Geographical location of Japan in the 19th century. Economic and geographical characteristics of Japan

Japan is an island country, located on an arcuate archipelago, consisting of more than 6.8 thousand islands, which stretch along the eastern coast of Asia in a curved chain of about 3800 km.

Geographical position of the Japanese islands to the east of the mainland has also determined the figurative name of the country - the Land of the Rising Sun.

Its southern tip is at the same latitude as the middle of the Sahara Desert or the southern point of Cuba. The northern tip coincides with the latitude of Southern France, Northern Italy and Crimea. Capital of Japan - Tokyo is located at the same latitude as the southern tip of Turkmenistan.

Total area of \u200b\u200bislands in Japan - about 378 thousand sq. km, which is only 0.3% of the earth's land and approximately corresponds to 2.2% of the territory of Russia or 4% of the area of \u200b\u200bCanada, China or the United States. Only four islands of all can be called large. This, and - the Japanese do not even call them islands, but call them the main land, the main territory: they account for 98% of the entire country.

Bridges and underwater tunnels built between the four largest islands have made it possible to turn the country's disparate territorial space into a single land formation. Hokkaido and Honshu islands connects the world's longest transport tunnel Seikan, laid under the Sangar Strait. Three bridges across the islands and waters of the Seto nikai (Inland Sea of \u200b\u200bJapan) united honshu and Shikoku islands. Honshu and Kyushu islands connect two tunnels and one bridge.

Over the past few decades japanese territory although a little, but increased due to the creation of artificial islands. So, in Tokyo Bay for 10 years, it was dumped yumenoshima Island, where a stadium, a museum, greenhouses are built, a park is laid out. Ohishima Island was created specifically to accommodate a metallurgical plant. For the construction of an international airport in the Osaka Bay, an artificial island was also poured.

As an island nation, Japan has a coastline of about 29,000 km and the seventh largest in the world

A 200-mile coastal economic zone, the area of \u200b\u200bwhich is 10.5 times larger than the actual territory of the country.

Shores of japan heavily cut. For every square kilometer of Japanese territory, there is twice the coastline of England. A schematic generalization of the coastline, which is visible on an ordinary map, gives only some idea of \u200b\u200bthe complexity and indentedness of the shores of Japan - the abundance of bays and bays, lagoons and seaside terraces, peninsulas, rocky ledges and mountains, sometimes close to the coast. The southern islands are bordered by coral reefs.

Mountains are a characteristic feature of the Japanese archipelago, they cover 71% of the land, and only some areas along the coasts or channels of large rivers are plains and lowlands that border mountain systems.

If you look at the archipelago from the ocean depths - from the bottom of the Japan Basin, the islands reach a height of 10-14 thousand meters, rising above sea level by 3 km and higher (16 peaks are more than 3000 m, 532 - over 2000 m).

Relief of Japan - these are not yet healed wounds of numerous faults, subsidences, folded bending of layers, volcanic formations. The relief is dominated by low and medium-altitude mountains, elongated almost meridianally, although some areas of the island are characterized by an intricate, labyrinthine arrangement of ridges. Most of Japan's tallest mountains are located on the island. The most the famous mountain range of Japan is called the Japanese Alps and consists of three separate parallel ridges. The peaks of the Japanese Alps rise to a height of 3000 m above sea level. This is about twice the height of the Ural Mountains. Mountains with jagged sharp ridges, peaked peaks are separated by deep, up to 2 km, river gorges, glacial formations.

The most famous mountain in Japan -. It rises on the border of the prefectures Shizuoka and Yamanashi. Mount Fuji height - 3776 mmaking it the highest peak in Japan. More than half a million people commit annually.

A significant part of Japan's mountain peaks are volcanoes, there are about 200 of them here, 67 are considered "living" (active or dormant). Among the volcanoes are especially active Asama, Miharayama, Asosan and Sakurajima.

