Japan lies just off the eastern coast
of the Asian continent and consists of four major islands—Hokkaido,
Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu—as well as 6,848 smaller adjacent
islands. The crescent-shaped archipelago stretches north (45.33
north latitude) to south (20.25 north latitude), over 3,020
kilometers. The capital Tokyo is located at 35.41 north latitude,
about the same latitude as Los Angeles, Lisbon, and Kabul.
Japan's total land area as of 2003 is 377,899 square kilometers,
which is slightly more than that of Germany and about 4% that
of the United States. Japan occupies about 0.3% of the earth's
total land area. Forests claim 66.4% of that, with farmland
accounting for 13%. Residential land accounts for 2.8%.(*1)
Mountains extend along the middle of the long, narrow archipelago,
dividing it into two sides, one facing the Pacific and the other
the Sea of Japan.
Generally, rivers are short and swift flowing. The islands are
washed by the warmer Japan and Tsushima currents and the colder
Kurile current. Japan abounds in volcanoes, including about
one-tenth of the world's active ones. Mount Fuji (3,776m in
height), the country's highest peak, is categorized as an active
volcano, though it has not shown activity for the last three
centuries since a large-scale eruption in 1707.
|
