Territory— 377.8 thousand km 2
Population- 125.2 million people (1995).
Capital- Tokyo.
Geographical location, general information
Japan is an archipelago country located on four large and almost four thousand small islands, stretching 3.5 thousand km from northeast to southwest along the eastern coast of Asia. The largest islands are Honshu, Hokaido, Kyushu and Shikoku. The shores of the archipelago are heavily indented and form many bays and bays. The seas and oceans surrounding Japan are of exceptional importance for the country as a source of biological, mineral and energy resources.
The economic and geographical position of Japan is determined primarily by the fact that it is located in the center of the Asia-Pacific region, which contributes to the country's active participation in the international geographical division of labor.
For a long period, Japan was isolated from other countries. After the unfinished bourgeois revolution of 1867 - 1868. it embarked on the path of rapid capitalist development. At the turn of the 19th - 20th centuries. became one of the imperialist states.
Japan is a country of constitutional monarchy. The highest body of state power and the only legislative body is parliament.
Natural conditions and resources of Japan
The geological basis of the archipelago is underwater mountain ranges. About 80% of the territory is occupied by mountains and hills with highly dissected relief with an average height of 1600 - 1700 m. There are about 200 volcanoes, 90 active, including the highest peak - Mount Fuji (3776 m). Frequent earthquakes and tsunami.
The country is poor in mineral resources, but coal, lead and zinc ores, oil, sulfur, and limestone are mined. The resources of its own deposits are small, so Japan is the largest importer of raw materials.
Despite its small area, the length of the country has determined the existence of a unique set of natural conditions on its territory: the island of Hokkaido and the north of Honshu are located in a temperate maritime climate, the rest of Honshu, the islands of Shikoku and Yushu are in a humid subtropical climate, and the Ryukyu Island is in a tropical climate. Japan is located in an active monsoon zone. The average annual precipitation ranges from 2 - 4 thousand mm.
Approximately 2/3 of the territory is mainly mountainous areas covered with forests (more than half of the forests are artificial plantations). Coniferous forests predominate in northern Hokkaido, mixed forests in central Honshu and southern Hokkaido, and subtropical forests in the south.
Japan has many rivers, deep, fast, and unsuitable for navigation, but they are a source for hydroelectric power and irrigation.
The abundance of rivers, lakes and groundwater has a beneficial effect on the development of industry and agriculture.
In the post-war period, environmental problems worsened on the Japanese islands. The adoption and implementation of a number of environmental laws reduces the country's pollution levels.
Population of Japan
Japan is one of the top ten countries in the world in terms of population. Japan became the first Asian country to move from the second to the first type of population reproduction. Now the birth rate is 12%, the death rate is 8%. Life expectancy in the country is the highest in the world (76 years for men and 82 years for women).
The population is nationally homogeneous, about 99% are Japanese. Of other nationalities, the Koreans and Chinese are significant in number. The most common religions are Shintoism and Buddhism. The population is distributed unevenly across the area. The average density is 330 people per m2, but the Pacific coastal areas are among the most densely populated in the world.
About 80% of the population lives in cities. 11 cities have millionaires.
Japanese economy
The growth rate of the Japanese economy was one of the highest in the second half of the 20th century. The country has largely undergone a qualitative restructuring of the economy. Japan is at a post-industrial stage of development, which is characterized by highly developed industry, but the leading area is the non-manufacturing sector (service sector, finance).
Although Japan is poor in natural resources and imports raw materials for most industries, it ranks 1st or 2nd in the world in the output of many industries. Industry is mainly concentrated within the Pacific industrial belt.
Electric power industry mainly uses imported raw materials. In the structure of the raw material base, oil leads, the share of natural gas, hydropower and nuclear energy is growing, and the share of coal is decreasing.
In the electric power industry, 60% of the power comes from thermal power plants and 28% from nuclear power plants.
