Japan- Asian island archipelago state. Most of the country's land is located on islands Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku. In total, Japan consists of 6852, surrounded by waters Pacific Ocean. The bulk of the population lives on the coastal plains. The total area of Japan is 378,000 sq. km.

Neighboring countries: Russia, China, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan- very different in economic potential and political system. Japan is an active member of the UN, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.

In order to analyze the economic and geographical situation, it is necessary to consider such indicators as population and economy, nature and resources, as well as interaction with other states.

Population of Japan: 127 million people. About 80% of people live in cities. In Japan, 11 cities have millionaires. The capital of Japan is the world's largest urban agglomeration - Tokyo, with a population of 30 million people. In addition to Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Nagoya, Kobe, Osaka and Yokohama are considered major cities.

Japan is predominantly a one-ethnic country. The Japanese make up 99% of the population and rarely allow foreigners into their society. Accordingly, most citizens say . In Japan, middle-aged and older people predominate. This is due to the fact that a very small percentage of births is recorded among the residents. Therefore, there is a low population growth rate - only 2 people per thousand per year.

Religion in Japan represented mainly Buddhism and Shintoism, characterized by the so-called religious syncretism - the confession of several religions at once. This leads to a mixture of different religious practices. Thus, adults and children celebrate Shinto holidays, schoolchildren pray before exams, young couples arrange wedding ceremonies in a Christian church, funerals take place in Buddhist temples.

Nature and resources- an important indicator of the economic and geographical position of Japan. One of the main factors in the development of the country's economy is the natural resource base, determined by its geographical location. The geological basis is underwater mountain ranges. Therefore, approximately 80% of Japan's surface is located on mountains and hills with pronounced relief up to 1700 meters in height. There are almost two hundred volcanoes in Japan. 90 of them are active, among them is the most high point archipelago - Fuji volcano, whose height is 3776 meters. Have a tangible impact on the country's economy natural phenomena- tsunamis and earthquakes.

A distinctive feature of the Land of the Rising Sun is that it occupies a high position in the world economy due not to the presence of rich natural resources, but to their absence. Japan is not rich in mineral resources, so the country is the largest importer of raw materials. It is forced to import 99% of all the ores it uses, 96% of the combustible minerals and 70% of the timber it uses.

Located on the territory of the country many rivers, which are sources for irrigation and hydropower, but are not suitable for shipping. Many inland water sources have a positive impact on production. After the war, the environmental situation in Japan worsened. Legislative innovations for the protection and protection of the environment are reducing the level of pollution.

To analyze the economic and geographical position of Japan, it is necessary to pay attention to some aspects of its national economy. Although Japan has few natural resources of its own, and the government has to import raw materials for a large number of industries, the Land of the Rising Sun manages to occupy a leading position among other countries in the production of products of various industries. Most production is concentrated within the Pacific industrial belt. Thus, Japan leads in terms of steel production. It owns 23% of the world ferrous metallurgy market. The state occupies a leading position in shipbuilding, specializing in the production of large-tonnage tankers and dry cargo ships. Main centers ship repair and shipbuilding are major ports(Yokohama, Nagasaki, Kobe). Japan is also in the lead (13 million per year). Main production centers: Toyota, Yokohama, Hiroshima. Mechanical engineering provides 40% of industrial products. The main sub-sectors of production in Japan are electronics and electrical engineering, transport engineering and the radio industry.

Agriculture is an important sector of the Japanese economy, although it contributes about 2% of GNP. This industry focuses on the food sector, providing 70% of food needs. Due to the predominant position of seafood in the diet of residents, fishing is carried out in many areas of the sea. At the same time, Japan has more than 3,000 ports and the largest fishing fleet (more than 400,000 vessels).

The economic position of Japan in the world allows us to assess the economic and geographical position of the country. Japan leads in terms of GDP per capita of $24,400. At the end of the 20th century, Japan had the highest economic growth rate of 9.8% per year. Now Japan is demonstrating a post-industrial stage of development, while industry is quite developed, but efforts are most concentrated on the non-manufacturing sector. Banking, trade, telecommunications, insurance, transport, real estate and construction play a huge role in its economy. The country has significant manufacturing capacity and is home to major manufacturers of machinery, electronics, ships, machine tools, steel, textiles, food products and chemicals. Famous corporations are located in Japan: Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi, Canon, Nintendo, Sony, NTT DoCoMo, Takeda Pharmaceutical, Nippon Steel and others. Japan is also home to several of the largest banks and the Tokyo Stock Exchange, which ranks 2nd in market capitalization. In 2006, 326 Japanese companies were included in the Forbes 2000 list.

According to statistics, Japan is in 4th place in exports and 6th in imports. The most important partners for Japan on export are China, USA, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, on import–China, USA, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Australia and Indonesia. Exports are dominated by mechanical ones vehicles, chemicals and electronics. Among the imported products are machines and equipment, food, textiles, industrial raw materials, fuel, and chemicals. However, import costs are many times less than what Japan receives from its exports. Japan sells cars, ships, machine tools, equipment and many other goods all over the world. The country also introduces high technologies and invests capital in the industry of neighboring countries. A number of reforms have been carried out that encourage market competition, which has led to an increase in foreign investment, thanks to which Japan has a positive trade balance, as well as the image of one of the most economically developed countries.

An analysis of the economic and geographical position of Japan shows what position this country has on the world stage. The impressive economic and geographical characteristics of Japan are determined by its economic position. This archipelago country has no land neighbors, which definitely has a significant impact on the development of the economy and production. The country's political position corresponds to its role in the world economy. Japan is an influential member of the G8, the UN, ASEAN and the East Asia Summit and other organizations that determine the economic development of the world community for decades to come.

Japan is an amazing country, different in many ways from Russia and Europe, so traveling there requires careful preparation. To make your trip as positive as possible, we have prepared for you. Go through it right now and be fully armed!

Japan is an archipelago consisting of more than 4 000 islands of varying sizes, including 4 largest: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku And Kyushu. Japan lays claim to the islands of the South Kuril chain belonging to given time Russia, China and Taiwan demand the return of the Senkaku Islands from Japan, there are territorial disputes with South Korea.

