Japan
Geography
Japan is about the same size as California. Japan is made up of many islands. The four largest islands in Japan are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku. Japan forms an arc in the Pacific Ocean. Japans total area is about 378,000 square kilometers. About 75% of Japans land is mountains. Japans highest mountain is Mount Fuji at 3776 meters. Japan has several volcanic regions and 80 volcanoes are considered active. Mount Fuji hasn’t erupted since 1707 and is considered capable of erupting again in our lifetime. To the east of Japan is the Pacific Ocean and to the west is the Sea of Japan. Being in the middle of these two bodies of water has its advantages. Japan has a great abundance of fish! The climate in Japan varies from region to region. Japan has four distinct seasons. Spring months are March, April, and May. Summer months are June, July, and August. Autumn months are September, October, and November. Winter months are December, January, and February. Summer is hot and humid and during the winter it snows a lot on the Sea of Japan side and it is dry on the Pacific side. Japans rainy season lasts about 40 days from the months of June and July. August to October is the typhoon season in Japan. In April, May, and November, temperatures are mild, and there is not so much rain in most parts of Japan.
History
They have been people living on the island of Japan for more than 30,000 years. To be able to eat they hunted deer, bears, and fish. They also, gathered nuts and berries. The main artifacts that were left behind were pots. They were marked with cords and/or ropes. Jomon means cork-marked. During the Jomon era the people in Japan learned new ideas and technologies from coming in contact with China and Korea. They learned how to farm rice. They also learned how to make toots and weapons. This is called the Yayoi era. During the era, groups of families begin to struggle for power in the Yamato Plain. The plain lies southeast of modern
Bibliography: “Japans Geography.” Asianinfo.org 2010. Online. Available http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/japan/geography.htm “Facts About Japan.” www.facts-about-japan.com 2011. Online. Available http://facts-about-japan.com/ Allinson, Gary D. "Japan." World Book Student. World Book, 2011. Web. 25 Jan. 2011.