Acting asosan volcano located in the middle of the island Kyushu... This fire-breathing mountain is widely known not only within the country, but also abroad. By the number of eruptions Asosan occupies one of the first places among the volcanoes in the world (more than 70 eruptions have been recorded), its crater is one of the largest in the world.

It is also diverse, although poorer than vegetable. It is characterized by some features caused primarily by island isolation.

Many migratory birds winter on the islands of the archipelago, which arrive from Siberia, China and other territories adjacent to Japan. Among them are cranes, herons, geese.

The central islands are inhabited by wolves, foxes, deer, hares, squirrels. Honshu Island is the northernmost habitat of such southern species as Japanese macaques, Japanese black bears, giant (up to 1.2 m) salamanders.

The southern Ryukyu Islands are characterized by tropical fauna, many monkeys - macaques and gibbons, squirrels and bats.

The most common freshwater fish are carp and crucian carp. Turtles, crayfish, crabs live in reservoirs. The Pacific Ocean is also very diverse: numerous species of perch, salmon, herring, cod, as well as tuna, saury, eel and much more, which is simply impossible to list.

Japan (Japanese. Nihon, Nippon, the official name "Nihon Koku", "Nippon Koku" (inf.) (Japanese) - an island state in East Asia. Japan is located on a large stratovolcanic archipelago, located off the Pacific coast of Asia. with a geographic coordinate system, Japan lies 36 ° north of the equator and 138 ° east of the Greenwich meridian.The country is located northeast of China and Taiwan (separated from them by the East China Sea) and strictly east of Korea ( separated by the Sea of \u200b\u200bJapan) North of Japan is the Far East, a geographic region of Russia.

Major cities: Tokyo-capital, Kyoto, Nagoya, Kobe, Osaka, Yokohama

The country occupies four large islands - Honshu (three-fifths of the country's area), Hokkaido, Shikoku and Kyushu - and many small islands stretching for about 3,500 km from Hokkaido in the northeast to the Ryukyu Islands in the southwest. Japan is separated from the southeastern coast of Russia and the eastern coast of the DPRK and the Republic of Korea by the Sea of \u200b\u200bJapan, and from China by the East China Sea. The southwestern tip of Japan and southeastern Korea are separated by the Korea Strait with a minimum width of about 180 km. To the north of Japan is about. Sakhalin, and to the north-east - the Kuril ridge. Japan is a relatively small country in terms of area. The total area of \u200b\u200bJapan is 377.819 sq. km., which is one twenty-fifth of the territory of the United States, one-twentieth of the area of \u200b\u200bAustralia and only 0.3% of the land surface. Borders: in the north with Russia (Sakhalin, the Kuriles), in the south with the Philippines, in the west and north-west with China and South Korea.

The total length of the coastline is 29.8 thousand km. The largest peninsulas are Kii and Oshima. The southern Ryukyu Islands are bordered by coral reefs. The islands, which are part of Japan, form an arc along the eastern part of Asia with a total length of about 3400 km, stretching between 20 ° 25 and 4533 N, and 126 ° 56, and 153 ° 59 E.

Japan is a country that occupies islands in the Northern Hemisphere in relation to the equator. The state is located in East Asia. Japan owns land in the stratovolcanic archipelago and the islands adjacent to it.

Japan on the map

An island state with an area of \u200b\u200babout 377 thousand square meters. km, has 4 large islands. Kyushu and Hokkaido, Shikoku and Honshu are the main territories of the Japanese.

More than 4 thousand small islands also belong to this country. Due to its geographical location, Japan is washed by the Pacific Ocean, the East China Sea, the Sea of \u200b\u200bJapan, the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk and the Korea Strait.

Japan has no land borders with other countries. The length of its coastline is 29,751 km. The country's maritime borders run parallel to the following countries:

• Russia;
• Republic of Korea;

The climate prevailing in Japan can be described as temperate and subtropical.

The Japanese islands are dominated by mountainous terrain. Mountain ranges occupy almost 75% of the surface in the Land of the Rising Sun.

