Geographical location of Japan's border. Japan, general characteristics. Geographical location of Japan

Japan is a country occupying islands in the Northern Hemisphere in relation to the equator. The state is located in East Asia. Japan owns lands on the stratovolcanic archipelago and the islands nearby.

Japan on the map

An island state with an area of about 377 thousand square meters. km, has 4 large islands. Kyushu and Hokkaido, Shikoku and Honshu are the main territories of the Japanese.

More than 4 thousand small islands also belong to this country. Thanks to his geographical location Japan is washed by the Pacific Ocean, the East China Sea, the Sea of Japan, the Sea of Okhotsk and the Korea Strait.

Japan does not have any relations with other countries land borders. The length of its coastline is 29,751 km. The country's maritime borders run parallel to the following countries:

Russia;
Republic of Korea;

The climate prevailing in Japan can be described as temperate and subtropical.

The Japanese islands are dominated by mountainous terrain. Mountain chains occupy the country Rising Sun almost 75% of the surface.

The highest point in Japan is Mount Fuji, which is also a volcano. The height of the peak is 3776 meters.

There are very few plains and lowlands in this state, but there are many rivers and lakes, which undoubtedly complicates the construction of cities and roads. Shinano is the largest and longest river in Japan. Its length is 367 km.

Due to overpopulation and the small area of the country, the Japanese have long been arguing with the Russians about ownership Kuril Islands. The archipelago country is poorly provided with useful resources. Their production on the islands does not cover even 10% of the total needs of the population. Japan's hydropower resources are at their best, and the nearby ocean provides the Japanese with the lion's share of food resources.

Administrative structure of Japan

The country is divided into 47 prefectures. All prefectures are divided into districts, special purpose cities and counties. Cities with a special status in Japan are considered settlements, whose population exceeds 500 thousand people.

Geographical position Japan on the map

Economic and geographical characteristics of Japan, like any other country in the world, primarily depends on its geographical location. This Asian state, consisting of 6,852 islands in the Pacific Ocean, covers an area of only 378 thousand square kilometers. And, according to this territorial indicator, it is located exactly between Zimbabwe and Germany. The four islands - Hokkaido and Kyushu, Shikoku and Honshu are the most large islands Japanese archipelago stretched along eastern shore Eurasia, therefore, it is here that events flare up that determine the leading positions occupied by Japan in the global economy.

The impressive economic and geographical characteristics of Japan are determined by its economic situation. This Island state has no land neighbors, which until 1945 more or less reliably protected it from colonialists and expansion of neighboring states. The closest maritime neighbors are Russia, divided from the fiefdom of Emperor Akihito by the La Perouse Strait, and South Korea, separated by the Korea Strait of the same name. Located a little further North Korea and China, but they also have the privilege of experiencing Japan's leadership position in the global economy. Considering that the power had long been on the outskirts of world transport routes, it itself had to become biggest point for receiving raw materials and sending finished products to many countries around the world.

The country's political position corresponds to Japan's role in the world economy. The state is a key member of the G8, the UN, ASEAN and the East Asia Summit, organizations that determine the development of the planet's economy and humanity for many decades to come. But the country has a number of unresolved territorial issues with Russia over the southern Kuril Islands, with Taiwan over the Senkaku Islands, with the Republic of Korea over the Liancourt Islands, and with China over the Yudao Island.

The economic and geographical position of Japan is advantageous in that it is an island power. This means it has one of the longest coastlines in the world, suitable for use in various commercial, recreational and construction purposes. Disadvantages of accommodation Nippon(this is ancient name of this country), we can consider unresolved territorial problems and some isolation in the east of Eurasia from the world community.

Natural resource base

Detailed economic and geographical characteristics of Japan cannot do without analyzing its extremely poor and unfavorable natural resource potential. The peculiarity of this power is that Japan has taken a leading position in the world economy not thanks to mineral and natural resources, but due to their absence. Judge for yourself: the terrain is unsuitable for the construction and development of land transport systems. Because the plains occupy only 21% of the entire territory of Nippon, and the mountains, respectively, 79%. Among them there are about 150 pieces - these are the tops active volcanoes, including the national symbol - Mount Fuji. Due to the nature of education Japanese Islands within the boundaries of the Pacific volcanic ring, 1,500 earthquakes of varying strength are recorded here over the course of one year. In a major key, we can talk about the climate - temperate and subtropical, maritime, relatively favorable for agriculture. The soils are different - brown forest soils, yellow soils, red soils, but in general they are poor and unproductive.

