BASIC
INFORMATION
Full
Country Name: JAPAN
Capital
Tokyo
Largest city Tokyo
Official language
Japanese
Government
Constitutional Monarchy
Area 377,873 km²
Population
- 2005 est. 128,085,000
Currency Yen (¥)
(JPY)
Time
zone (UTC+9)
Internet
TLD .jp
Calling
code +81
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GEOGRAPHY
& BACKGROUND
Japan
is an island country in East Asia. Located
in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east
of China, Korea, and Russia, stretching
from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to
the East China Sea in the south. Its capital
is Tokyo, one of the 47 prefectures.
At
over 377,873 square kilometres, Japan is
the 62nd largest country by area. It encompasses
over 3,000 islands, the largest of which
are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku.
Most of Japan's islands are mountainous,
and many are volcanic, including the highest
peak, Mount Fuji. It has the world's 10th
largest population, with nearly 128 million
people. The Greater Tokyo Area, with over
30 million residents, is the largest metropolitan
area in the world.
Archaeological
research indicates that people were living
on the islands of Japan as early as the
upper paleolithic period. The written history
of Japan begins with brief appearances in
Chinese history texts from the 1st century
AD. Japanese history has been marked by
alternating periods of long isolation and
radical influence from the outside world.
Its culture today is a mixture of outside
and internal influences.
Since
it adopted its constitution on May 3, 1947,
Japan has maintained a unitary constitutional
monarchy with an emperor and an elected
parliament, the Diet, which is one of the
oldest legislative bodies in Asia. Japan
is an economic world power with the world's
second largest economy, and is the sixth
largest exporter and importer and is a member
of the United Nations, G8, G4, and APEC.
Japan,
a country of islands, extends along the
eastern or Pacific coast of Asia. The main
islands, running from north to south, are
Hokkaido, Honshu (or the mainland), Shikoku,
and Kyushu. Naha in the Ryukyu archipelago
is over 600 kilometers (375 mi) to the southwest
of Kyushu. In addition, about 3,000 smaller
islands may be counted in the full extent
of the archipelago.
Japan
is the 19th most densely populated country
in the world. About 70 to 80% of the country
is forested, mountainous [9][10],and unsuitable
for agricultural, industrial, or residential
use, due to the generally steep elevations,
climate, and risk of landslides caused by
earthquakes, soft ground, and heavy rain.
This has resulted in an extremely high population
density in the habitable zones that are
mainly located in coastal areas.
Its
location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, at
the juncture of three tectonic plates, gives
Japan frequent low-intensity earth tremors
and occasional volcanic activity. Destructive
earthquakes, often resulting in tsunamis,
occur several times each century. The most
recent major quakes include the 2004 Chuetsu
Earthquake and the Great Hanshin Earthquake
of 1995. Hot springs are numerous, and have
been developed as resorts.
For
more information please visit
http://www.fco.gov.uk/
or
visit
http://www.tripadvisor.com