Islands of Japan

The islands are predominantly mountainous, the highest point being sacred mountain Fujiyama(3776 m) on the island of Honshu. There are many active and extinct volcanoes here. The climate is pronounced monsoon, with abundant rainfall, frequent typhoons, temperate in the north, tropical in the south. Numerous rivers are short and high-water, and have enormous energy potential.

Nature of Japan

The unique beauty and diversity of Japan's nature - waterfalls, gorges, unique flora, hot springs, snow Mountain peaks- harmoniously combines with 60 -story skyscrapers, countless highway interchanges, on the one hand, and with ancient Shinto and Buddhist temples, medieval palaces, on the other.

Geographical position of a country is one of the important factors that influence its economic development, history, culture and mentality of the people of this country.

The geographical location of Japan itself is quite specific, which not least determined the specificity of its culture.

Japan, located on the islands of the Japanese Archipelago (6852 in total) in the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean, off the eastern tip of Eurasia, is isolated from the continent by seas. In the south and east it is the Pacific Ocean (the part of the Pacific Ocean west of the Ogasawara Islands is also called the Philippine Sea), in the northwest - the Sea of Japan, which separates Japan from the Korean Peninsula, in the west - the East China Sea, separating the archipelago from China and Taiwan, in the northeast is the Sea of Okhotsk. Through it, Japan borders on Russia. Thus, Japan has no land borders with other countries. The closest sea border- with Russia.

The sea between the islands of Kyushu and Shikoku is also called the Inland Sea of Japan (or Seto-naikai), and it contains a large number of small islands.

The coastline of the islands is highly indented, especially in its southwestern part, and amounts to 29,751 km.

If we talk about sea currents, then from the south side Japanese Islands The warm Kuroshio Current, the Sea of Japan Current, and from the north the cold Oyashio Current pass through.

The Japanese archipelago itself is a narrow and long chain of islands, shaped like a bow. Among them are 4 large islands that make up the main territory (from north to south):

Hokkaido,

as well as 6848 small ones. They consist of

Izuya Islands

— the Ogasawara Islands, located in the south of the main territory,

Nansei Islands, or Ryukyu Islands, in the southwest. The largest of them is the island of Okinawa

In addition, in Japanese reference books, the territory of Japan includes the four islands of the southern Kuril Islands (called “ northern islands"or "northern territories"), which are actually under the control of the Russian Federation.

The area of Japan is 378,000 square meters. km, of which 374,744 sq. km is occupied by land, and the rest is water. The country ranks 61st in the world by area. 70% of its territory is occupied by mountains, 67% is covered with forests, that is, the lion's share of Japan's territory is forested mountain landscape.

Japan is considered a small country. However, in area it is larger than England, Germany, New Zealand, Malaysia, Italy or Korea. But due to the fact that most of its territory is occupied by mountains, only a narrow coast and a few plains are suitable for settlement (the largest of them is Kanto, equal to 13 thousand sq. km). This determines the high population density of the country.

The rivers here are short, again, due to the abundance of mountains. None of them is a through artery that would connect the west and east of the country, so Japanese rivers have never played the role of important transport routes that rivers play in continental countries. Moreover, they are located in rainy areas, so their currents are very powerful and fast, and they form valleys in mountainous areas and sediments at the mouth.

The large extent of the country from north to south determined the diversity of its climate in different areas: from the cold climate of Hokkaido to the tropical climate of the southern islands.

The climate of the eastern part of Japan, facing the Pacific Ocean, is very different from the climate of the western part, facing the Sea of Japan, since the country is divided along mountain ranges in the central part of the archipelago.

In winter, the northwestern part of Japan, where cold seasonal winds blow, receives a lot of snow, while the eastern part is characterized by clear and dry weather. The temperature difference gradually increases towards the north. The climate of Japan is characterized by a clearly defined change of seasons. At the beginning of summer there is a long period of rain, after which hot and humid weather sets in. In the second half of August, the heat subsides and dry autumn arrives. In autumn there are often typhoons, which pose a great danger.

Another dangerous feature is the high seismicity of the Japanese archipelago. There are many volcanoes here (the highest point of the country and the “national symbol” of Japan, Mount Fuji, is also a volcano), and there are frequent earthquakes that can cause destructive tsunamis.

Japan is poor in mineral resources, which determines the intensive, resource-saving nature of the country's economic development. Animal world Due to Japan's island position, it is also poor. The landscape features do not provide opportunities for breeding and grazing livestock. At the same time, sea currents create favorable conditions for the habitat of a huge number of fish species. This influenced the traditional diet of the inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago, a large share of which is seafood.

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Yapomnia (Japanese: Nihon, Nippon, official name"Nihon koku", "Nippon koku" (inf.) (Japanese) - an island state in East Asia. Japan is located on a large stratovolcanic archipelago off the Pacific coast of Asia. According to the system geographical coordinates, Japan lies 36° north of the equator and 138° east of the Greenwich meridian. The country is located northeast of China and Taiwan (separated from them by the East China Sea) and due east of Korea (separated from the Sea of Japan). Located north of Japan Far East, geographical region of Russia.

Major cities: Tokyo capital, Kyoto, Nagoya, Kobe, Osaka, Yokohama

The country occupies four large islands - Honshu (three-fifths of the country's area), Hokkaido, Shikoku and Kyushu - and many small islands, stretching in an arc of about 3,500 km from Hokkaido in the northeast to the Ryukyu Islands in the southwest. Japan is separated from the south east coast Russia and the eastern coast of the DPRK and the Republic of Korea by the Sea of Japan, from China by the East China Sea. The southwestern tip of Japan and southeastern Korea are separated by the Korea Strait, with a minimum width of about 180 km. To the north of Japan is located the island. Sakhalin, and to the northeast - the Kuril ridge. Japan is a relatively small country in area. The total area of Japan is 377,819 square meters. km., which is one twenty-fifth of the United States, one twentieth of the area of Australia and only 0.3% of the land surface. Borders: in the north with Russia (Sakhalin Island, Kuril Islands), in the south - with the Philippines, in the west and northwest - with China and South Korea.