Anyone who studies the economic and geographical characteristics of Japan is surprised how it was possible to achieve such success in development with such a meager amount of mineral resources. The country has only non-industrial reserves of coal and copper, iron ore and natural gas.

Therefore, the state that first meets the sun is forced to import 99% of all its ores, 96% of all combustible minerals and 70% of its timber. This focus on imported raw materials makes Japan the largest consumer of foreign natural and mineral potential in the world economy.

Population

The basis of the positive economic and geographical characteristics of Japan is its population. The state is home to about 127 million people who belong to the first type of population reproduction. This means that the country is dominated by middle-aged and older people. A very low birth rate is recorded among the Japanese. Therefore, it is natural that the percentage of natural growth here is very low - by only 2 people for every thousand, the population of Japan increases over the course of one year.

The country is predominantly one-ethnic. The Japanese, the heirs of the Ainu, occupy 99% of all its inhabitants in the country and are very reluctant to let strangers and migrants into their society. In addition, there are 127 million Buddhists in the country, and the same number of Shintoists. This is due to the fact that all Japanese profess two religions at the same time. About 80% of the country's residents live in cities. Of these, 11 are millionaire cities. For example, Tokyo, Hiroshima, Yokohama, Osaka and Kyoto.

Japan is known throughout the world for the efficiency and high qualifications of its workforce. The education that citizens receive is considered as another investment and very profitable sector of the economy. After all, money invested in children is returned in good taxes from the salaries of highly qualified workers.

National economy

general characteristics

The country, occupying only 0.3% of the entire earth's landmass, produces a phenomenal amount of high-quality gross product for the whole world. According to this indicator eastern state only surpasses the USA. This is precisely the most striking feature of the economic and geographical characteristics of Japan. Japan is a real leader in the world economy in terms of GDP per capita - $24,400. For the last forty years of the 20th century, this Asian empire had the highest economic growth rate of 9.8% per year. And only in last years She slightly moderated her agility in this matter. The reasons for this economic and geographical characteristics of Japan were the purposeful policies of the state in the 50s of the last century. The traditional, patriarchal, agrarian empire began to actively develop industry, buying the most Hi-tech and equipment. Not the least role in this global change in the country was played by the professionalism and obedience of the workforce - the descendants of the samurai.

Industry

Today, the pride of Japan's economic and geographical characteristics is its industrial complex. Powerful energy production runs on imported oil and gas from countries Persian Gulf and Indonesia, providing the entire complex with energy. In terms of its production volumes, Japan confidently ranks first in the world economy. The second main industry, after energy, is metallurgy. From predominantly imported raw materials imported from Australia, the Nippon state produces rolled products, pipes of various diameters, special steel, rolled copper, aluminum and alloyed zinc and lead alloys.

Mechanical engineering, especially transport, electrical engineering, machine tool and instrument making, is being developed on its own metallurgical base. Japan ranks first in the world economy in ship production. They are followed by the production of export-oriented motorcycles, cars and trucks. Industrial robots, office equipment, optical equipment are other areas of specialization Japan in the global economy.

In addition, the country cherry blossoms and stone gardens is in 2nd place after the United States in the production of synthetic resins, dyes, plastics, acids and medicines - products of the chemical industry.

Light industry traditionally develops - the production of silk, wool and cotton fabrics. In the 20th century, they were supplemented by the production of synthetic and high-tech fabrics.

Agriculture

Agriculture plays an insignificant role in the economic and geographical characteristics of Japan, so the country is forced to import such products. One hundred percent, the ancestors of the Ainu provide themselves only with rice, but they are forced to import tea, vegetables, fruits, and sugar from the nearest mainland. In terms of the number of profits and people employed in the industry, the plant industry still leads over livestock farming. The latter is distinguished by its focus on fish farming and catching fish, the volume and level of consumption of which Japan does not yet have competitors in the world economy.