Hydroelectric power stations are located in cascades on mountain rivers. Japan ranks 5th in the world in terms of hydroelectric power generation. In resource-poor Japan, alternative energy sources are being actively developed.
Ferrous metallurgy. The country ranks first in the world in terms of steel production. Japan's share in the global ferrous metallurgy market is 23%.
The largest centers, now operating almost entirely on imported raw materials and fuel, are located near Osaka, Tokyo, and Fuji.
Non-ferrous metallurgy. Due to the harmful impact on the environment, primary smelting of non-ferrous metals is being reduced, but factories are located in all major industrial centers.
Mechanical engineering. Provides 40% of industrial production. The main sub-sectors among the many developed in Japan are electronics and electrical engineering, radio industry and transport engineering.
Japan firmly ranks first in the world in shipbuilding, specializing in the construction of large-tonnage tankers and dry cargo ships. The main centers of shipbuilding and ship repair are located in the largest ports (Yokogana, Nagosaki, Kobe).
In terms of car production (13 million units per year), Japan also ranks first in the world. The main centers are Toyota, Yokohama, Hiroshima.
The main general engineering enterprises are located within the Pacific industrial belt - complex machine tool building and industrial robots in the Tokyo region, metal-intensive equipment in the Osaka region, machine tool manufacturing in the Nagai region.
The country's share in the world output of the radio-electronic and electrical engineering industries is exceptionally large.
By level of development chemical Japan's industry ranks among the first in the world.
Japan also has developed pulp and paper, light and food industries.
Agriculture Japan remains an important industry, contributing about 2% of GNP; The industry employs 6.5% of the population. Agricultural production is focused on food production (the country provides 70% of its needs for food itself).
13% of the territory is cultivated; in the structure of crop production (providing 70% of agricultural products), the leading role is played by the cultivation of rice and vegetables, and horticulture is developed. Livestock farming (cattle breeding, pig farming, poultry farming) is developing intensively.
Due to its exceptional location, there is an abundance of fish and seafood in the Japanese diet; the country fishes in all areas of the World Ocean, has more than three thousand fishing ports and has the largest fishing fleet (over 400 thousand vessels).
Transport Japan
All types of transport are developed in Japan with the exception of river and pipeline transport. In terms of cargo transportation volume, the first place belongs to road transport (60%), the second place goes to sea transport. The role of rail transport is declining, while air transportation is growing. Due to very active foreign economic relations, Japan has the largest merchant fleet in the world.
The territorial structure of the economy is characterized by a combination of two different parts: the Pacific belt, which is the socio-economic core of the country, because there are major industrial areas, ports, transportation routes and developed agriculture, and a peripheral zone that includes areas where logging, livestock farming, mining, hydropower and tourism are most developed. Despite the implementation of regional policy, the smoothing out of territorial imbalances is proceeding rather slowly.
Foreign economic relations of Japan
Japan actively participates in the MGRT, foreign trade occupies a leading place, and the export of capital, production, scientific, technical and other ties are also developed.
Japan's share in world imports is about 1/10. Mainly raw materials and fuel are imported.
The country's share in world exports is also more than 1/10. Industrial goods account for 98% of exports.
“State of Japan” - Origami. General characteristics. Capital of Japan. Cloth. Lesson plan. Map of Japan. Population. A political map of the World. Imperial seal. Martial arts. Food in Japanese. National composition. National traditions and characteristics of Japan. National flag of Japan. Fishing. Language and writing.
"Population of Japan" - The vast majority of the country's residents speak Japanese. Population - just over 127 million people (estimated as of July 2009) Birth rate - 7.87 per 1000 (2008). Largest cities: Tokyo (13.05 million) Yokohama (3.27 million) Osaka (2.48 million) Nagoya (2.1 million). Population of Japan. Ethno-racial composition: Japanese 98.5%, Koreans 0.5%, Chinese 0.4%, others 0.6%.
