[92] Following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami disaster in 2011, the nuclear reactors were shut down. More than 50% of the country is mountainous and covered by forests. [67] This made some sections of Japan's landmass wider than before. [24], Rivers are generally steep and swift, and few are suitable for navigation except in their lower reaches. 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. Climate 2 GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE. Japan ranks 5th with sea volume of 2,000–3,000 meters, 4th with 3,000–4,000 meters, 3rd with 4,000–5,000 meters and 1st with volume of 5,000 to over 6,000 meters. Pacific Ocean: the climate varies greatly between the north and the south, but generally winters are significantly milder and sunnier than those of the side that faces the Sea of Japan. [58][59] The geologic province of Japan is mostly basin and a bit extended crust.[60]. These are the 50 largest islands of Japan. As of 2011[update], 46.1% of energy in Japan was produced from petroleum, 21.3% from coal, 21.4% from natural gas, 4.0% from nuclear power and 3.3% from hydropower. Mikuni Mts. [24], Japan has 108 active volcanoes. Japan images. Topography
3. The water would cool the huge body of magma in the chambers below the volcano so that the liquid magma becomes semi-solid. This dried and closed the exit straits of the Sea of Japan one by one. These plains had the largest agricultural production and large bays with ports for fishing and trade. Japan's most famous volcano and highest mountain is Mt.Fuji. This page descrives geographical characteristics of each area. This allows mining of the seabed, research and production of methane from carbon dioxide with micro-organisms. Japan scholar Donald Keene credits Yoshimasa in playing a seminal role in helping to create what is considered today to be much of traditional Japanese culture. During the glacial maximum the marine elevation was 200 meters lower than present. [130] The Soviet Union did not sign the San Francisco Treaty in 1951. Geography of Japan 1. It is considered a mature island arc. Rulers have, in the past, shown large political control and closed outside influence, possible only because of Japan's separation. [70], During the Pleistocene (2.58 million years BCE) glacial cycles, the Japanese islands may have occasionally been connected to the Eurasian Continent via the Korea Strait and the Korean Peninsula or Sakhalin. According to a 2014 study by KOBEC of Kobe University, in a worst-case scenario if there is a VEI-7 eruption of the Aso Caldera and if the volcanic ash is carried by westerly winds, then pyroclastic flows would cover the 7 million population near the Aso Caldera within two hours. Additional Physical Format: Online version: Isida, Ryuziro, 1904-Geography of Japan. Flashcards. This Geography of Japan Lesson Plan is suitable for 6th - 12th Grade. The Exclusive economic zone of Japan has an estimated large quantities of mineral resources such as methane clathrate, natural gas, metallic minerals and rare-earth mineral reserves. Kameda Y. The following are the 10 largest lakes of Japan. In December there is a very pronounced sunshine gradient between the Sea of Japan and Pacific coasts, as the former side can receive less than 30 hours and the Pacific side as much as 180 hours. It is almost 1,200 km (750 mi) long from Ibaraki Prefecture in the northeast to Fukuoka Prefecture in the southwest. For example, during the 20th century several new volcanoes emerged, including Shōwa-shinzan on Hokkaido and Myōjin-shō off the Bayonnaise Rocks in the Pacific. 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. Japan is politically structured into 8 regions and 47 prefectures. "Okinawa-shi" in. The Japanese archipelago has diverse landscapes. The warmest winter temperatures are found in the Nanpō and Bonin Islands, which enjoy a tropical climate due to the combination of latitude, distance from the Asian continent, and warming effect of winds from the Kuroshio, as well as the Volcano Islands (at the latitude of the southernmost of the Ryukyu Islands, 24° N). It is the 7th largest island in the world. Professor Yoshiyuki Tatsumi, head of KOBEC told the Mainichi Shimbun “the probability of a gigantic caldera eruption hitting the Japanese archipelago is 1 percent in the next 100 years” with a death toll of many 10s of millions of people and wildlife. The vegetation was dominated by palatable high-productivity grasses, herbs and willow shrubs. The mountainous islands of the Japanese archipelago form a crescent off the eastern coast of Asia. [2][83] The oil crisis in 1973 encouraged the efficient use of energy. Various plants and large animals, such as the Palaeoloxodon naumanni migrated into the Japanese archipelago. [27], Another important plain is the Sendai Plain around the city of Sendai in northeastern Honshū. Kikai Caldera was the source of the, All Geography of Japan information taken from the, This page was last edited on 21 January 2021, at 23:51. The Geospatial Information Authority of Japan measures Japan's territory annually in order to continuously grasp the state of the national land. 