The total length of the coastline is 29.8 thousand km. The largest peninsulas are Kii and Oshima. The southern Ryukyu Islands are fringed by coral reefs. The islands that make up Japan form an arc along the eastern part of Asia with a total length of about 3400 km, stretching between 20°25 and 4533 N, and 126°56 and 153°59 E.

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Abstract on economic and social geography of the world on the topic:

Completed by a student of grade 10-11 “e”

secondary school 1287

with in-depth study of English

Prikhodko Maya

Moscow, 2003

Introduction

Territory, geographical location

Nature and environmental management

Population and culture

Agriculture

Farm

Industry

Problems of the country

Conclusion

Bibliography

Introduction

Japan is the “land of the rising sun.” The name of the country - Japan - is conveyed by two hieroglyphs. The first of these signs means “sun”, the second means “root, basis”, hence the allegorical name of Japan “the land of the rising sun”.

Japan is an island state, stretching in a long arc for 3400 km from north to south along the eastern part of the Asian mainland. It occupies four large islands (Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku) and about 900 small islands with a total area of 372.6 thousand square meters. km. In the north it is washed Sea of Okhotsk, in the east - the Pacific Ocean, in the south - the Pacific Ocean and the East China Sea, in the west - the Korea Strait and the Sea of Japan.

The population of Japan is 124.1 million people (1992); 99.4% are Japanese, the rest of the population are Koreans, Chinese, Americans, Ainu (descendants of the ancient population of the country), etc. The official language is Japanese.

The main religions are Shintoism and Buddhism.

The monetary unit is yen = 100 sen.

Japan has diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation (established with the USSR on January 20, 1925, interrupted on August 9, 1945, restored on October 19, 1956).

Japan is a constitutional monarchy. According to the law in force since 1947. Constitution, the emperor is “a symbol of the state and the unity of the people,” his status is determined by the will of the entire people, to whom sovereign power belongs.

The highest body of state power and the only legislative body is the parliament, consisting of two chambers: the House of Representatives (512 deputies) and the House of Councilors (252 deputies). The term of office of deputies of the House of Representatives is 4 years, the House of Councilors is 6 years (with re-election of half of the members every three years).

Executive power is exercised by the cabinet of ministers headed by the prime minister.

Terry thorium, geographical location

Japan is a country in East Asia located on four large islands: Kyushu, Shikoku, Honshu and Hokkaido, the Ryukyu Islands and more than a thousand small islands. In the north it is washed by the Sea of Okhotsk, in the east by the Pacific Ocean, in the south by the Pacific Ocean and the East China Sea, in the west by the Korea Strait and the Sea of Japan.

Japan's EGP is determined primarily by the fact that the arc of islands on which it is located stretches for 3.5 thousand km at the junction of the Eurasian continent and the Pacific Ocean and is located in the center of the Asia-Pacific region. This opens up very great opportunities for the country's participation in the international geographical division of labor.

The highest point in Japan is Mount Fuji (3776 m).

Borders: in the north - with Russia (Sakhalin Island, Kuril Islands), in the south - with the Philippines, in the west and northwest - with China and South Korea. All borders are maritime.

The country's area is 377,688 square kilometers, which is one twenty-fifth the area of the United States, one twentieth the area of Australia, but one and a half times larger than Great Britain.

One of the lower mountain ranges of the island is called the Japanese Alps due to its scenic beauty. In the far south of the island lies another mountain range. There is Mount Kita (3192 m) - the highest point in the region. There are also small mountain ranges on the islands of Kyushu and Shikoku, but their height does not exceed 1982 m (Mount Isitsuki on Shikoku Island).

There are about 188 volcanoes on the Japanese islands, more than 40 of them are active. There are a large number of hot springs in volcanic areas.

Japan's longest river is Shinano, on the island of Honshu (367 km), among others large rivers Honshu - Tone, Kitakami, Tenri and Mogami; in Hokkaido - Ishikari, Teshio, Tokachi; to Shikoku - Yoshino.

Most Japanese lakes are mountainous and there are usually popular resorts nearby. The most big lake Japan - Biwa (672 square kilometers) - located on the island of Honshu.

Japan has 47 prefectures and more than 3,000 municipal governments. Each region of Japan has its own history and culture. Tokyo, as the capital, contains a quarter of Japan's population: about 30 million people live within a 50-kilometer radius of Tokyo. In Japan, the problem of overpopulation in cities and depopulation in villages is very acute. To revive rural areas, attempts were made to create technopolises.

Historical and geographical stages of development

The Japanese archipelago took its current shape 10,000 years ago. The next 8,000 years lasted the Yomon era, when primitive hunter-gatherers lived. They eventually formed one tribe. Rice cultivation came from Eurasia in 300 BC during the Yayoi period. Japanese nationality is believed to have developed during the Yamato period around the third century AD. According to legend, the Japanese Empire arose in 660 BC, when the first Japanese emperor Jimmu ascended the throne. During the first millennium (from 660 BC), Japan developed under the influence of Korea and China, which had a higher level of civilization. In 604, Prince Shotoku adopted the first Constitution.

In the 7th century, Buddhism came from Korea to Japan, which later became the state religion of the country.

At the beginning of the eighth century (Nara period), Nara became the first capital, followed by Kyoto.

From the 12th to the 19th centuries, the country was ruled by the samurai military class. Since the 12th century, a military regime was actually established in the country, and Japan was ruled by shoguns (military dictators).

In the 15th century, a civil war broke out in Japan that lasted 100 years.

In the 17th century, Tokugawa Ieyasu came to power and declared a regime of isolation for 200 years, when relations continued only with China and the Netherlands. But with the arrival of the American commander Matthew Perry in 1853, Japan begins to improve relations with America and Europe.

The reign of the shoguns continued until 1867, when the last shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, transferred power to Emperor Mutsuhito (Meiji).

Although the Portuguese and Dutch had trade relations with Japan as early as the 16th and 17th centuries, they were very minor, and the country remained virtually closed to foreigners until the mid-19th century, when the United States signed a treaty with Japan.

At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, Japan fought several wars, as a result of which by 1910 it annexed the island of Taiwan, half of Sakhalin and Korea. After the end of the First World War, as a result of which Japan acquired the islands in the Pacific Ocean that belonged to Germany, the country fought several local wars with China and the Soviet Union in the 1930s.