"Economy of Japan" - Natural resources. Unusually many bats. Numerous representatives of the ancient pre-Quaternary flora have been preserved - ferns, horsetails, etc. Automotive industry. Pearl shells. Agriculture. Japan's natural conditions are generally favorable for agriculture.
“The Land of the Rising Sun Japan” - Natural resources and natural conditions History of the development of Japan Population of the country. The Japanese economy is the 3rd economy in the world. Japan Land of the Rising Sun. Population of Japan. Culture and traditions Economy of Japan Main centers of Japan. EGP of Japan. Largest cities in Japan. Megalopolis Tokaido. Lesson questions.
"Japanese Islands" - Nature and Art. Kyudo Sumo Kendo Aikido Karate. Trade or die. Population. Sports traditions. Mats covering the floor. There are no strangers between us! We are all brothers to each other Under the cherry blossoms. Japan. Fujiyama Tsukimi. School in Japan. In the world of Japanese words. EGP of Japan. Japan lost the war. Japanese food.
"Islands of Japan" - Religion. Population. Relief. Purpose: to consider the features of the development of Japan. Japan's economy ranks third in the world. Japan is covered with a dense network of short, deep rivers, mostly mountainous. Conclusion. Lowlands are located in separate areas along the coasts of the country. Geography. The area of the country is 377.9 thousand km? The capital is Tokyo.
There are 30 presentations in total
Japan is a small state, entirely located on islands. Among them there are 4 large ones (Honshu, Hokkaido, Shikoku, Kyushu) and many small ones. Let's consider Japan's endowment with natural resources.
Brief introduction to the country
Japan is washed by several seas in the Pacific basin:
- Okhotsky.
- Japanese.
- East China.
The entire territory of this country is located on numerous islands, some of which are of volcanic origin.
Climate and nature
Before conducting an economic assessment of the natural conditions and resources of Japan, let us characterize the climate of this country. It is diverse: the north is characterized by low temperatures and long winters. In the southeast, winters are mild, summers are hot, and there is a large amount of precipitation.
On the coast of the Sea of Japan there is heavy snowfall in winter, but in summer it is quite warm here. The central part is characterized by sharp temperature changes both in winter and summer, and day and night.
Volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and earthquakes are frequent in this state.
Minerals
Let's begin our consideration of Japan's natural resources by getting acquainted with mineral deposits, of which there are not many here. We present information about what resources are available in this unusual country and what are missing in the table.
Interestingly, Japan, which is generally poor in minerals, is one of the world leaders in iodine production. On the territory of this country there are also small deposits of uranium, vanadium, lithium, titanium ores, and very modest reserves of gold and silver ore.
Japan's natural resources include sands, limestones and pyrites, which have long been used in the production of Japanese steel, famous throughout the world. Surprisingly sharp blades for edged weapons were made from it.
To summarize, mineral wealth is very diverse, but there is little of it, so minerals necessary for industrial development have to be purchased abroad.
Forest wealth
Let's consider the natural conditions and resources of Japan. More than half the area of this island state is occupied by forests, in which more than 2,000 species of flora grow. What kind of plants are these?
- Japan has many mountains in which pine, oak and fir trees grow.
- A variety of coniferous species can be found in the north of the country.
- There are also plants typical of the tropics: ferns, palm trees, and numerous fruit trees.
- Sweet potatoes are found on the territory of the Ryukyu Islands.
However, the country cannot fully provide itself with timber, so timber also has to be imported. Due to the development of agriculture, forest land has shrunk, so trees had to be planted artificially.
Riches of the animal world
Speaking about the natural resources of Japan, it should be mentioned that this country is rich in various species of animals:
- Weasels, raccoon dogs and stoats are found on the island of Hokkaido.
- You can see a black bear in Honshu.
- The south of the country is home to the black hare and an abundance of monkeys.
The seas are more than rich; a large number of commercial fish, crabs, and shellfish are found here. Algae is also abundant.
