Japan is a wonderful island country with a well-known culture and islands.It is basically a country made of various islands. But there is a lot more to the geography than we know.Japan is just a collection of islands. Hence it is called the Japanese archipelago. Japan is on the eastern end of the Asian continent. Japan consists of four main islands: Shikoku, Hokkaido, Honshu, and Kyushu.The Japanese islands are situated in the Pacific Ocean. Its Pacific coast lies on the eastern side and on the western side, facing back toward mainland Asia, is the Sea of Japan. As a nation made up of islands - four major islands and almost 4000 smaller islands - Japan is not short of coastal areas. To be more precise, this island nation lying to the east of Asia has 29,751 km (18,486 mi) of coastline. These areas are so beautifully diverse thanks to Japan’s variety of landscapes.Four-fifths of Japanese islands are mountains. The Japanese Alps begin from the middle of the largest island, Honshu. The highest peak that you can see in Japan is Mount Fuji. It is a cone-shaped volcano. This place is sacred for most of the Japanese population.Though, Japan is considered a dangerous place due to its island formation. Three tectonic plates of the Earth’s crust meet under Japan. They often move and rub against each other and as a result earthquakes occur very frequently. It is unbelievable that more than 1000 big and small earthquakes hit Japan each year. Japan is also known to have about 200 volcanoes. Amazingly 60 of these are active volcanoes.The Tokyo population is famous for being very hard working. The Japanese do it willingly. Children are taught respect for others from a very young age, especially their parents and elders. Japanese children learn things that are best for their society and family. Japanese people are not selfish. They do not work for personal needs only. Tokyo is a famous city among major cities, for those who look for good jobs.Japanese food is quite different from the food eaten in western countries. It comprises mainly rice, fish, and vegetables. A few people add some meat to it. There is very little use of fat or dairy. Their diet is considered to be very healthy. As a result, the Japanese people live a long and healthy life as compared to other people around the world.The Japanese people love their landscape. The depictions of ancient Shinto religion preached that natural features such as mountains, waterfalls, and even forests are alive. They have their spirits or souls. Most of Japan is countryside. There is only a handful of major cities like Tokyo. But with the population crossing 100 million, wildlife has been adversely affected. More and more land is being used by humans. While the islands are unstable and have less flora and fauna, the animals cross paths with humans for food. Pollution is being kept under control so that there is no further harm to nature. But for making roads building natural habitats of the animals have been harmed and reduced. It is sad to know that 136 species of animals in Japan are now on the list of Endangered animals.The warm Pacific side Tsushima Current flows underwater. It comes from the south side entering the Sea of Japan. This is where it collides with a cold current coming from the northside. This mixture of waters results in the seas around Japan being very rich in fish and creatures of the sea. Hence there is a great demand and sale of seafood in Japan. Japanese people love seafood.Read on to learn more about the stunning country. You might also be interested in reading facts about the Japanese government or about the Japanese flag once you finish with this article.Main Disadvantage Of Japan’s GeographyJapan is a unique country that is made up of islands only. There is no mainland. It falls in the temperate zone.The geography of Japan makes it very unstable. The weather is very unpredictable and the occurrence of earthquakes and tsunamis are frequent even on the main islands. This hampers the pace of development.The main disadvantages are the narrow land profile of the main islands. There are limited resources as most of the land are mountains. The occurrence of frequent earthquakes makes it difficult to develop infrastructure. In the Japanese waters, typhoons and tsunamis are also formed sooner than in other places due to the presence of two types of currents. All these combine and lead to massive destruction and loss of Japanese people’s lives.Japan is a dangerous place as it lies at the intersection of the three tectonic plates from the Earth’s crust. They overlap and intersect. This results in a movement against each other often. All of this motion creates earthquakes. When it is very cold in the winter season, heavy snow makes life difficult. Life is unstable due to the earthquakes already, even in Tokyo. The huge buildings are always at risk due to seismic activities.How large is Japan?Japan has a very unique feature, it is an island country. There are no connections to the mainland other than water or air.Japan can be compared to the size of California. Japan as a whole is 377,915 sq. km (145,914 sq. mi). But this small area does not mean they have fewer people. They have a very high population density. There are over 89.2 million more people living in Japan than in California.After World War II, there have been many technological and infrastructural advancements in the country. This allows the buildings to rise high as there is no scope of spreading anywhere on land. The buildings are built with the latest technology and design so that they can bear seismic activities.Major Physical Features Of JapanJapan is present in the famous ‘Ring of Fire’ also known as the Pacific ring. Japan is mainly mountainous terrain. Almost three-quarters of Japan is mountains. They look like the backbone of this archipelago. The dramatic Japanese Alps have an altitude of 9,842 ft (3,000 m). These bisect the central Honshu main island.Japan’s geography is proof of its volcanic origin. The chain of islands is situated along the ‘Ring of Fire.’ This is where most of the movement of these tectonic plates happens. Due to these occurrences, seismic and volcanic activity get enhanced, at times causing deadly earthquakes.Mountain ranges make up Japan. The green peaks create a serene landscape. There are numerous options for hiking. You can also get involved in snow sports and enjoy photography. Mt. Fuji is known worldwide. It is basically a dormant volcano. Also the tallest mountain in Japan. Mt. Haku and Mt. Tate Ski are a few other famous peaks.There is amazing life that flourishes in the coral reefs in the waters close to Okinawa. The famous warm Kuroshio current is an ideal destination for those interested in diving and snorkeling. In these coral reefs, you can see hundreds of species of fish thriving.Being an island country in Asia, Japan has loads of beaches. The shoreline is not the same everywhere. There are forested cliffs in some places and white-sand beaches in others. Mizushima is a famous beach in Japan in the Tsuruga Peninsula while Shirahama is located near Shimoda. You can also find white sand on Nishi Himi. At Takenohama, there are tall pine trees on the beach.What natural disasters is Japan prone to?Natural disasters are events that occur naturally that can cause huge amounts of damage to humans, their property, wildlife, and the environment. Japan is a disaster-prone country. Natural disasters like volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, and typhoons occur frequently. These affect the lives of Japanese people.There are four primary factors that can be seen as causes for these natural hazards. The first is location. Japan sits on four overlapping tectonic plates. They constantly move and collide. Secondly, Japan falls in the Asian climate region. It experiences heavy rains, thus flooding is common. The third factor is its terrain. Japan has 111 active volcanoes and 47 of them are still showing signs of eruption. This causes smoke clouds and seismic activity. Lastly, over urbanization and high population growth are also factors.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 101 Japanese geography facts, then why not take a look at Japanese art facts or Japanese tsunami facts?
Japan is a wonderful island country with a well-known culture and islands.
