• ​The island nation of Japan is located on the eastern edge of Asia. It is located in the northern and eastern hemispheres. Japan is an archipelago, or series of islands.

• ​Japan has 4 large islands as well as thousands of smaller islands. Only 430 of those islands are inhabited.

• The Japanese have created farmland out of these mountains by building terraces, putting in irrigation channels, and using different fertilizers and farming techniques.

• Terraces are flat areas of land carved into the sides of hills and mountains by farmers so they can grow crops.

• Because Japan has so little farmland, the Japanese people depend on fishing for much of their food.

• Almost 80 percent of the country of Japan is covered
  with mountains.

• This leaves a small percentage of the land suitable for farming.

Physical Features

Physical Features

• There are many volcanoes in Japan. Japan is located on the Ring of Fire, which is an area around the Pacific Ocean where there are frequent volcanic eruptions due to plate tectonic movements.

• These volcanoes are often the cause of earthquakes. Japan has more earthquakes every year than any other place in the world.

• Tsunami - a long high sea wave caused by an earthquake

People of Japan

• Because of the barriers of water and mountains, most people
  live along the coasts because fishing and trade are important.
  Also a large percentage live in urban areas.

• The population of Japan is very homogenous, which means similar. Over 98 percent of Japan’s population is Japanese.

• Almost 80 percent of the people practice Shinto, a religion that began in Japan hundreds of years ago. In addition, over 68 percent of the population practices Buddhism. Many people follow the beliefs and rituals of both Shinto and Buddhism.