands and Minami-Tori-shima. Beyond the pyroclastic area is volcanic ash that falls from the sky. There are 46 native fish species and subspecies,[31] including 11 species and 5 subspecies that are endemic or near-endemic. Part of a long archipelago off the eastern rim of the Asian continent, the island country of Japan has four main islands: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. This dried and closed the exit straits of the Sea of Japan one by one. Countries like this are a little challenging because I have to find info on things people don't already know about. Japan is an island country comprising a stratovolcanic archipelago over 3,000 km (1,900 mi) along East Asia's Pacific coast. Approximately 15,000 km (9,300 mi) of oceanic floor has passed under the Japanese archipelago in the last 450 million years, with most being fully subducted. [2][83] The oil crisis in 1973 encouraged the efficient use of energy. Seno et al., 1996 Journal of Geophysical Research; Apel et al., 2006 Geophysical Research Letters; CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (, Okada, A., On the Quaternary faulting along the Median Tectonic Line, in. The underground area of Kyushu must be monitored, because it is a dangerous area with a potential caldera eruption. Kyushu is closest to the southernmost point of the Korean peninsula with a distance of 190 km (120 mi), which is almost 6 times farther away than from England to France across the English Channel. 2. They are deeper than the Eurasian plate. It is separated from the mainland by the Sea of Japan. By May 2012 all of the country's nuclear power plants were taken offline because of ongoing public opposition following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in March 2011, though government officials continued to try to sway public opinion in favor of returning at least some of Japan's 50 nuclear reactors to service. The total area of Japan is 377,800 sq.km. [98] Hokkaido has 22% of Japan's forestland with coniferous trees (Sakhalin fir and Sakhalin spruce) and broad-leaved trees (Japanese oak, birch and Painted maple). Kyushu (九州) is the third largest island of Japan of the five main islands. The highest classification are 75 Special Natural Monuments (特別天然記念物, tokubetsu tennen kinenbutsu) and 36 Special Places of Scenic Beauty (特別名勝, tokubetsu meishō). Thus Japan's industrial sector became even more dependent than before on imported fossil fuels. Minami-Tori-shima has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw) and the highest average temperature in Japan of 25 degrees Celsius. Thus enough heat could be extracted to prevent an eruption. The land bridge disappeared when the sea levels rose in the Jōmon period around 10,000 BCE.[22]. Summers are hot because of the southeast seasonal wind. As of October 1, 2020, Japan's territory is 377,976.41 square kilometres (145,937.51 sq mi). [5] Multiple long undersea mountain ranges stretch from Japan's main islands to the south. Until the 1960s the death toll was hundreds of people per typhoon. It regularly experiences volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Japan's varied geographical features divide it into six principal climatic zones. Reforms of the electricity and gas sectors, including full liberalization of Japan's energy market in April 2016 and gas market in April 2017, constitute an important part of Prime Minister Abe's economic program. [24] Undersea earthquakes also expose the Japanese coastline to danger from tsunamis (津波). Amounts range from about six hours per day in the Inland Sea coast and sheltered parts of the Pacific Coast and Kantō Plain to four hours per day on the Sea of Japan coast of Hokkaidō. Late 20th and early 21st century projects include artificial islands such as Chubu Centrair International Airport in Ise Bay, Kansai International Airport in the middle of Osaka Bay, Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise and Wakayama Marina City. Geographically the Kuril Islands are a northeastern extension of Hokkaido. Yet, the population of Japan has been slowly decreasing over the years, because of th… It excludes the disputed Kuril islands known as the northern territories. [39] After the new site was declared safe following a cleanup operation, Toyosu Market was opened.[40]. The Japanese Archipelago is situated off the eastern coast of the Asian continent in much the same way that the British Isles are situated off the western European coastline. [132] There is no daylight saving time. Approximately 0.7% of the Japanese population lives there. This separation helped tie the culture of Japan together. Japan Geography. In Okinawa, on the other hand, the mean temperature of January is a warm 17 degrees Celsius. By 1700, Edo (present-day Tokyo) had an estimated population of more than 1 million people, making it possibly the world's largest city. Japan stretches over 2,360 miles, so the people enjoy climatic variety. Japan has a population of 126 million in 2019. Despite being a mountainous country, most of the conurbations are in the shallow plateaus, especially on the coasts, like Tokyo. It is more than 11 times the land area of the country. Hokkaido (北海道) is the second largest island of Japan, and the largest and northernmost prefecture. The Geography of Japan By Ms. Susan M. PojerHorace Greeley HS Chappaqua, NY 2 Topography 3 Nippon -- Land of the Rising Sun 4 Japan and the United States 5 Japans Regions 6 Japans Prefectures 7 Japans Topography 8 BodiesofWater Ishikari R. Sea of Japan Shinano R. Tone R. Korean Straits Pacific Ocean Inland Sea 9 MountainsAndPeaks Kitani Mts. Cape Kamoiwakka (Northernmost - disputed). Hokkaido is near Sakhalin, which was occupied by Japan from 1905 to 1945. View Images. The regions are not official administrative units, but have been traditionally used as the regional division of Japan in a number of contexts. These islands were occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945. The Japanese archipelago has diverse landscapes. Advertisement. It is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. Japan's northernmost islands are located on a similar geographical latitude as Milan or Portland, while her southernmost islands are on a similar latitude as the Bahamas. Lesson Plans for Japan. Honshu is the main island of Japan, and largest at 810 miles (1,300 km) in length. If the volcanic ash continuously flows eastward, then the ash fall would make it impossible to live in most parts of Japan (the main islands) because of a paralysis of traffic and lifelines for a limited period until the eruption subsides. The island area ranks 21st in the world by area. Can you answer these random questions about the geography of Japan? They are Hokkaido, Honshu (which is the main island), Shikoku and Kyushu. Rice growth held agreement in organization and a sense of isolation. … Game Statistics. Japan is informally divided into eight regions from northeast (Hokkaidō) to southwest (Ryukyu Islands):[19]. Its location in relation to other nations has an effect on intercultural influences; its size affects demography, the development of social structures, and its position in the international community. There are also nearly 4,000 smaller islands, too! GEOGRAPHY SHAPES LIFE IN JAPAN The islands of Japan are the tops of undersea mountains and volcanoes. The territory covers 377,976.41 km2 (145,937.51 sq mi). There are more than 3,000 islands in Japan. [10] The country has the 6th longest coastline at 29,751 km (18,486 mi) and the 8th largest Exclusive Economic Zone of 4,470,000 km2 (1,730,000 sq mi) in the world. It has a population of 104,000,000 with a population density of 450/km2 (1,200/sq mi) (2010). There is controversy as to whether the Sea of Japan became a huge cold inland lake. [73] The Sea of Japan expanded during the Miocene. 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