Japan
Article
August 12, 2022
Japan (Japanese 日本 Nihon or Nippon) - an island state located on a narrow chain of islands in the western Pacific, off the eastern coast of Asia, 3.3 thousand kilometers long. km. The archipelago extends almost meridional, forming a gentle curve towards the continent. The northernmost point is Sōya Cape (45 ° 31′N) at the northern tip of Hokkaido Island, and the southernmost point is a mini-archipelago of three islands called Oki-no-Tori-shima (20 ° 25′N). However, when only the four main islands are considered, the northernmost point is Sōya Cape, and the southernmost point is Sata Cape (30 ° 59′N) at the tip of the Ōsumi peninsula on the island of Kyushu. The state capital is Tokyo. The archipelago consists of four main islands: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu (97% of the land area) and 6,848 smaller islands. According to data from 2021, the total area of the country is 377,975 km². Most of the surface is covered with mountains and the highest peak is Mount Fuji (3776 m). For this reason, almost half of the population lives in the coastal strip of lowlands that stretches between Tokyo and Osaka and Nagoya. Agriculture and industry developed there too. This area covers 13% of the country's territory. Japan is located at the junction of tectonic plates, within the "Pacific fiery ring". Therefore, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunami waves are a constant threat. Hence the differences in the data showing the number of islands and the different size of the country's area. In August and September, there is an increased risk of typhoons over the archipelago, which usually arise in the Western Pacific. With a population of around 126.5 million people, the country ranks tenth - in this respect - in the world. According to UN and WHO data, life expectancy is the highest in the world. Japan belongs to the group of highly developed countries - it is one of the leading economic powers in the world. According to the democratic constitution adopted in 1947, Japan is a parliamentary monarchy with the emperor as a symbol of state unity and an elected bicameral parliament.