Ch. 18 Section 1

1
Ch. 18 Section 1
Geography and Heritage of Japan

• Nicole B.

2
Lesson Questions

• What geographic features have shaped Japanese
  life?
• How has the scarcity of some resources influenced
  Japans relations with the world?
• How did the Japanese develop a sense of their own
  special identity?

3
A Chain of Islands

• Japan is a archipelago that lies about 100 miles
  off the coast of East Asia
• Japan consists of 4 main island and more than
  3000 tiny islands
• Honshu is the largest and most populous island of
  them all
• Japan lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region
  of earthquakes and volcanoes
• 1500 tremors shake the island each year
• It contain 30 active volcanoes

4
Landforms and Climate

• Japan is the size of Montana
• Its population is more than 125 million people
• Japans population ranks seventh in the world
• More than 4/5ths of Japan is mountainous
• Japan has a long growing season that averages
  between 200 to 260 days
• Japan has developed methods of intense farming,
  using every available piece of land
• In much of Japan, farmers harvest 2 crops a year

5
Landforms and Climate (cont.)

• Japans major crop is rice
• Japan produces about 3 quarters of their food
  needs
• 8 of the people work in agriculture
• Fish is the major source of protein in the
  Japanese diet

6
Limited Mineral Resources

• Few mineral resources
• It had enough to meet its needs until Japan
  industrialized

• Japan became increasingly dependent on world
  trade

7
People of Japan

• No ethnic minority
• Since Japan is isolated, it encouraged
  ethnocentrism
• Rarely grand citizenship for immigrants
• Japan is a homogeneous society
• Everyone speaks the same language and share the
  same culture