Japan Geography


Location
Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula
Geographic coordinates
36 00 N, 138 00 E
Area
total: 377,835 sq km
note: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto)
water: 3,091 sq km
land: 374,744 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly smaller than California
Land boundaries
0 km
Coastline
29,751 km
Maritime claims
contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM; between 3 NM and 12 NM in the international straits - La Perouse or Soya, Tsugaru, Osumi, and Eastern and Western Channels of the Korea or Tsushima Strait
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Climate
varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north
Terrain
mostly rugged and mountainous
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Hachiro-gata -4 m
highest point: Fujiyama 3,776 m
Natural resources
negligible mineral resources, fish
Land use
arable land: 12.13%
permanent crops: 1.01%
other: 86.86% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land
26,790 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards
many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis; typhoons
Environment - current issues
air pollution from power plant emissions results in acid rain; acidification of lakes and reservoirs degrading water quality and threatening aquatic life; Japan is one of the largest consumers of fish and tropical timber, contributing to the depletion of these resources in Asia and elsewhere.

Content of this article provided by Japan Guide.

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