In the second world war Imperial Japan entered, attacking the American military base at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. During the war, Japanese troops occupied many French and British colonies and protectorates in South-East Asia. In August 1945, after successful operations carried out by Allied forces, Japan surrendered, and on September 2, it officially signed the instrument of surrender. As a result of defeat in the war, Japan lost its colonies, lost a significant part of its national wealth, and found itself thrown back several decades. The country was occupied by American troops. At the same time, Japan had the opportunity to develop along the path of demilitarization and democratization, and culture was effectively used. The 1947 Constitution, adopted with the active influence of the Americans, proclaimed the sovereign power of the people, democratic rights and freedoms. The emperor lost his power. Japan abandoned the use of armed force as a means of resolving international disputes. The reforms laid the foundation for the subsequent rapid economic development of the country.

Unfolding “ cold war”, as well as the Korean War 1950 - 1953. for decades to come they influenced the formation of Japan's foreign policy and its activities in the international arena. Simultaneously with the agreement signed in September 1951. The San Francisco Peace Treaty concluded the Japanese-American Security Guarantee Treaty, according to which the United States received the right to maintain its armed forces on Japanese territory and create military bases.

In 1960 The United States and Japan entered into a new agreement on mutual cooperation and security guarantees, which since 1970. automatically renews.

The alliance with the United States continues to be the core of Japan's foreign policy. At the same time, Japan maintains active ties with Western Europe and is establishing coordination in developing a common strategy for the West. Japan's participation in the annual meetings of the leaders of the seven leading developed countries of the world is becoming increasingly significant.

Major Periods in Japanese History
Paleolithic	to 8,000 BC
	8,000 BC - 300 BC
	300 BC - 300 AD
	300 AD - 593



Kamakura
Muromachi
Azuchi-Momoyama




	1989 - to present day

Nature and environmental management

About 70% of the country's surface is occupied by not very high mountain slopes, but inaccessible for human development due to their steepness and strong dissection. They form part of a volcanic chain that runs along the edges of the Pacific Ocean, and many of them are active or extinct volcanoes (of Japan's 196 volcanoes, 30 are active). The most high mountain and the symbol of Japan - Fuji, or Fuji (3776m), located on the island of Honshu, refers to extinct volcanoes (last eruption was in 1707). Its truncated cone rises 90 km from Tokyo, from where it can be seen in clear weather. The top of Fuji is covered with snow 10 months a year.

Plains and lowlands account for 30% of the country's territory. They sometimes stretch along the sea coast, sometimes wedged between the mountains. The most significant among them - the Kanto Plain - is located in the east of the island of Honshu.

There are about 1.5 thousand earthquakes annually on the Japanese islands. Most are weak, accompanied by barely perceptible tremors and minor damage to various structures. But sometimes very strong earthquakes occur, and in coastal areas, giant sea waves generated by them - tsunamis - arise.

The consequences of such disasters are sometimes dire. Thus, during the 1923 earthquake in Tokyo, more than 140 thousand people died and over 500 thousand buildings were destroyed.

The climate is mainly subtropical monsoon. In winter, winds blow from the northwest, from the mainland, and in summer from the southeast, from the Pacific Ocean. Winter monsoons bring snow, which falls abundantly in the center, north, and northwest of the country. The mountains do not allow winds to penetrate to the east and south of the country, so dry and sunny weather reigns there in winter. In summer, with the monsoons come rains and typhoons - hurricane winds that sweep away everything in their path. The islands receive large amounts of precipitation: from 1000 to 3000 mm per year.

The country has a dense network of short, deep-water, mostly mountain rivers(large: Shinano, Tone, Ishikori). They are not suitable for shipping. Only flat areas of large rivers are accessible to shallow-draft vessels. The rivers of the Sea of Japan basin are characterized by winter-spring floods, and the rivers of the Pacific Ocean basin are characterized by summer floods; There are floods, especially as a result of typhoons. The waters of many rivers are used for irrigation - there are thousands of small and large reservoirs in the country.

Due to the abundance of sunny days and moisture vegetable world Japan is very rich and diverse. 67% of the territory is occupied by forests. In the north there are coniferous (spruce and fir) temperate forests. When moving south, they are first replaced by broad-leaved forests (oak, beech, maple), then by coniferous forests of Japanese cryptomeria, cypress, pine (southern Hokkaido and northern Honshu), followed (in the south of Honshu and the north of Kyushu and Shikoku) by evergreen broad-leaved trees forests (Japanese magnolia, sawtooth oak). In the very south (southern Kyushu and Ryukyu) there are subtropical evergreen forests.

The national flowering trees of Japan are the cherry and plum, which bloom early and are loved throughout the country. In April, azaleas bloom in Japan, in May - peonies, in August - lotus, and in November the islands are decorated with blooming chrysanthemums - national flower. Numerous flower festivals are held this month. Gladioli, several types of lilies, bells, and flowers are also common. The most common tree in Japan is Japanese cedar, reaching a height of up to 40 m; larch and several types of spruce are also often found. Subtropical plants grow in Kyushu, Shikoku and in the south of Honshu: bamboo, camphor laurel, banyan. In the central and northern parts of Honshu, deciduous trees are common: birch, walnut, willow, as well as a large number of coniferous trees. Cypress, yew, eucalyptus, myrtle, and holly are common in this area. In Hokkaido, the vegetation is very similar to Siberian: the most common are larch, several types of spruce, and in some forests there are birch, alder, and poplar.

The Japanese are also very skillful in growing dwarf trees (the so-called “bonsai”), when the pine, siwa or cherry tree does not exceed a height of 30 centimeters. In total, the flora of Japan contains over 700 species of trees and shrubs, as well as about 300 species of herbs.

Cultivable land, 13% of the country's total area, is mainly devoted to rice and some crops - from potatoes in the north to sugarcane in the south. Japan's natural conditions are generally favorable for agriculture.

The fauna of Japan, on the contrary, is not diverse, which is explained by the isolation and distance of the Japanese islands from the mainland. The country is home to the Japanese macaque, Brown bear, short-legged wolf, fox, sable, weasel, mountain antelope, various birds, including many migratory and sea birds. The seas, rivers and lakes of Japan abound in fish. Japan ranks first in the world in terms of fish catch. There are more than 3 thousand fishing ports in the country. Fish and seafood occupy a very large place in the Japanese diet.

