GEOGRAPHY

As mentioned, Japan is made up of over 3,000 islands. The largest are, Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku and they make up about 97% of the land area. Most of Japan’s area, 73% is forests and mountains. Japan has 9 forest “eco regions”, from moist broad leaves to coniferous trees. These reflect the geography and climate of the islands. 25% of Japan’s land is plains and basins and this is where the population is concentrated. The largest plain is the Kanto Plain where Tokyo is located. Tokyo is the largest metropolitan area in the world where over 30 000000 live. Japan’s total population is 128 000000. Japan’s total area is 377 835 square kilometers, 374 744 square kilometers is land, and 3091 square kilometers is water such as lakes and rivers. Three mountain ranges in Japan, the Hida, the Kiso and the Akaisha make up the Japanese Alps.
Japan’s highest point is Mount Fuji, which is a volcano, at 3776 meters. Japan’s lowest point is Hachiro-gata at –4 meters.