Earth
The next type of natural resources in Japan that you should pay attention to is soil. The country is entirely covered with mountains, but agriculture is thriving here, so the Japanese manage to almost completely meet their food needs. Only about 30% is imported, which is a fairly high figure for a mountainous island state. What soils are typical for Japan?
- Meadow-swamp and podzolic soils are typical for the northern zones.
- Brown forests - in the south, in temperate regions.
- Red soils and yellow soils are common in the tropics and subtropics.
The Japanese grow rice, wheat, barley, and various types of vegetables. Often the harvest can be obtained twice a year.
Water wealth
There are a huge number of small rivers on the territory of the country, which are not suitable for navigation, but are actively used for irrigating agricultural crops. Due to the fact that the rivers are mountainous and full-flowing, they become sources of hydropower. Japan also has a lot of lakes and groundwater, which generally has a positive effect on the development of agriculture. The country is rich in mineral and thermal springs.
Water resources can bring a lot of problems to the country's residents, since frequent typhoons here are often accompanied by floods.
Modern developments
An assessment of Japan's natural resources suggests that this country is highly dependent on imports. Thus, it is necessary to import minerals and minerals, wood and even food products. To reduce this dependence, the Japanese are working on creating alternative energy sources:
- Sunny.
- One.
- Wind.
Such work is highly effective. The country has all the makings for this: there are many sunny days a year, there are regular winds, there are also enough rivers and lakes on Japanese territory.
Despite the fact that the country as a whole is poor in natural resources, it is one of the strongest economic powers. The Japanese have learned to effectively use the wealth they have. The standard of living here is also very high, the average life expectancy is more than 80 years, and infant mortality is minimal.
The geographical location and landscape features have made Japan a country poor in natural resources. This, however, did not stop her from becoming one of the world leaders. The Japanese purchase everything necessary for the development of industry abroad, and also learn to use the wealth that is located on the territory of the island state.
I chose the topic of the essay “Japan and its resources” because I am interested in this country. I'm interested in studying it in more detail. Japan is unique in its resources. It is located separately from all other countries and includes many small islands. The country also has its own differences from other countries: they have their own religion and their own customs. And I was also interested in the economy of this country, as a country isolated from other countries.
General characteristics.
1)Geographical location.
Japan is an archipelago country located on four large and almost four thousand small islands, stretching in an arc of 3.5 thousand km from northeast to southwest along the eastern coast of Asia. The largest islands are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku. The state is located near the coast of East Asia. The area of the territory is 372 thousand km2. The population is 127 million people. The shores of the archipelago are heavily indented and form many bays and bays. The seas and oceans surrounding Japan are of exceptional importance for the country as a source of biological, mineral and energy resources.
Major structures built in Japan (underwater tunnels, bridges) facilitate connections between the main islands of the country.
Japan is washed in the south and east by the Pacific Ocean, in the west by the East China and Japan Seas, and in the north by the Sea of Okhotsk. Japan differs from other countries in its island isolation. The capital of Japan is Tokyo. The capital is located on the island of Honshu.
2) Relief, water resources.
Over ¾ of the territory is occupied by hills and mountains; lowlands (Kanto, or Tokyo) are located in separate areas along the coasts. In the middle part of the island. Honshu is crossed by a fault zone - Fossa Magna (about 250 km long); a number of volcanoes rise above this zone, including the highest volcano Fuji (3776 m). In total in Japan on the island. Honshu has 16 peaks exceeding 3000m.
The country has a dense network of mountain rivers (the largest rivers are: Shinano, Tone, Kitakami on Honshu Island, Ishikari on Hokkaido Island). The waters of many rivers are used for irrigation.
3) Fauna and flora.
The country's flora and fauna are diverse. The fauna includes about 270 species of mammals, about 800 species of birds, 110 species of reptiles. There are more than 600 species of fish and more than 1000 species of shellfish in the seas. The flora includes 700 species of trees and shrubs, about 3000 species of herbs. On about. Hokkaido is dominated by coniferous forests (spruce, fir). In the southern regions (oak, beech, maple, walnut and other trees).