There are few minerals of practical importance - coal, copper and lead-zinc ores. Therefore, the country is forced to import 80% of the raw materials and fuel it needs.

The soil cover of Japan is very diverse: in the south red soils and yellow soils predominate, on the island of Honshu the slopes of local low mountains covered with developed podzolic and brown forest soils, which, with sufficient fertilization, produce high yields. The coastal plains with their fertile alluvial soils have long been developed by farmers. In the lowlands there are swampy soils.

Japan's soil resources are very limited, with more than one-third of its soils classified as poor. However, the total area of cultivated land is 16% of the entire territory. Japan is one of the few countries in the world that has fully developed its land resources.

Virgin land remains only on the island of Hokkaido; on the remaining islands, the Japanese are expanding the territories of cities and suburban farms, draining swampy shores and river deltas, filling up lagoons and shallow areas of the seas; this is how, for example, the Tokyo airport was built.

Urbanization

A high level of urbanization is manifested not only in a larger number of city dwellers, but also in the fact that most of them are concentrated in large urban agglomerations. The strip of cities from Tokyo to Osaka became a Japanese metropolis, similar to the Atlantic metropolis in the United States. The urban type of settlement prompted a change in the very definition of a city: until recently, compact settlements with a population of at least 30,000 people were considered cities in Japan, but now settlements with 50,000 people and areas with high population density, the majority of whose residents are employed in urban activities, are called cities. activities. Small scattered (spot) cities predominate in the deep, mountainous regions of Japan.

With the agglomeration of the big three (Tokyo, Yokohama, Kawasaki), actually fused with each other, they form the Japanese metropolis of Tokaido, stretching along the southern coast of the island of Honshu for approximately 600 - 700 km. The proximity of the sea and the winding coastline create very favorable conditions for the development of maritime transport and the construction of ports. The second largest agglomeration is Hanshin, which has developed around Osaka and also includes the cities of Kobe and Kyoto; its population is approximately 15 million people. The third largest agglomeration is Tyune, covering Nagoya and its satellites with a total population of 10.2 million people.

Within Tokaido, on an area of 70,000 square meters. km live more than 70 million urban and rural residents, or 56% of the total population of Japan. The modern urban system of Japan, which has evolved over many centuries, consists of cities of various origins. Here are castle towns that arose around feudal castles, trade and craft towns, post towns that served postal routes, religious centers, and port cities. City centers that developed around castles or Buddhist monasteries usually have a clear rectangular layout. Many cities are characterized by very chaotic development and the absence of a single center. This primarily applies to Tokyo.

Typically, city residents live very crowded lives, small houses built from lightweight materials due to the risk of earthquakes. But in the last two decades in Tokyo and other big cities The construction of not only multi-storey buildings, but also skyscrapers began. It is very typical that many cities go underground, where not only individual retail outlets are located, but entire shopping streets. After World War I, Japan was a fairly typical rural country, with only 18% of the population living in cities.

After the Second World War, this share increased to 30..35%. Then a violent urban explosion began and in a relatively short time the level of urbanization doubled.

However, it is necessary to take into account both the levels and processes of suburbanization that have unfolded in this country, as in other economically developed countries. With a high urban rank limit, there are a total of 650 cities in the country, of which there are about 200 large cities (with a population of over 100,000 inhabitants), and 12 millionaire cities.

Population and culture

The country's population (estimated for 1995) is about 125,879,000 people (seventh largest in the world), the average density is about 334 people per square kilometer (also one of the first places in the world; for comparison, the USA - 28 people per square kilometer, and in Great Britain 238). Ethnic groups: Japanese - 99%, Koreans - 0.5%, Chinese, Ainu. Over 100 years, Japan's population has tripled. Average life expectancy (as of 1992): 77 years for men, 82 years for women. Birth rate (per 1000 people) - 10. Death rate (per 1000 people) - 7. In NP per capita: 32,640 US dollars. Language: Japanese (official), many Japanese speak English. The Japanese language is very specific and does not belong to any language group. Religion: Shintoism (a religious movement in which there are about 200 sects), Buddhism, Christianity (Protestantism, Catholicism, Orthodoxy); Almost all Japanese are Shintoists, but most Shintoists also profess Buddhism. The capital is Tokyo. Largest cities:

About 80 more cities have populations exceeding 250,000 people. Most Japanese live in congested cities located on the coastal plains. The metropolitan regions: Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, are among the most populated in the world. These cities have a subway. The islands are connected to each other by underwater tunnels, ferries and bridges.

In order to save space, the Japanese invented the so-called “capsule rooms,” which house only one bed. Hotels with such rooms are much cheaper than regular ones, and they are used by businessmen who come for a short period of time on business.

Over the past decades, the nature of the natural population movement has changed dramatically. Japan became the first Asian state to move from the second to the first type of population reproduction. This “demographic revolution” happened in a very short time. It was a consequence of socio-economic transformations in Japanese society, achievements in the field of education and health care. Japan is the country with the lowest infant mortality rate in the world. State demographic policy also had a great influence.

The ratio of men to women in the Japanese population is almost equal to one. IN last years the process of “aging” of the population, as a result of declining birth rates and increasing life expectancy, is becoming an acute problem in Japan. This process occurs here much faster than in other developed capitalist countries. The growth rate of the economically active population in Japan (which includes persons 15 years of age and older, engaged in public work, as well as the unemployed) decreased due to a decrease in the influx of young people into it, which in turn was associated with a decrease in the birth rate and an increase in the time required to obtain education. The unemployment rate in Japan is currently much lower than in other developed capitalist countries.

In Japan it is highest among men, mainly middle-aged and older. The aggravation of the employment problem was caused by the accelerated transformation of the production structure and the increase in the technical equipment of production. The Japanese government took a number of measures: through tax incentives, it encouraged private companies to create new jobs, retrain their workers, use part-time labor, and attract capital to areas where there was a surplus of labor.

