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 36.0,138.0 |
| Area | total: 377,915 sq km land: 364,485 sq km water: 13,430 sq km note: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto) [Verified in 8 databases] |
| Land boundaries | 0 km |
| Coastline | 29,751 km |
| Elevation Extremes | lowest point: Hachiro-gata -4 m highest point: Fujiyama 3,776 m |
| Highest Mountains | Due to difference in mountain rankings taken from two data sources we are listing here both lists : According to Wolfram: Fuji-san 3776 m; Mount Kita 3193 m; Hotakadake 3190 m; Mount Aino 3189 m; Yarigadake 3180 m According to Geonames: Kita-dake 3193 m; Oku-Hotaka-dake 3190 m; Aino-dake 3189 m; Yariga-take 3180 m; Akaishi-dake 3120 m Attempted Explanation: Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to office nospam@TUGraz.at @global-geography.org Important Mountains |
| Terrain | mostly rugged and mountainous |
| Natural Hazards | many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors but occasional severe earthquakes) every year; tsunamis; typhoons volcanism: both Unzen (elev. 1,500 m) and Sakura-jima (elev. 1,117 m), which lies near the densely populated city of Kagoshima, have been deemed Decade Volcanoes by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to their explosive history and close proximity to human populations; other notable historically active volcanoes include Asama, Honshu Island's most active volcano, Aso, Bandai, Fuji, Iwo-Jima, Kikai, Kirishima, Komaga-take, Oshima, Suwanosejima, Tokachi, Yake-dake, and Usu |
| Natural Resource | negligible mineral resources, fish note: with virtually no energy natural resources, Japan is the world's largest importer of coal and liquefied natural gas, as well as the second largest importer of oil |
| Land Use | arable land: 11.26% permanent crops: 0.81% other: 87.93% (2011) |
| Climate | varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north |
| Irrigated Land | 25,000 sq km (2010) |
| Renewable Water Resources | 430 cu km (2011) |
| Environment_CurrentIssues | 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 |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Large Cities | Tokyo; Yokohama; Osaka; Nagoya; Sapporo [Verified] Important Cities |
| Geography-note | strategic location in northeast Asia Important Lakes |