Geography of Japan

The Japan is an archipelago located off the peaceful coast of the Asia, bordered by the Mer of Japan to the West and the Pacific Ocean in the East. The principal islands, on the basis of north, Hokkaidō, Honshū (the principal island), Shikoku, Kyūshū, are prolonged in the south by the archipelago of the islands Ryū-Kyū to which belonged the island of Okinawa and approximately: 3000 smaller islands, with a total of: 29751 kilometers of coasts.

Relief

Approximately 73% of the country are mountainous, the largest mountain of the Japan is the Mont Fuji (: 3776 meters) which is a volcano. The two broader zones of plain are the plain of Kantô, now covered by the agglomeration of Tōkyō, and the plain of Hokkaidō. Because of lack of surface punt, many inclined grounds or hillside are cultivated. The mountains are inhabited little; thus, 67% of the Japanese territory consist of wooded areas and Forêt S. The Japanese population is unequally distributed on the territory. About half of the population, that is to say 60 million inhabitants, is concentrated on the megalopoles of Tōkyō and Ōsaka - Kyōto - Kōbe. Consequently, the zones with the broken relief remain very wild, and constitute natural refuges for a fauna many and saved by the human activities.

the point low is Hachiro-spoiled with - 8 meters.
the culminating point is the Mont Fuji with: 3776 meters.

Climate

The climate is very varied, because of stretching of the Japan of north in south; Sapporo, on the island of north (Hokkaidō), has a hot summer and a long, cold and very snow-covered winter. Tōkyō, Nagoya, Kyōto, Ōsaka, and Kōbe, in the part is larger island (Honshū), have one relatively soft winter with little or not of snow, and a hot and wet summer. Fukuoka, on the island of Kyūshū, has one soft winter and a long summer. The climate of Okinawa, the archipelago more in the south, is Subtropical.

Natural risks and environment

The Japan is a volcanic archipelago, located on the “belt of fire of the Pacific” and, consequently, in zone sismique ; there are 265 Volcan S of which a score in activity, frequent earthquakes (approximately: 5000 each year, majority not causing or little damage to human constructions) like - pleasant consequence of the seismic activity - sources of warm water, the Onsen. The risk also comes from the ocean, with the Tsunami S (tidal wave) and typhoon S. Between 1900 and 2004, out of 796 Tsunami S observed in the Pacific Ocean, 17% of them took place close to the Japan. The cyclones strike especially, from June to September, the south of the Japanese archipelago and can reach bay of Tōkyō as the typhoon My one (October 2004) which made ten victims. See the detailed article Cyclone

Japan is touched by the acid rains, partly caused by the Chinese industrial wastes. A Department of the Environment was founded in 2001.

Natural resources

Weak natural resources, except for the fishery products (fish, shellfish, whales…), to which are added some mining industries and the forestry development. There are also many large whales and tortoises.

Some figures

geographical Coordinates : 36 00 NR, 138 00 E

Surface

total : 377.835 km ²
ground : 374.744 km ²
water : 3.091 km ², including 670 km ² for only the Biwa, the third older fresh water lake in the world, located at the center of the principal island of Honshū.

Borders

The Japan does not have any land borders.

The maritime fontières extend on 29.751 km, with the Russia, the China and the Korea.

Land use

arable lands: 12%
market-gardening grounds: 2%
pastures: 2%
forests and marshes: 66%
others: 18%

Estimate of 1999

: 27840 km ² of irrigated grounds.

See too

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