In addition, the state allocated its own funds to ensure priority creation of enterprises in labor-abundant areas, and also assumed the costs of moving labor from areas with labor surpluses and labor shortages. In general, this government policy turned out to be very effective.

The Japanese desire for knowledge deserves special attention. There are about 50 universities in the country (more than in all of Western Europe). The capital is home to the Academy of Sciences, the Academy of Arts and Music, theaters and libraries. From a very early age, children are instilled with curiosity and interest in nature. Firms sponsor the education of their employees' children and provide housing, vacations, and medical care for their employees. High intensity work, where every minute is valued, is combined with mandatory classes in a group to improve the quality of the product produced, as well as with mandatory trips for all company employees to any healing thermal source or to an area famous for its particularly beautiful landscape.

Japan has long been careful about nature. Admiring flowers has become a national tradition. Cherry blossom festival (sakura) is the most beautiful national holiday. One of the most common Japanese traditions is to recreate nature in miniature - either in the form of a very small, dwarf garden at home, or in the form of a peculiar small landscape.

The Japanese firmly adhere to traditional family rituals, observance of which is considered a necessary condition for decency and decent public behavior. Wedding ceremonies are held at Shinto shrines.

Cultural artistic and everyday traditions include: ikebana - the art of making bouquets and arranging flowers and tree branches in vases, bansai - growing dwarf trees, calligraphy - beautiful writing with a brush and ink, music, painting on paper and silk, original temple and gardening park architecture, shadow theater, tea ceremonies, women's clothing kimono, heavyweight wrestling sumo, judo, karate, chopsticks, as well as specific cuisine. The most important traditions also include the veneration of elders, marriages by agreement of parents, belief in numerous signs, the ritual of meditation, the use of various calendar systems, an abundance of official public holidays (including Children's Day, Coming of Age Day, the days of the spring and autumn equinoxes, various kinds of festivals) .

Museums in Japan, with the exception of a few modern galleries in major cities, are treasuries and are located in temples and shrines. The most famous museum Myochoin Temple in Kyoto is of this kind.

Tokyo is also home to numerous museums, including: the largest Art Museum countries - National Museum; museum of calligraphy; National Museum Western art; Museum of Japanese Folk Art; Meiji Shrine Treasury Museum; national science museum.

Among the historical and architectural attractions of Japan, one can note in Tokyo - the Imperial Palace; many Buddhist temples, the main one of which is the Rakanji Temple; Tokyo TV Tower with a height of 333 meters; a zoo, in Kobe - a large number of Christian churches and Buddhist temples; a magnificent art museum, in Kyoto (the capital of Japan from 794 to 1868) - more than 2,000 ancient temples and shrines; 24 museums; Nijo Castle; imperial palace; Katsura Palace; ancient imperial tombs; magnificent gardens and parks, in Nagoya - Nagoya Castle (1612): the two most important and oldest shrines of Shintoism - Atsuta and Isha.

Agriculture

Japan's agricultural specialization differs markedly from other developed countries: the share of crop production is twice as large as the share of livestock production.

Despite this, the country does not have enough of its own grain, and Japan is forced to import grain crops from its closest neighbors: China and Korea.

The Japanese organization of agriculture is known throughout the world as rather backward, this is caused by a number of reasons: the predominance of dwarf peasant farms of small-scale commercial type, limited capital investments aimed at improving land, the weakness of the agricultural technical base, and the enslaving debt of peasants. Recently, land productivity has decreased slightly.

Pasture lands make up only 1.6% of the total area, although the reason for such a small size is not the poor climate of the country. The existing small pasture plots are gradually going out of use as imports of cheap meat and dairy products increase. In cities, abandoned arable lands are overgrown with forest. These wild forests are growing more and more, because The timber industry is losing out in competition with cheap timber imports.

The structure of agriculture has changed over the past decades, and although preference is given to the cultivation of rice - “Japanese bread”, which accounts for about 50% of cultivated land, cattle breeding, vegetable gardening, and horticulture have also developed.

Fishing is developed in Japan; this is a traditional occupation of the Japanese. Japan ranks first in the world in terms of fish catch (12 million tons). The main part of it is provided by sea and ocean fisheries, but aquaculture plays a very significant role - over 1 million tons.

Before World War II, the Japanese practically did not eat meat, so the only source of animal protein was fish and carbohydrates.

Coastal fishing is carried out by residents of coastal villages; distant - large monopolies with a technically advanced fishing fleet. The northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean is the main region of world fishing; fish and seafood are produced here by Japan, China, Russia, the Republic of Korea, and some other countries.

Japan's fishing fleet numbers tens of thousands of vessels, and its fishing ports number hundreds and even thousands. Among the exotic crafts, it is necessary to note the extraction of pearls on south coast Honshu, more than 500 million pearl shells are mined here every year. Previously, shells removed from the bottom were used to search for natural pearls, which, of course, were very rare. Now they are used for artificial cultivation of pearls on special plantations. Over time, there have been trends toward depletion of national fish resources, so artificial breeding of marine animals has become widespread (in 1980, 32 species of fish, 15 species of crustaceans, and 21 species of mollusks were raised here).

Farm

In terms of industrial growth, Japan has surpassed all other countries. Such rapid economic growth of the country is explained by many reasons. Firstly, a broad update of outdated and worn-out factory equipment during the war. 2/3 of Japan's industrial equipment is made up of the latest technology. Secondly, one of the decisive factors was the brutal exploitation of the working class. Thirdly, the state assumed a significant part of the costs of reconstruction of enterprises and new construction, provided monopolies with tax benefits and broad credit.

Fourth, until recently, the country's military expenditures were small, which made it possible to increase public investment in the economy. Recently, economic development has slowed down. The contradictions of the economic system are becoming increasingly apparent: unemployment persists and grows, prices for food, consumer goods, railway and bus fares, higher education and medical care are rising.

Japan has an intensive and highly commercial agriculture. The high intensity of agriculture makes it possible, with relatively small cultivated areas, to meet the country's food needs by 70%, including almost entirely in such food products as rice, vegetables, potatoes, fruits, eggs, milk and dairy products. The country produces 3/4 of all consumed meat.

Through purchases abroad, Japan meets its needs for wheat, barley, sugar, bananas, soybeans, leaf tobacco and some other feed and industrial crops.

