Japan|Geography

Location: Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the [[Korean Peninsula]] 

Geographic coordinates: 36 00 N, 138 00 E 

Map references: [[Asia]]

Area: 
total: 377,835 sq km 
land: 374,744 sq km 
water: 3,091 sq km 
note: includes [[Bonin Islands]] (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto),
and Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto) 

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than [[California]]

Land boundaries: 0 km 

Coastline: 29,751 km 

Maritime claims: 
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm 
territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the international straits - [[La Perouse]] or [[Soya]], [[Tsugaru]], Osumi, and Eastern and
Western Channels of the Korea or [[Tsushima Strait]] 

Climate: varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north 

Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous 

Elevation extremes: 
lowest point: Hachiro-gata -4 m 
highest point: [[Fujiyama]] 3,776 m 

Natural resources: negligible mineral resources, fish 

Land use: 
arable land: 11% 
permanent crops: 1% 
permanent pastures: 2% 
forests and woodland: 67% 
other: 19% (1993 est.) 

Irrigated land: 27,820 sq km (1993 est.) 

Natural hazards: many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis 

Environment - current issues: air pollution from power plant emissions results in acid rain; acidification of lakes and reservoirs
degrading water quality and threatening aquatic life; Japan is one of the largest consumers of fish and tropical timber, contributing to
the depletion of these resources in Asia and elsewhere 

Environment - international agreements: 
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling 
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol 

Geography - note: strategic location in northeast Asia