The highest point in Japan is Mount Fujiyama, which is also a volcano. The peak height is 3776 meters.

In this state there are very few plains and lowlands, but there are many rivers and lakes, which undoubtedly complicates the construction of cities and roads. Shinano is the largest and longest river in Japan. Its length is 367 km.

Due to overpopulation and the small area of \u200b\u200bthe country, the Japanese have long been arguing with the Russians about the ownership of the Kuril Islands. The archipelago country is poorly provided with useful resources. Their production on the islands does not cover even 10% of the total population needs. Japan's hydropower resources are at a height, and the ocean nearby provides the Japanese with the lion's share of food resources.

Administrative structure of Japan

The country is divided into 47 prefectures. All prefectures are divided into counties, special cities and counties. Cities with a special status in Japan are settlements with more than 500 thousand inhabitants.

Geographical location of Japan on the map

Japan (self-name - Nippon) is a large state located on almost 4 thousand islands in the western part of the Pacific Ocean.

As a result of the collision of the Pacific plate with the Eurasian plate and the resulting tectonic fault, a group of islands was formed - fragments of the continent. The Japanese islands are located on the very Volcanic Belt of the earth and in the immediate vicinity of the oceanic rift

The bulk of the country's territory falls on the islands of the Japanese archipelago proper, which includes the four largest - Honshu (231 thousand km 2), Hokkaido (79 thousand km 2), Kyushu (42 thousand km 2) and Shikoku (19 thousand km 2). In addition, Japan owns the Ryukyu islands located to the south of Kyushu, as well as small islands in the Pacific Ocean (Nampo, Markus, etc.). It also claims the Russian-owned Kuril Islands, which lie north of the island of Hokkaido. The area of \u200b\u200bthe country is 377688 sq. km, which is one twenty-fifth of the territory of the United States, one-twentieth of the area of \u200b\u200bAustralia, but more than Great Britain one and a half times.

The highest point in Japan is Mount Fuji (3776 m).

Borders: in the north - with Russia (Sakhalin, Kuriles), in the south - with

Philippines, in the west and northwest - with China and South Korea. All borders are sea.

The islands, which are part of Japan, form an arc along the eastern part of Asia with a total length of about 3400 km, stretching between

20 about 25 "and 45 about 33" p. sh. and 122 o 56 "and 153 o 59" E. The length of the coastline is 29.8 thousand km.

Japan is separated from the mainland by the East China, Japan and Okhotsk seas, but the distance of the main Japanese islands from the Asian coast is small - the shortest distance through the Korea Strait is 220 km. From the east and southeast, Japan is washed by the waters of the Pacific Ocean, in the south of the Japanese archipelago between the islands of Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu is the Inland Sea of \u200b\u200bJapan (Seto-Naikai).

The insular character of the territory, the proximity to the East Asian shores, the considerable length in the meridional direction, as well as the complexity of the relief and climatic differences between the individual parts of the country formed a unique complex of natural and geographical conditions that had a tremendous impact on the history of the exploration and development of Japan.

Relief, climate and water resources.

One of the most important features of Japan's nature is the combination of its seaside location with a predominance of mountainous landscapes. About 3/4 of the country's territory is occupied by mountains and hills; on each large island there is either a mountain node or parallel mountain ranges. Under the influence of tectonic forces and intense erosion, the mountain massifs acquired a highly dissected complex character. The Japanese mountains are not very high (on average 1600-1700 m above sea level), but they are very steep - more than 15 e, which makes the economic use of many territories difficult.

Plains and lowlands occupy narrow strips along the sea coasts and river valleys in the interior. The largest of them are located on the Pacific coast - Kanto (area of \u200b\u200b13 thousand km 2), bordering Tokyo Bay, Nobi (near Ise Bay), Kinai (in the Osaka Bay area). There are large plains in other regions of the country - in Hokkaido (valley of the Ishikari River), in Northern Kyushu (Tsukushi Plain), on the northwestern coast of Honshu (Echigo Plain), etc. Many small plains adjoin convenient and long-developed bays , bays, which abound in a highly indented coastline (especially in the south of the archipelago), the total length of which is almost 30 thousand km.