Japan ranks first in the world in shipbuilding, automobile production, and the production of basic types of chemical products. The widespread use of industrial waste raw materials led to the growth of Japanese industry. Japan has turned into a kind of giant workshop for processing industrial raw materials and producing finished products. It cannot exist in isolation from world markets, which leaves its mark both on the main directions of economic development and on the country’s foreign policy.

The large construction industry occupied an ever-increasing place in the country's economy, its material and technical basis has noticeably strengthened. This made it possible to carry out large-scale construction of high-rise buildings on anti-seismic foundations of underwater tunnels, highways, power plants, including nuclear power plants, large ports and airfields. In Japan, relatively cheap labor was of particular importance.

Japan's economic situation was further complicated by a sharp increase in dependence on imports of foreign raw materials. The cost of importing oil has especially increased.

Modern Japan is a country of monopoly capitalism, which is characterized by the struggle for the most favorable operating conditions: obtaining government laws, subsidies and all kinds of benefits.

The tonnage of the merchant fleet is 57 million registered tons (second place in the world (1991). Navy, despite its large tonnage, cannot cope with the rapidly growing foreign trade traffic, and the country has to charter foreign ships. To avoid empty voyages, Japan has designed combined ships: industrial goods exported by Japan (cars) are carried on specially equipped decks, and on the return journey the hold is loaded with coal, ore or other goods. Along with modern ones, the coastal fleet also retains sailing ships, which account for a significant amount of cargo transportation on the inland sea.

The main mode of transport is automobile. The length of roads is 1.2 million km, of which about 5,000 km are highways. (1991).

Length railways 30 thousand km. (1991). Most of the railways belong to the state, half of them are electrified, the most important railway lines pass through the coastal lowlands, the longest in the world, 54 km, was built. underwater tunnel under the Tsugar Strait; it connects the islands of Hokkaido and Honshu.

Industry

Recently, Japan has taken a course towards the preferential development of knowledge-intensive industries and the containment of energy-intensive and material-intensive industries. New industries include electronic, precision and complex instrument making, optics, production of cameras, medicines, and scientific and laboratory equipment. For quite a long time, the country's energy base was coal, water, and wood.

Fuel import played additional role. Thermal power plants are the basis of the Japanese electric power industry.

Japan's fuel and energy base is very limited. Its own coal resources provide no more than 1/2 of its needs; there are very few good coking coals. The amount of oil produced in a year is equivalent to that in the USA in half a day; there are few iron and manganese ores, no bauxite and many other types of mineral raw materials.

Despite the fact that 4/5 of the energy is produced from imported raw materials, the country has a highly developed energy economy. The petroleum refining and petrochemical industry has grown from oil production, with plants located in many cities in the urbanized belt of the islands of Honshu and Kyushu.

Metallurgy has undergone major changes recently and has been completely reconstructed. Instead of many outdated factories, powerful plants equipped with the latest technology have been built. Lacking its own raw material base, Japan relies on imported iron and coking coals. Malaysia and Canada have been and remain major suppliers of iron ore. The main suppliers of coal are the USA, Australia, and to a lesser extent India and Canada.

Japan ranks second in the world in the production of refined copper, after the United States.

Deposits of polymetallic ores form the basis for the development of zinc and lead production. The range of machines and mechanisms produced in Japan is diverse and includes thousands of items.

The most developed industries include the energy industry, electrical production, industrial engineering, pumping and refrigeration equipment, transport, and agricultural construction engineering.

Japan's shipbuilding industry is very diverse: the world's largest supertankers, various whaling ships, and small vessels leave the slipways of the shipyards of Yokohama, Osaka, Kobe, Nagasaki and many other shipbuilding centers. The automotive industry has become a rapidly developing branch of mechanical engineering.

Electronics has become one of the important industries in Japan in a very short time. The main directions in Japanese electronics are the production of special electronic devices and apparatus, radios, televisions, tape recorders, radio communication equipment, navigation devices, automatic control systems, and medical equipment. In terms of production of many types of chemical products, Japan ranks third after the United States and Germany.

Considerable attention is paid in Japan to biochemistry - the production of effective medicinal preparations, crop protection products, the production of vitamins and special acids. Chemical products are an important Japanese export; They export mineral fertilizers, inorganic chemicals, dyes, medicines, cosmetics, textiles and many other goods.

The two main branches of the textile industry - cotton and wool - rely on imported raw materials delivered mainly from the USA (cotton) from Australia and South Africa(wool).

The need for most types of mineral raw materials is met through imports: in copper - by 3/4, in iron ore by almost 9/10, in coal by 8/10. Great hopes are placed in Japan on new energy sources. There are many sources of thermal waters recorded on the Japanese islands; their energy is used to heat greenhouses and buildings.

Recently, thanks to new technologies, the use of the resources of the world's oceans has become profitable: the extraction of manganese nodules from the ocean floor, the extraction of uranium from sea water, etc.

Problems of the country

In the 1990s, the Japanese economy faced a number of serious problems that emerged during the economic crisis of 1993. The advantages of the Japanese organizational model began to disappear. Economic growth has long been fueled by workers and consumers. The agreement between workers and entrepreneurs was based on fairly rapid economic growth, which in turn ensured an increase in living standards. Emerging disagreements were settled with various kinds of handouts, ranging from cash in envelopes to agricultural protectionism. Therefore, a relatively equal distribution of wealth was promoted. However, in recent decades, economic growth has slowed significantly, which has weakened the ability to significantly improve the living standards of the population. The extremely sharp rise in real estate prices in the 1980s significantly divided the country into haves and have-nots.

The competitive positions of Japanese entrepreneurs in international markets have changed. The trade surplus relative to GDP decreased (2.5% in 1995). Over the past decade, wages have increased by almost a third. Labor costs have risen sharply, placing Japan second only to Germany and Switzerland in manufacturing. The price competitive advantage of Japanese products has weakened compared to many countries. Japan has not closed the gap with others Western countries in area social infrastructure. In particular, it is inferior to other countries in the number of apartments per thousand inhabitants (by almost a hundred; in 1988 there were 342 apartments per thousand inhabitants), as well as in the total average area of apartments. Bridging this gap will require significant funds and may hinder the process of production accumulation. The demographic situation is changing unfavorably for economic growth, determined by a sharp increase in the proportion of elderly people in the population. By the end of the century, the proportion of pensioners aged 65 or over will reach 16% of the total population, compared with 13% in the US and 15% in Britain. This trend may lead to a decrease in savings and an increase in consumption.