The fauna is dominated by reptiles. The most common animals of the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido: wolves, foxes, hares and others.
4) The capital is Tokyo.
The capital of Japan is Tokyo, which emerged as the capital city in 1869. The name of this city means “Eastern Capital”. Tokyo is the largest city in the world, located on the vast Kanto Plain. Tokyo is one of the most overpopulated cities. The total length of the city's streets is 22 thousand km. , which exceeds half the length of the equator. There are about 4 million houses in the city. The city is growing both upward (50-60-story skyscrapers), and downward (underground shopping centers), and in breadth.
5) Population, religion and culture.
In terms of population, Japan ranks among the first in the world. Japan is a nation of healthy people with the lowest infant mortality rate and the highest life expectancy (79-80 years) in the world. State demographic policy also had a great influence. This policy deals with population growth. Classes on the basics of family planning are already conducted in high school.
The national composition of Japan can be said to be homogeneous. This is a typical single-ethnic country, where the Japanese make up more than 99% of the population. They also welcome immigrants: Koreans, Chinese, Oya, Oya, Miao, Mongols and others. On about. Hokkaido has preserved the remains of the country's oldest population - the Ainu (about 20 thousand people).
The country's two main religions are Shintoism and Buddhism. Believers usually practice both of these religions. Shintoism - from the word “Shinto”, meaning “divine path”. Serves the main religious and everyday rituals, and, above all, wedding ceremonies. Buddhism, on the contrary, takes upon itself funeral and funeral rites.
Japan is a country of high culture and complete literacy, where more attention is paid to the upbringing and education of children from a very early age. Japan has more universities than all of Western Europe. This is a country of long-standing cultural, artistic and everyday traditions. These traditions include: ikebana - the art of arranging bouquets and arranging flowers and tree branches in vases; bonsai - growing dwarf trees; calligraphy beautiful writing with brush and ink; music; painting on paper and silk; original architecture; shadow play; tea ceremony; women's clothing - kimono; heavyweight wrestling - sumo; judo; kitchen features and much more.
The most important traditions include (marriage by agreement of parents, belief in various objects, many public holidays). One of the traditions is a walk in nature (in the spring, watching sakura).
II Economy of the country.
1) Basic conditions for farming.
Japan has favorable conditions for farming. The country is located on islands surrounded by the Pacific seas, which gives Japan access to other countries (sea routes) and fishing.
The country is provided with water resources (the Kiso, Tone and others rivers), they are used in industry (hydroelectric power plants for energy generation), and in agriculture for irrigating fields. Rivers are also used as transport routes that connect cities and through the river canal you can get to the seas surrounding Japan.
The country has a large population, which has a good effect on economic development. There are many workers, both in agriculture and industry.
Japan also has a lot of fertile soil, which makes agriculture more focused on crop production. A very large area is occupied by forest.
The country has few mineral resources, which hinders the development of industry. But for the development of industry, the country imports the necessary raw materials from other countries.
In general, Japan has favorable conditions for the development of both industry and agriculture.
2) General characteristics of the farm.
In terms of foreign trade turnover, Japan ranks third among capitalist countries (after the USA and Germany). Its share in world and capitalist exports and imports in the post-war years steadily increased and reached 7.5%, respectively.
The main factors that contributed to the high rates of economic growth were: a radical reconstruction of industry and other sectors of the economy on the basis of the latest equipment and technology; high level of gross domestic investment in government spending; relative reduction in social costs; high share of personal savings; availability of highly qualified workers; The low level of world prices for imported raw materials and fuel and energy resources also had an impact.
Japan is a highly developed industrial-agrarian country. main industries: ferrous metallurgy, radio electronics, shipbuilding, automotive industry, petrochemicals and others.