The aggravating shortage of suitable and accessible (including in terms of price and legal status) lands, especially for new industrial construction, forces the Japanese to increasingly actively attack the sea, like the Dutch, recapturing new areas from it. For example, the world's largest metallurgical plant, Fukuyama, is entirely built on a reclaimed site. In general, about a third of the country's shores have become embankment or reclaimed.

High seismicity and volcanism have a significant impact on the economic use of Japanese territory. Every year in Japan there are about 1.5 thousand earthquakes of various strengths, and one of the most earthquake-dangerous is the Tokyo Bay area, where the capital and a number of large cities are located and a quarter of the country's population lives. In Japan, there are 67 "living" volcanoes, of which 15 are active, the rest, including the highest peak in Japan, Mount Fuji (3776 m), are classified as "dormant", but quite capable of waking up. Seaquakes and huge tsunami waves caused by them, to which the northeast of Honshu and Hokkaido are most susceptible, are associated with seismic phenomena in deep-water basins located several tens of kilometers east of Japan.

One of the lower mountain ranges of the island is called the Japanese Alps because of their scenic beauty. And in the extreme south of the island lies another mountain range, where Mount Kita (3192 m) is the highest point in the region. The islands of Kyushu and Shikoku also have small mountain ranges, but their height does not exceed 1982 m (Mount Isitsuki on the island of Shikoku).

Since the Japanese islands are 15 ° C wide, climatic conditions are very diverse. At the end of March, you can sunbathe on Okinawa Island in the south of Japan, or go skiing on Hokkaido Island in the north.

The climatic conditions in Japan are generally quite favorable for farming and living. There are usually 4 climatic zones:

A zone of temperate oceanic climate with cold summers - about Hokkaido.

A zone of temperate oceanic climate with warm summers is part of Honshu.

The humid subtropical climate zone is the southern part of Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, the northern part of the Ryukyu archipelago.

The tropical climate zone is the southern part of the Ryukyu archipelago, about Okinawa.

Japan is characterized by monsoon atmospheric circulation, which causes a significant amount of precipitation in the form of heavy summer rains, as well as winter snowfalls (in the north of the country). Mountain ranges of Central Japan, stretching in the meridional direction, serve as a kind of climatic barrier between the east and west of most of the country. In winter, cold air masses from the mainland have a much stronger effect on the western coast than on the eastern coast, sheltered by the mountains. In the southern subtropical and tropical regions, the conditions for agriculture are especially favorable, where two crops can be taken a year. The warm Kuroshio Current has a softening effect on the climate of Western Japan; the cold Oyashio Current runs along the northeastern coast. The Japanese islands lie on the path of most typhoons that originate in the western Pacific Ocean. There is more precipitation in Japan than in neighboring parts of the mainland. Average rainfall in most of the country is 1700-2000 mm, in the south up to 4000 mm per year.

Rivers in Japan are numerous, but short. The country has a dense network of short, deep, mostly mountainous rivers. The largest of them is r. Shinano is 367 km long. The rivers of the basin of the Sea of \u200b\u200bJapan are characterized by winter-spring floods, on the rivers of the basin of the Pacific Ocean - summer floods; there are floods especially as a result of typhoons. Most of the rivers are turbulent mountain streams, unsuitable for navigation, but quite important as a source of hydropower and irrigation water. The flat areas of large rivers are accessible to shallow-draft vessels, the largest is Lake Biwa with an area of \u200b\u200b716 sq. km. The central mountainous region of Honshu is distinguished by the level of utilization of the hydropower potential of the rivers. Many lakes in Japan are also of great importance as a source of fresh water. The waters of many rivers are used for irrigation - there are thousands of small and large reservoirs in the country.

