Japan, called the "Land of the Rising Sun", is an island state, and is known for its high standard of living, a powerful economy and a unique culture. Due to many factors, the country's geography has a significant impact on how society develops. The location of the state relative to other countries affects intercultural interaction, the size affects the demographic situation, the growth of public structures and place in the international community. Topography determines where and how people earn their livelihood, and under the influence of climate, agricultural culture and lifestyle are formed.
Geography of japan
The land of the rising sun is located in East Asia and is an island in the Pacific Ocean, which stretches from the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south to the Sea of Okhotsk in the north. The Japanese archipelago consists of many islands, however, the main area of Japan (97%) is 4 large islands: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. The closest distance from the mainland to the Japanese islands is more than 200,000 km. This is 6 times more than the distance that an island state like Great Britain separates from Europe . Japan Square is 47 prefectures, each of which has its own governor. In turn, the prefectures are divided into central and ordinary cities, as well as counties and villages. At the moment, the country is undergoing administrative reorganization, uniting many cities and villages with each other in order to reduce the number of administrative regions and reduce related costs.
Topography
The total area of Japan is 377.9 thousand square meters. km, which makes it larger than many European and Asian states, however, more than 75% of its territory is occupied by mountains of different heights, some of them are densely covered with forest. The country is covered by a network of non-extended and transient rivers, only a few of which are navigable. A relatively small part of Japan is suitable for living and farming.
The Japanese islands possess the splendor and diversity of nature, however, at the same time they are volatile and dangerous. The entire area of Japan is subject to earthquakes resulting from the Pacific volcanic ring, which, among other things, endangers the population of South and North America. The mountains of Japan are 10% of the most active volcanoes in the world. Thus, the beautiful and famous Mount Fuji is a dormant volcano, the eruption of which occurred in 1707. The Japanese themselves, however, are more impressed by the beauty and wealth of their country than by its dangers. Despite the fact that topography creates many obstacles, the climate is quite favorable.
Population
According to the 2009 census, the state had about 128 million people, making it the tenth country in the world in terms of numbers. The population density of Japan is, therefore, 334 people / sq. Km, which does not take into account the fact that the main population of the Japanese is concentrated in a small area suitable for living. The society is culturally and linguistically homogeneous, and consists of 98.5% of ethnic Japanese with a small population of foreign workers.