Natural conditions of Japan. Natural Resources of Japan (table)

Japan is a small Asian state located on the islands. In terms of living standards, it ranks first in the world. How did this affect the natural conditions and resources of Japan?

A bit about the country

The state is completely located on the Japanese archipelago, which consists of 6,852 large and small islands. All of them have either mountainous or volcanic origin, some are uninhabited. The main part of the territory is the four largest islands: Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku.

The state is washed by the Japanese, Okhotsk, East China seas of the Pacific Ocean. It divides the border with the Far East of Russia, South Korea, China and the Philippines. The local population pronounces the country's name as "Nippon" or "Nippon Coke", which is often translated as the Land of the Rising Sun.

Approximately 127 million people live in an area of 377,944 square kilometers. The capital of Japan - the city of Tokyo - is located on the island of Honshu. Japan is a constitutional-parliamentary monarchy, headed by the emperor.

Forest resources

Forests - those natural resources of Japan, which the country has plenty. They cover more than 65% of the territory. Approximately one third of forests are artificial plantations. In the country grows more than 2500 plant species. In the southern mountainous regions, subtropical forests grow, coniferous rocks prevail in the north, mixed forests are located in the central part.

On the islands there are tropical vegetation: palm trees, ferns, fruit trees. On the Ryukyu Islands, sweet potato, sugarcane is growing. In the mountainous areas grow pine, fir, evergreen oaks. The country has a large number of endemics, among them Japanese cypress and cryptomeria. Here you can see the relic tree of ginkgo.

At the foot of the mountains on the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido, for example on Fujiyama, broad-leaved forests predominate. At an altitude of more than one kilometer, a zone of high-altitude shrubs begins, which are replaced by alpine meadows. Huge areas are occupied by bamboo forests, grown for furniture production.

Water resources

Japan's water resources are represented by an abundance of underwater waters, lakes and rivers. Numerous mountain rivers are quite deep, short and fast. To ship ships, Japanese rivers are not suitable, but they found application in hydropower. They are also used for irrigation of agricultural land.

The largest rivers are Sinano, 367 kilometers long and Tone 322 kilometers, both on the island of Honshu. A total of 24 large rivers, including Yoshino (Shikoku Island), Tikugo and Kuma (Kyushu), and others. For different regions, a winter or summer high water is typical, which often leads to floods.

In the country there are both coastal shallow and deep-water mountain lakes. Some of them, for example Kuttyaro, Tovado, are of volcanic origin. Saroma and Kasumigaura are a lagoon. Japan's largest freshwater lake Biwa (670 sq. Km.) Is located on the island of Honshu.

Minerals

The mineral resources of Japan are represented in a relatively small amount. Primarily they are not enough for independent development of industry, so the state has to partially cover the lack of imports of raw materials, for example, oil, natural gas, iron ore.

In the country there are deposits of sulfur, small stocks of manganese, lead-zinc, copper, silver ore, gold, chromites, iron ore, barite. Their oil and gas reserves are small. There are small deposits of vanadium, titanium, polymetallic, nickel, lithium, uranium and other ores. In the world, Japan is one of the leaders in the extraction of iodine.

Limestone, sand, dolomite and pyrite are found in significant quantities. The state is rich in iron sands, which have long been used in the manufacture of the famous Japanese steel for blades, knives and swords.

Climate and energy resources

Japan's weather conditions are favorable for the development of agriculture. The length from north to south contributes to the fact that on different islands the climate can significantly differ. In the northern regions it is more severe, in the southern regions, on the contrary, it is mild.

The Ryukyu and Kyushu islands , thanks to the wet monsoon winds and the warm Kuroshio current, have a tropical and subtropical climate. Here the harvest period comes twice a year. Air masses and currents often contribute to heavy rainfall, and in winter they bring snowfalls with them. In the northern regions, the climate is temperate.

A large number of sunny days, mountainous terrain, the presence of winds and fast mountain rivers creates conditions for the development of alternative energy. The accident at the nuclear power plant in 2011 further pushed the country to this step. Recently, in addition to hydropower, the country is developing ways to obtain photovoltaic, solar thermal, wind energy.

Natural Resources of Japan (table)

Conditions and natural resources of Japan (briefly)

Japan is an amazing and picturesque country. Here there are mountains, forests, rivers and minerals. Nevertheless, the economic evaluation of Japan's natural conditions and resources usually sounds disappointing. The thing is that most of the country's existing resources for industrial purposes are difficult to use or impossible at all.

Japan's mineral resources are very diverse, but their number is too small. Two-thirds of the territory of the state is not suitable for agriculture because of the rugged terrain. Many forests growing in the mountains are not accessible for cutting due to the danger of landslides and landslides. The rivers are completely inadequate for the development of navigation.

All this is relative. After all, despite the poor supply of natural resources, Japan manages to get out of the situation skillfully. Large-scale export of timber, seafood and fish, animal husbandry, rice, vegetable production, development of machine building and high technologies, alternative energy sources do not allow the country to leave the world's leading positions on the level of the economy.