Japan is poor in natural resources. The industry operates on imported raw materials. Currently, a structural restructuring of Japanese industry is being carried out in order to reduce its dependence on raw materials by transferring metal-intensive industries abroad, primarily to developing countries, and developing technologically complex industries in Japan itself.
Thanks to new technologies, Japan is beginning to use ocean resources.
3) Industry.
Japan's industry first developed along an evolutionary path. Industries such as energy, metallurgy, automobile and shipbuilding, petrochemical, chemical, and construction industries were built almost anew using imported raw materials.
If earlier the symbols were the sacred Mount Fuji, sakura, and now the largest nuclear power plants, metallurgical plants, bridges, tunnels.
After the energy and raw materials crisis in the 70s, the revolutionary path of development began to prevail in industry. The country began to increasingly limit the growth of energy-intensive metal-intensive industries that depend on imports of fuel and raw materials and focus on the latest knowledge-intensive industries. It became a leader in the field of electronics, robotics, biotechnology, and began to use non-traditional energy sources. In terms of the share of spending on science, Japan ranks first among developed countries, and in terms of the number of scientists it surpasses Germany, Great Britain and France.
The high level of education, professional qualifications, hard work, self-discipline of workers, and their desire for constant technical improvement are also reflected, which indicates a very high level of quality of the Japanese population. In addition, a Japanese worker is usually hired by a specific company and very rarely changes jobs. This increases his interest in the production of any product, since his salary depends on his length of service. (Table No. 1 of the Appendix).
The mining industry has been declining in the post-war years. The coal mining industry is of greatest importance. Natural gas production has begun. Oil production in the country is insignificant. Less than 10% of the needs are covered from its own iron ore reserves. There are significant reserves of copper (on Honshu Island in the Akita region), pyrites, zinc, lead, talc, and sulfur. Manganese, chromites, bismuth, platinum and other minerals are mined in small quantities. Japan mainly imports minerals.
In the structure of the energy balance, energy sources coal and hydropower have faded into the background. In the 70s, the share of various sources in the energy sector was: oil 75%, coal 18.5%, natural gas 1.5%, the rest 5%. Due to the energy crisis, the use of coal increased, nuclear power plants, thermal power plants and hydroelectric power stations were built.
Manufacturing industry. Japan's ferrous metallurgy ranks second in terms of production volume among countries other than the United States. Of total consumption, imported iron ore accounts for 90%. Iron ore is imported from different countries: Australia, India, Canada and others. The main centers of ferrous metallurgy are: Kitakyushu, Osaka, Nogaya, Chiba.
Non-ferrous metallurgy produces copper, zinc, and lead. Japan ranks second in the world in aluminum production. Other metals are smelted (magnesium, titanium, nickel, rare metals).
Mechanical engineering is one of the industries that is developing rapidly. Instrument making and the production of precision instruments and mechanisms have undergone significant development.
Japan ranks first in the world in shipbuilding and ship exports. A lot of household equipment is produced, widely sold to world markets. Mechanical engineering is located in the areas of Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka.
The chemical industry is characterized by a wide variety of products. Produced: mineral fertilizers, artificial fibers, synthetic materials (plastic, rubber). Oil refining has developed significantly. In terms of chemical production, Japan is inferior to the United States and Germany. The production of medicines and crop protection products has been developed. The main areas of the chemical industry are the coast of Tokyo Bay and the Nagoya region.
Woodworking. Large quantities of timber are harvested every year. Forest resources provide 40-45% of needs. Most local sawmills are small in size. Large sawmills are located in the south of the island. Honshu - Hiroshima, in the north of the island. Honshu and O. Hokkaido.
The pulp and paper industry has reached a significant size; its products consist of various types of paper and cardboard. Japan ranks second in the world in the production of these goods. The main areas of pulp and paper production are about. Hokkaido and northern Honshu.