Transport

Transport is another pride of the economic and geographical characteristics of Japan. This country has the largest fleet in terms of tonnage on the planet, if we ignore the ships that sail under flags and “fake registration” to the ports of Liberia and Panama. It is maritime transport that carries out the lion's share of the country's import and export operations. In the center of the country, transportation by senkansen is common - high-speed trains and cars.

Foreign economic relations

Japan is forced to import fuel and all metal ores, food and animal feed.

However, the amount spent on imports is hundreds of times less than what Nippon receives from its exports. Japan sells cars, ships, office and household appliances, machine tools and many other high-tech products around the world.

Japan is also introducing high tech and invests capital in the industrial sector neighboring countries- Asian tigers. Therefore, Japan has a positive trade balance and the image of one of the most economically developed countries peace.

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 are demanding the return of the Senkaku Islands from Japan, and 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. 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 the most ancient Shinto and Buddhist temples, medieval palaces - on the other.

Japan's position on a geographical map

Note 1

Japan is an island state, an archipelago country, which includes $4$ large islands and more than $6$ thousand small islands in the western part Pacific Ocean. At $97\%$ the area of the country is formed by largest islands Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku. The country's territory extends from northeast to southwest for $3.5 thousand km. Northern Shores Japan is washed by the Sea of Okhotsk, in the west by the waters of the Japan and East China Seas, and in the east and southeast by the waters of the Pacific Ocean itself.

The coastline is indented and has many bays and bays; its length is $29.8 thousand km. Country area $372$ thousand sq. km. The capital is Tokyo. There are bridges and underwater tunnels between the islands, connecting the disparate space into a single land formation. Two northern islands– Hokkaido and Honshu are connected by the world's longest transport tunnel, Seikan. The tunnel is built under the Sangar Strait. Shikoku Island is connected to Honshu Island by three bridges spanning the inland Sea of Japan. Kyushu Island is connected to Honshu Island by two tunnels and one bridge. The islands of Japan are located in the Pacific volcanic ring, characterized by high seismic activity. Several earthquakes occur throughout the country every year. big amount tremors. Large earthquakes occur much less frequently, but the damage they cause is colossal.

The state increases its territory by creating artificial islands, for example, the island Yumenoshima. The island was created in Tokyo Bay over the course of $10$years. The island has a stadium, a museum, a park, and greenhouses. An island was created specifically to house the metallurgical plant. Ogishima. Artificial island was dumped in Osaka Bay for construction international airport. The southernmost tip of Japan is at latitude southern point the islands of Cuba, and the extreme northern point lies on the latitude Southern France and Crimea. The country is located in the center of the Asia-Pacific region, which gives it the opportunity to take an active part in the international division of labor. According to the form of government, Japan is a constitutional monarchy, and the highest body of legislative and state power is the parliament.

Note 2

Japan embarked on the path of capitalist development after the incomplete bourgeois revolution of $1867$-$1868$. The country is located at low latitudes and with geographical point From a perspective, this situation is favorable because changes in daylight hours are not as great as in Northern Europe.

Japan's participation in international organizations

The country, having a peaceful constitution, makes its contribution to ensuring peace and stability and the security of the international climate. After World War II, Japan refused to turn the country into a military power, and Art. Its constitution allows only self-defense forces to maintain its defense capabilities. The tragic consequences of the atomic bombings by the Americans force Japan to make efforts at various levels to ensure political and social stability not only in the Asia-Pacific region, but throughout the world. The problems of one state arising in the conditions of modern globalization and integration of all processes affect the entire modern world community.

