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NAVIGATION
Japan
Nippon
INTRODUCTION
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Background:
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While retaining its time-honored culture, Japan rapidly absorbed Western technology during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After its devastating defeat in World War II, Japan recovered to become the second most powerful economy in the world and a staunch ally of the US. While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national unity, actual power rests in networks of powerful politicians, bureaucrats, and business executives. The economy experienced a major slowdown in the 1990s following three decades of unprecedented growth. |
GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula |
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Geographic coordinates:
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36 00 N, 138 00 E |
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Map references:
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Asia |
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Area:
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total: 377,835 sq km
note: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto) water: 3,091 sq km land: 374,744 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than California |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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29,751 km |
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Maritime claims:
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contiguous zone: 24 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 exclusive economic zone: 200 NM |
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Climate:
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varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north |
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Terrain:
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mostly rugged and mountainous |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Hachiro-gata -4 m
highest point: Fujiyama 3,776 m |
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Natural resources:
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negligible mineral resources, fish |
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Land use:
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arable land: 12.13%
permanent crops: 1.01% other: 86.86% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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26,790 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis; typhoons |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, 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 |
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Geography - note:
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strategic location in northeast Asia |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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126,974,628 (July 2002 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 14.5% (male 9,465,282; female 8,999,888)
15-64 years: 67.5% (male 43,027,320; female 42,586,112) 65 years and over: 18% (male 9,664,112; female 13,231,914) (2002 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.15% (2002 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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10.03 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Death rate:
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8.53 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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3.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 80.91 years
female: 84.25 years (2002 est.) male: 77.73 years |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.42 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.02% (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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10,000 (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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150 (1999 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Japanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Japanese |
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Ethnic groups:
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Japanese 99%, others 1% (Korean 511,262, Chinese 244,241, Brazilian 182,232, Filipino 89,851, other 237,914) (2000) |
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Religions:
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observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%) |
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Languages:
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Japanese |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (1970 est.) male: NA% female: NA% |