The geographical position of the country is one of the important factors that affect its economic development, history, culture and mentality of the people of this country.

The geographical position of Japan is in itself quite specific, which, not least of all, determined the specificity of its culture.

Japan, located on the islands of the Japanese Archipelago (there are a total of 6852) in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, at the eastern tip of Eurasia, is isolated from the continent by seas. In the south and east it is the Pacific Ocean (part of the Pacific Ocean west of the Ogasawara Islands is also called the Philippine Sea), in the northwest - the Sea of \u200b\u200bJapan, which separates Japan from the Korean Peninsula, in the west - the East China Sea, which separates the archipelago from China and Taiwan, in the northeast - the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk. Through him, Japan borders on Russia. Thus, Japan has no land borders with other countries. The nearest sea border is with Russia.

The sea between Kyushu and Shikoku is also called the Inland Sea of \u200b\u200bJapan (or Seto-naikai) and contains a large number of small islands.

The coastline of the islands is heavily indented, especially in its southwestern part, and is 29,751 km.

If we talk about sea currents, then the warm Kuroshio Current, the Sea of \u200b\u200bJapan Current, and the cold Oyashio Current pass from the north side of the Japanese Islands.

The Japanese archipelago itself is a narrow and long chain of onion-shaped islands. Among them there are 4 large islands that make up the main territory (from north to south):

Hokkaido,

as well as 6848 small ones. They consist of

Izui Islands

- the Ogasawara Islands, located south of the main territory,

Islands of Nansei, or Ryukyu, in the southwest. The largest of these is the island of Okinawa

In addition, Japanese reference books include the four islands of the southern Kuriles (called "northern islands" or "northern territories") in Japan, which are actually under the control of the Russian Federation.

The area of \u200b\u200bJapan is 378,000 sq. km, of which 374 744 sq. km is occupied by land, and the rest is water. In terms of area, the country is 61st in the world. 70% of its territory is mountainous, 67% is covered with forests, that is, the lion's share of Japan's territory is wooded mountainous landscape.

Japan is considered a small country. However, it is larger in area than England, Germany, New Zealand, Malaysia, Italy or Korea. But due to the fact that most of its territory is occupied by mountains, only a narrow coast and a few plains are suitable for settlement (the largest of them is Kanto, equal to 13 thousand square kilometers). This determines the high population density of the country.

The rivers are short here, again due to the abundance of mountains. None of them is a through artery that would connect the west and east of the country, so Japanese rivers have never played the role of important transport routes that rivers in continental countries play. Moreover, they are located in rainy areas, so their flow is very powerful and fast, and they form valleys in mountainous areas and sediments at the mouth.

The great extent of the country from north to south has determined the diversity of its climate in different regions: from the cold climate of Hokkaido to the tropical one on the southern islands.

The climate of the eastern part of Japan, facing the Pacific Ocean, is very different from that of the western part, facing the Sea of \u200b\u200bJapan, as the country is divided along the mountain ranges in the central part of the archipelago.

In winter, the northwest part of Japan, where cold seasonal winds blow, receives a lot of snow, while the east part is characterized by clear and dry weather. The temperature difference gradually increases towards the north. The climate in Japan is characterized by a pronounced change of seasons, with a prolonged period of rains in early summer, followed by hot and humid weather. In the second half of August, the heat subsides and a dry autumn comes. Typhoons are frequent in autumn and are very dangerous.

Another dangerous feature is the high seismicity of the Japanese archipelago. There are many volcanoes (the highest point of the country and the "national symbol" of Japan - Mount Fuji - is also a volcano), earthquakes are frequent, which can cause devastating tsunamis.

Japan is poor in mineral resources, which determines the intensive, resource-saving nature of the country's economic development. The fauna is also poor due to the insular position of Japan. The landscape features do not provide opportunities for breeding and grazing. At the same time, sea currents create favorable conditions for the habitation of a huge number of fish species, which has influenced the traditional diet of the inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago, a large share of which is made up of seafood.