|
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 |
|
Area:
|
total:
377,835 sq km
land: 374,744 sq km
water: 3,091 sq km
note:
includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima,
Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands
(Kazan-retto) |
|
Area - comparative:
|
slightly
smaller than California |
|
Land boundaries:
|
0 km |
|
Coastline:
|
29,751 km |
|
Maritime claims:
|
territorial
sea:
12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the international straits - La Perouse
or Soya, Tsugaru, Osumi, and Eastern and Western Channels of the Korea
or Tsushima Strait
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
|
Climate:
|
varies from
tropical in south to cool temperate in north |
|
Terrain:
|
mostly
rugged and mountainous |
|
Elevation extremes:
|
lowest
point: Hachiro-gata -4 m
highest point: Mount Fuji 3,776 m |
|
Natural resources:
|
negligible
mineral resources, fish |
|
Land use:
|
arable
land: 11.64%
permanent crops: 0.9%
other: 87.46% (2005) |
|
Irrigated land:
|
25,920 sq
km (2003) |
|
Total renewable water resources:
|
430 cu km
(1999) |
|
Freshwater withdrawal
(domestic/industrial/agricultural):
|
total:
88.43 cu km/yr (20%/18%/62%)
per capita: 690 cu m/yr (2000) |
|
Natural hazards:
|
many
dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences
(mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis; typhoons |
|
Environment - current issues:
|
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 |
|
Geography - note:
|
strategic
location in northeast Asia |
