GeodlyAsia
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia, made up of a long arc of islands in the Pacific Ocean east of the Korean Peninsula and Russia. Four main islands, Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku, hold most of the population, but a 2023 survey counted more than 14,000 islands in total. The Japanese name for the country, Nihon or Nippon, means origin of the sun, which is why Japan is often called the Land of the Rising Sun.
About 124 million people live in Japan, and greater Tokyo is one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. The country has an emperor, whose role today is ceremonial, and an elected parliament called the Diet. Japan rebuilt quickly after the Second World War and became one of the world’s largest economies, known for cars, electronics, high-speed trains and a culture that ranges from ancient temples to anime.
The flag of Japan
The flag is white with a red disc in the centre. It is called the Nisshōki, sun-mark flag, but is better known as the Hinomaru, circle of the sun.
The red disc represents the sun, which has held an important place in Japanese tradition and in the myths about the origins of the imperial family. The design has been used for centuries, but it only became the official national flag by law in 1999. The law also fixed its proportions and placed the disc exactly in the centre; an older official version had set it slightly towards the flagpole.
Landscape and geography
About three quarters of Japan is mountainous, so most people live on the narrow coastal plains. Mount Fuji, a volcano 3,776 metres high, is the country’s tallest peak and one of its best-known symbols. The islands stretch over a long distance from north to south, so the climate ranges from snowy winters in Hokkaido to subtropical weather in Okinawa.
Japan lies where several tectonic plates meet, on the Pacific Ring of Fire. It has more than a hundred active volcanoes and experiences many earthquakes every year. This is also why the country has so many onsen, natural hot springs.
Did you know?
- The first Shinkansen bullet train line opened between Tokyo and Osaka in 1964, just before the Tokyo Olympics.
- Japan has more than twenty UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the historic monuments of ancient Kyoto and the Itsukushima Shrine with its floating gate.
- Cherry blossom season is followed closely in Japan, with forecasts showing the blossom moving north through the country each spring.
- Japanese uses three scripts together: kanji, hiragana and katakana.
Key facts
- Capital
- Tokyo
- Continent
- Asia
- Population
- About 125 million
- Land neighbours
- None
- Coast
- Island country
- European Union
- Not a member
- NATO
- Not a member
- Language in GeoLingo
- Japanese
Japan in numbers
| Population | 124,516,650 people |
|---|---|
| Land area | 364,555 km² |
| Population density | 338 people/km² |
| Total GDP | $4,210,000,000,000 |
| GDP per capita | $33,800 |
| Life expectancy | 84.6 years |
| Unemployment rate | 2.6% |
| Coastline | 29,751 km |
| Forest coverage | 68.4% |
| Human Development Index | 0.920 |
| UNESCO World Heritage sites | 25 sites |
| Airports | 175 airports |
These are the figures used in GeoDecide. They are rounded and can lag behind the latest official statistics.
World rankings
Geo Sort asks you to place countries by rank. A lower number means a higher place in that category.
| Land Area | #62 |
|---|---|
| Coastline | #6 |
| FIFA Ranking (M) | #18 |
| Military Strength | #7 |
| Avg Annual Temperature | #109 |
| UNESCO Sites | #14 |
| Population Density | #32 |
| Highest Point | #45 |
Say it in Japanese
GeoLingo shows these four phrases and asks which country they belong to.
- Hello
- こんにちは (Konnichiwa)
- Thank you
- ありがとう (Arigatou)
- Yes
- はい (Hai)
- Goodbye
- さようなら (Sayōnara)
Practise Japan on Geodly
- Flag Drawing: The flag of Japan is in the Easy set. Draw it from memory and compare your drawing with the real design.
- Geo Click: Find Japan on the map, or locate its capital, Tokyo, in the capital modes.
- GeoDecide: Compare Japan with other countries on the statistics listed above.
- Geo Sort: Place Japan in the category where its world rank is strongest.
- GeoLingo: Recognise Japanese from four short phrases and match it to Japan.
- Terra Tac Toe: Use Japan as an answer when its facts fit both the row and the column of a square.
Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica: Japan · CIA World Factbook: Japan