JAPAN THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What role does Japan’s geography play through out the history of Japan?   LEARNING OBJECTIVE: To understand important factors of Japanese geography.  

JAPAN The people call it Nippon (“source of the sun”) The capital is Tokyo Japan is an archipelago - a chain of islands There are 4 major islands and 3,000 minor Comparative Distance from Land Japan - 115 Miles Great Britain - 21 Miles

PEOPLE Japan is homogeneous there are also no ethnic minorities The Japanese have a strong sense of national identity

The 4 Major Islands Volcanic Islands Hokkaido- in the north; the most isolated Honshu - largest and the most populated Shikoku - southeast Kyushu - furthest south; closest to Korea Inland Sea - used for trade

LAND AND CLIMATE Japan is about the size of Montana 4/5 of the islands are mountainous The lowlands are densely populated 20,000 people per square mile

CLIMATE Japan is humid continental and humid subtropical The winters are moderate and the summers are warm The islands receive plenty of rain for crops The main crop is rice but not enough is grown to feed the entire population

RESOURCES Fish is a major part of the diet Japan has few natural resources Japan’s desire for natural resources was one cause of their support for the Germans in WWII. It must import raw materials Japan depends on world trade

Mt. Fuji Active Volcano 12,388 Ft. High Called Fuji-San by the Japanese Summit believed to be sacred. Forbidden to women until the 1860s.

The country lies on the Ring of Fire