As a member of this community, Japan promotes peace and the development of mutually beneficial ties between peoples and is a member of several international organizations:

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation(SAARC). The purpose of this organization, created in 1985, is to promote economic, social and cultural development peoples of the Asian region. In addition to Japan, members of the organization are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The organization's headquarters are located in Kathmandu;
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD), of which Japan became a member in 1964. The organization unites $30$ states, mainly members of the EU. Among them are Great Britain, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. Also includes Australia, USA, Turkey, South Korea, etc. This organization is, first of all, a forum. Within its framework, organization participants discuss, develop, and improve economic and social policies. There is an exchange of experience, a search for ways to solve common problems, and a joint coordinated domestic and foreign policy is developed to solve problems. It must be said that in the work of the OECD, a significant part of the problems is occupied by “interdisciplinary problems” that are at the intersection of “intercountry” problems. In other words, the organization does not consider issues of economic development of individual states and does not consider specialized issues of individual areas of the economy;
Japan is also a member "Group of Eight". This group is an unofficial forum of leaders of the world's leading countries. Russia also takes part in the forum. The EU is represented and fully participates in the forum;
Japan is also a member World Trade Organization(WTO) since January $1995. The WTO was created with the aim of liberalizing international trade and regulating trade and political relations of its members. Member countries receive assurances that their exports to other markets will be fair and consistent. They must provide the same conditions in their own market for imported goods;
Japan is a member of such organizations as ADB, APEC, ART, ARF, ASEAN, IEA, IAEA, LAI, MIGA, as an observer in the OAS, UN, WMO, UNESCO and many others.

Administrative divisions of Japan

Japan is a unitary state, but municipal institutions have also developed quite widely.

The administrative-territorial division of the country is based on 2 links:

Prefectures are top link, they are $47$ and they have $4$categories - “to” - Tokyo, “to” - Hokkaido, “fu” - Osaka and Kyoto and “kek”. The categories of prefectures belong to historical tradition, and their legal status is absolutely the same;
Lower The administrative-territorial division is formed by “si” - cities, “mati” - villages, “mura” - rural communities.

The capital is also divided into $23 special districts, which are equivalent to cities. There are also special districts - these are financial and industrial districts, corporations regional development, local government associations. They are created to solve specific problems. Citizens elected to local governments - prefectures, cities, villages - have a term of office of $4$ of a year. The number of deputies on the prefectural council is limited and may not exceed $120 people.

In cities and villages from $12$ to $30$ people. The difference is the lack of immunity, but there is a salary. At the request of $1/3$of voters, deputies can be recalled early. Small communities use meetings of voters, which are almost all residents of the community. The governing bodies of administrative-territorial units - governors or prefects, city mayors, village elders - are also elected for four years. Everything is planned out in both the central and local control systems.

The largest number of issues – $126$ – are resolved by governors, $28$ of issues are the responsibility of mayors major cities. Local assemblies have permanent commissions vested with executive powers, for example, on labor, education, personnel affairs, etc. The commission includes citizens elected by the assembly or appointed by the head of the administration, but with the consent of the assembly. This is a special type of public service. The activities of local government and government bodies are strictly controlled. The work of the police, schools, hospitals is in the field of view of certain ministries. The country has a special Ministry for Local Self-Government Affairs, which coordinates all the work of local self-government, in fact simply leading, giving advice and carrying out inspections. A large role is given to financial control, because the state budget receives more than $70\%$ of all collected taxes, while local budgets receive only $30\%$.

Note 3

Administrative division the country has its own history. It was introduced back in 1871 during the Meiji period, when the han feuds were abolished and prefectures were created. Initially, the number of prefectures was the same as the number of hans - more than $300 units, and only in $1888 the number of prefectures was increased to $47$. Prefectures have significantly more powers under the law on local self-government.

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 the waters of the Pacific Ocean. The bulk of the population lives on the coastal plains. total area Japan 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. Besides Tokyo, major cities Kyoto, Hiroshima, Nagoya, Kobe, Osaka and Yokohama are considered.

Japan is predominantly a one-ethnic country. The Japanese make up 99% of the population and rarely allow foreigners into their society. Respectively, most of 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 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 to the presence of rich natural resources, but 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 sources inland waters 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 large quantity industries, the Land of the Rising Sun manages to occupy a leading position in the production of products in various industries among other countries. 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 products, 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 economic development world community for decades to come.

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