The textile industry is very important in terms of the number of enterprises. The production of products from synthetic fibers, as well as from cotton and wool fabrics, is especially developed. Japan has retained its position as the world's largest producer of natural silk fabrics. As a result of competition in the world market from developing countries, the Japanese textile industry refocused on the production of high-quality fabrics, which allowed the country to maintain its position in the world market.
The food industry employs about 600 thousand people, and even more, since for the villages, food production is a frequent activity. There are two groups of food industry sectors: traditional (rice and fish processing, sake production, tea industry) and new (sugar, tobacco, canned food and other products). Enterprises of the first group are found everywhere; they are predominantly small and medium-sized.
4) Agriculture.
Agriculture also underwent a radical restructuring after the Second World War. But after the agrarian reform in the late 40s, the elimination of landlordism and the transformation of peasants into land owners, farmers became the main producers.
The structure of agriculture has also changed. Japan has always been a purely agricultural country. And although the main grain crop, the main Japanese bread, remained rice, crops that occupy most of the cultivated land, gardening, vegetable gardening, and especially the breeding of cattle, pigs, and poultry received greater development. As a result, the Japanese diet became more similar to European and American diets.
Japan's agriculture industry employs about 4 million people, and cultivated land accounts for only 14% of the territory, but it provides the bulk of the country's food needs, including rice and vegetables.
Another important traditional industry in Japan is fishing. Japan ranks among the first in the world in terms of fish catch. There are more than three thousand fishing ports in the country. The rich and diverse fauna of the coastal seas contributed to the development of not only fisheries, but also mariculture. Fish and seafood occupy a very important place in the Japanese diet. The country also has a developed pearl industry.
Livestock farming received significant development only in the post-war years, which was caused by an increase in domestic demand for meat and dairy products. The main area for livestock farming has become the north of the country - about. Hokkaido; Up to 80% of all dairy products in the country are produced here. The livestock population is increasing every year.
Sericulture is a traditional Japanese agricultural sector; it has been in decline for a long time: the production of raw silk was 20.6 thousand tons in 1977.
The forest fund is 23.3 million hectares. , a significant part of it occurs in mountainous areas. The importance of forest protection plantations is great (5.6 million hectares).
5) Transport.
In Japan, all types of transport have developed, with the exception of river and pipeline transport. By the nature of its transport network, this country resembles the countries of Western Europe, but in terms of the volume of cargo transportation it is much larger than any of them. And in terms of the density of passenger rail traffic, it ranks first in the world. Japan also has a very large and most modern merchant marine fleet. It also widely uses “cheap flags”, under which almost ¾ of its tonnage floats.
Due to the mountainous terrain, single-track narrow-gauge roads predominate. Numerous tunnels and bridges. The main railway lines run mainly along the sea coast of the island. Khonshu, encircling him with a ring. Kammon underwater tunnel (3614 m) through the Shimo-noseki Strait connecting the islands of Honshu and Kyushu. In 1970-1975 The second underwater tunnel, Shin-Kammon, was built between the cities of Shimonoseki and Kokura. In 1978, the world's largest underwater tunnel, Seikan (36.4 km), was built near the Tsugaru Strait, between the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido. A new direction in the reconstruction of railway transport is the construction of tracks for high-speed trains (over 200 km/h); the first Tokaido line (515 km) opened in 1964 and connected Tokyo with Osaka; in 1975, this highway extended south to the city of Fukuoka (1090 km). The vehicle fleet includes 19.7 million passenger cars, 11.3 million trucks, 0.2 million buses.
The merchant marine fleet, serving mainly foreign trade, increased almost continuously. The growth of the Japanese maritime fleet is largely due to the enormous scale of cargo transportation. There are 6 dominant companies in maritime shipping: Nippon Yusen Kaisha, Osaka Shosen Kaisha, Yamaista Shin-Nihon Kisen and others.
Air traffic expanded markedly in the post-war years, especially with the large increase in foreign tourism. The main Japanese airline is Nippon Koku. International flights are served by the new Narita Airport, northeast of Tokyo, as well as international airports near the cities of Osaka and Niigata. Domestic air lines connect almost all major cities of the country.
