Download the Best Blank Map of Japan From Here

by Roman Stepanov

January 11, 2021

Japan is an island country in East Asia, located in the northwest Pacific Ocean.

Japan is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan (East Sea), which divides it from the east coast of the Korean Peninsula and the south-east of Siberia (Russia).

In the north, Japan borders La Perouse (Sōya) Strait (which separates it from Russia-owned Sakhalin Island) and the Sea of Okhotsk.

In the northeast, Japan borders Kuril Islands (Russia held, previously under Soviet administration).

To the east and south is the Pacific Ocean.

In the southwest, Japan borders the East China Sea, dividing it from China.

The island of Tsushima is located between northwestern Kyushu and southeastern South Korea. It separates the Korea Strait on the Korean Side from the Tsushima Strait on the Japanese side.

Main facts about Japan

Official Name: Japan

Form of Government: Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Japan is the only country in the world with an Emperor. The emperor does not, in reality, hold much power. He has a more symbolic role but plays an important part in Japanese traditions.

Capital (and largest city): Tokyo

The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populated megacity in the world.

Population: 126,048,450

Japan is second in the World’s Life Expectancy ranking.

Currency: Japanese yen

Japan is the third-largest economy in the world.

Area: 377,975 square kilometers (145,937 sq miles)

About 73 percent of Japan is forested.

Regions and Prefectures: Japan is politically divided into eight regions and 47 prefectures.

The prefectures date back to the Meiji Period (1868-1912). They were established to replace the lands controlled by the Daimyo – powerful feudal lords who controlled the country prior to the Meiji Period.

Major Mountain Range: Japanese Alps

Nearly four-fifths of the country is mountainous.

Mount Fuji is Japan’s highest and most famous mountain. It is actually a cone-shaped volcano. Many Japanese consider it sacred.

The main five islands: Japan comprises 6852 islands.The main ones that make up the greatest part of the territory are (from north to south): Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa. And from the largest to the smallest: Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Okinawa.

Geology: Japan has the 17th highest natural disaster risk.Because of its location along the Pacific Ring of Fire, the country is substantially prone to earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes. Japan suffers from about a thousand tremors each year. Most of them are minor and do not cause any damage. However, destructive earthquakes (such as the 1923 Tokyo earthquake or the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake) occur several times each century.