Despite the enormous successes of Japanese companies in the development of a number of areas of microelectronics and other high-tech industries, significant dependence on American technology remains. More than half of the software used to design devices that make semiconductors and complex circuit boards is produced in America. Moreover, the relationship between supply and demand in this area is quite complex. Japan lags behind a number of countries in terms of computerization. In 1993 there were 10 computers per hundred people, in the USA - 29, Australia - 19, Canada - 18, Great Britain - 17, Germany, France - 14.

Japan has high real estate prices, especially land prices, which constrain private consumption and consequently cause a number of economic problems. They hinder the accumulation process in small and medium-sized companies, which increases their dependence on external sources of financing. At the same time, the need for people to save up to nine times the national average income for a small house has helped keep personal savings at the highest levels in the world.

Despite Due to the large number of rivers and lakes, there is a shortage of water resources in Japan. Various waters are increasingly used in Japan. A major threat to the water resources of surface waters and coastal marine areas is their pollution by industrial and agricultural waste, which has reached a critical level. The degree of pollution of rivers in lowlands and estuarine parts, as well as coastal waters, is especially high. The transparency of sea waters has noticeably decreased.

Water pollution in the main fishing areas leads to a significant reduction in catches.

These and other problems affect Japan's forest resources, because, as mentioned above, 2/3 of the area of the Japanese islands is covered with forests - very rich and diverse in composition. The thicket is intertwined with vines, evergreen oaks and many bamboo groves grow in the mountains. And despite the abundance of forests, the country's forest resources are very limited. As a result of logging, unsatisfactory forest management, long-term predatory exploitation, soil erosion and the activity of insect pests, forests are severely depleted.

Japan's agricultural land is currently shrinking due to the expansion of urban areas; the area of which is twice the area of arable land. Soil erosion causes significant damage to land resources.

In Japan, the problem of environmental pollution, largely generated by the consequences of urbanization, became especially acute at the turn of the 1970s.

There are also problems related to the atmosphere in Japan. The main source of air pollution is industry - metallurgical, energy, chemical, petrochemical, forestry, building materials(ceramic, cement) - and automobile transport. Pollution of the atmosphere and surface waters has a detrimental effect on plant and soil cover and fauna.

The scale of environmental pollution in Japan makes the need for environmental protection especially acute. Of particular relevance is the fight against environmental deterioration as a result of pollution of land, water bodies and the atmosphere by industrial and household waste, as well as the spread of noise, vibration, etc. Among residents of the most environmentally unfavorable areas, specific diseases caused by environmental pollution have become widespread. Under public pressure, the Japanese government was forced to take urgent measures to improve the environmental situation. The country's environmental legislation now includes a basic law on environmental protection. An entire system of environmental authorities was created, headed by the Department of Environmental Affairs. Much attention was paid to scientific and technical support for environmental protection. In Japanese mechanical engineering, a sub-industry has developed for the production of treatment equipment and environmental control means. IN Japanese cities Measures are taken to clean them up: garbage is removed, penalties are imposed on polluting enterprises and citizens.

The implementation of environmental measures and the restructuring of the Japanese economy have contributed to the fact that many traditional environmental problems have now been resolved. At the same time, the danger to the environment associated with the development of scientific and technological progress and such phenomena as electronic radiation, contamination with radioactive or rare chemical elements and their compounds has increased. The second area of environmental protection activities is measures aimed at preserving valuable natural objects, flora and fauna. These include regular, once every 5 years, surveys of the state of nature, the creation of protected areas - natural parks. geography japan religion agriculture

Conclusion

Japan is undoubtedly a unique, incomparable and completely mysterious country, the like of which is almost impossible to find in the world. And it's not just her rich and ancient heritage- Japan itself is a huge museum.

There is a common phrase: “Japan is a land of contrasts,” and these are not just words. Here the temples are adjacent to modern life, they do not disrupt the general flow, but form a single whole.

Nature and Japan are two inseparable concepts. For example, Nara is called the city of deer. More than a thousand noble spotted animals roam freely in the huge Nara Park and often wander into city streets. Everywhere, salted cookies are sold especially for feeding them, which they take directly from their hands. The history of their appearance is connected with the founding of the Shinto shrine Kasuga, one of the buildings of which is dedicated to a deity brought from the mountains by a deer.

When I finished my work, I simply fell in love with this country, although I had never been to it. And this is the best result I could achieve.

Bibliography.

1. Large reference book: Geography. - M.: publishing house "Drofa"

2. Small Encyclopedia of Countries / ed. Sirotenko N.G., Mendeleva V.A. - M.: Torsing Publishing House, 2001.

3. Encyclopedia for children. T.13. Countries. Peoples./Chief editor. M.D. Aksenov. - M.: “Publishing center “Avanta+”

4. Soviet encyclopedic dictionary. M., 1987.

5. Economic and social geography of the world. / Gladky Yu.N., Lavrov S.B., M., 1993

6. Textbook for grade 10 “Geography” / ed. V.P. Maksakovsky, publishing house "Prosveshchenie", M., 1996.

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The geographical location of Japan is briefly the most important thing. Geographical characteristics of Japan

Islands of Japan

Nature of Japan

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Introduction

Territory, geographical location

Nature and environmental management

Population and culture

Agriculture

Farm

Industry

Problems of the country

Conclusion

Bibliography

Introduction

Terry thorium, geographical location

Nature and environmental management

Conclusion

Bibliography.

1. Large reference book: Geography. - M.: publishing house "Drofa"

2. Small Encyclopedia of Countries / ed. Sirotenko N.G., Mendeleva V.A. - M.: Torsing Publishing House, 2001.

3. Encyclopedia for children. T.13. Countries. Peoples./Chief editor. M.D. Aksenov. - M.: “Publishing center “Avanta+”

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