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. Reclamation of 80% to 90% of all the tidal flatland was done. The territory covers 377,976.41 km2 (145,937.51 sq mi). Since the Kikai Caldera is submerged, it is unclear how much damage the hot ash clouds would cause if much volcanic ash stays below the ocean surface. These are common in Japan because of the volcanic activity and movement under the Earth's crust. [24][28], These are the 10 longest rivers of Japan.[28]. If in another scenario, the wind blows in a different direction then the Volcanic ash could flow westward or southward and affect e.g. Marine life and mineral resources in the territorial waters. Mapping Japan. 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. Test. 1. has active volcanoes and earthquakes 2. fierce typhoons that come in from the southern pacific. [24], The Japanese archipelago has been transformed by humans into a sort of continuous land, in which the four main islands are entirely reachable and passable by rail and road transportation thanks to the construction of huge bridges and tunnels that connect each other and various islands. 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. Japan”s nearest mainland neighbors are the Siberian region of Russia in the north, and Korea and China farther south. Japan considers the northern territories (aka Southern Chishima) part of Nemuro Subprefecture of Hokkaido Prefecture. Fuji <-----Mt. [90] In 2010, Japan's total fisheries production was 4,762,469 fish. [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). What is your preferred length for a travel report video on YouTube? There are also nearly 4,000 smaller islands! View as Printable Worksheet. 16. Geologically, Japan is one of the youngest inhabited areas on earth. A colored answer key of each map is provided. At a depth of over 1,000 m (3,300 ft) there are minerals such as manganese nodules, cobalt in the crust and hydrothermal deposits. Advertisement. Japan, located off the East coast of Asia, is an archipelago nation comprised of four main islands, from North to South: Hokkaido, Honshu (the largest and most populous), Kyushu, Shikoku, and over 3500 smaller islands. [73] The Sea of Japan expanded during the Miocene. Comparatively, most of the Yellow Sea (Yellow Plane) had a semi-arid climate (dry steppe), because it was relatively shallow with a mean depth of 44 m (144 ft). Actions. While many nations — such as Costa Rica— suffer increased trav… [73] The south part of the Japanese archipelago remained as a relatively large landmass. That is nearly 11 times larger than the national average of 2.4 hectares. There are plans to build underwater habitats in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone. It is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. [8] The 5 main islands are Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku and Okinawa. [24] There is a marked rainy season, beginning in early June and continuing for about a month. The average farm size in Hokkaido is 26 hectares per farmer in 2013. 3. mountains cover 4/5 of japan and limit land to plant on 4. limited natural resources so they have to rely on foreign countries. Japan Geography. See Also: Asia, Overviews, Japan Index. 3. The most destructive was Isewan Typhoon with 5,000 casualties in the Tokai region in September 1959. There are also nearly 4,000 smaller islands, too! Japan’s geography has greatly influenced their culture and economy. The third largest plain is the Osaka Plain which covers 1,600 km2 (620 sq mi) in the Kinki region. 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. The Sea of Japan separates the Asian continent from the Japanese archipelago. Effects of Japan's Geography. Geography of Japan. The term has been the international standard since at least the early 19th century. Profile Quizzes Subscribed Subscribe? Geothermal energy is being heavily focused on as a source of power following the Fukushima disaster. Shibuya is a shopping district that surrounds one of Tokyo's busiest rail stations. [7] It consists of 6,852 islands. The 5 main islands are Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku and Okinawa. By 1977, the amount of land reclaimed totaled 172.03 square kilometres (66.42 sq mi).[35]. The Sea of Japan was considered to be a frozen inner lake because of the lack of the warm Tsushima Current. 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). These four islands can be seen on the physical map of the country above. 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.). [30][29] It has consistently carried water for millions of years. Many people follow either the native religion (called Shinto) or Buddhism. Kyushu (pronounced kee-oo-shoo) While these are the largest and most populated islands, there are many more. Countries like this are a little challenging because I have to find info on things people don't already know about. One of the world's greatest recorded natural disasters was the Kanto earthquake of 1923, when the Tokyo-Yokohama area was devastated and upward of 99,000 persons died. However, mining is strictly regulated in many areas because it is directly below Tokyo, and is only slightly mined in the Bōsō Peninsula. The islands of Japan were created by tectonic plate movements, The Pacific Plate and Philippine Sea Plate are subduction plates. [107] Japan is an urban society with about only 5% of the labor force working in agriculture. 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