IV External economic relations.
A very important feature of the Japanese economy is its extremely strong involvement in international economic relations. The country's poor supply of its own fuel and raw materials has led to the fact that 9/10 of it relies on imports. On the other hand, the country's economy is extremely dependent on the export of manufactured goods. Japan has a trade surplus. In most countries of the world you can buy Japanese cameras, video recorders, calculators, watches, cars, motorcycles and more. Japan is the main trading partner of almost all countries in the Asia-Pacific region. But recently, Japan has increasingly reoriented itself from the export of goods to the export of capital. Japanese direct investment is directed mainly to North America, Europe and other Asian countries.
Japan occupies a leading position in the world in the development of information technology and robotics, and is one of the world's largest automobile manufacturers.
A significant portion of Japanese manufacturing products are sold on the foreign market. In the structure of exports, the largest share (72%) falls on machinery and equipment, including cars (16.8%), semiconductors (7.4%), office equipment (5.8%), scientific and optical instruments (3 .6%), power plants (3.4%), ships (2.2%), audio and video equipment and more. The share of finished industrial products exceeds 80% of the export value. At the same time, the Japanese economy is heavily dependent on imports of fuel and raw materials, which account for about 70% of Japan's imports. The country's foreign trade turnover is growing rapidly.
During the first post-war twenty years, foreign trade was characterized by a passive balance. However, the foreign trade balance became positive over time.
Japan's main trading partners are the USA, China, and Europe. Foreign economic relations between Japan and the USSR are carried out through trade, fishing, and the organization of land, air and sea transportation. Joint participation in projects for the development of natural resources in Siberia and the Far East. From Russia, Japan receives timber, coal, oil, potassium salts, non-ferrous metals, cotton and other products.
Japan also purchases some types of modern equipment, vehicles (including ship equipment), and consumer goods. A new form of trade was coastal trade between the regions of the Far East and the western regions of Japan.
Agriculture plays a significant role in the country's economy, although its share in national income is about 2.2%. About 5.7 million people are employed in agriculture. Japan ranks first in the world in terms of fish catch.
Japan has become the second industrial country in the world, ranked 3rd in exports of goods after the USA and Germany, its trade balance in recent years has been characterized by a huge preponderance of exports over imports. Japan's leading place in the world economy is due to the fact that it energetically borrowed many scientific and technical inventions from the West and extremely quickly introduced them into production. Low wages for workers allowed Japanese monopolies to compete in the world market.
A very important factor for growth is large investments in research and development. The Japanese education system, considered one of the best in the world, also plays an exceptional role.
Area - 372.8 thousand km2. Population - 127.5 million people
Constitutional monarchy - 47 prefectures. Capital -. Tokyo
EGP
. Japan is an island state. Most of the state's territory is located on islands. Hokkaido. Honshu,. Kyushu and Shikoku, which is washed by the seas. Pacific Ocean. In addition, it owns about 7 thousand small islands
B. Japan is geographically the closest. Russia,. South. Korea,. DPRK. China,. Taiwan. Neighboring states are very different in political systems and economic potential. South. Korea and Taiwan is a new industry real country of the first wave with high rates of economic development. China and. The DPRK is a socialist country, however. China combines command and market economic models. Japan is an active member
UN,. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
The country is located near rich mineral resources. China and. Russia, which is for. Japan is very important important for. Japan's "storehouse" of minerals -. Australia, located on convenient sea pu. Yahah v. Country. Ascendant to go.
Japan is the center of economic development not only in the region, but also in the world. Most neighboring countries are developing dynamically and have significant resource and economic potential and, over time, naturally played a leading role in the world.
Population
In Japan, a type of population reproduction has formed, the characteristic features of which are low birth rates (9 per 1000 people), low annual population growth (0.2%), and the process of “aging of the nation” (average life expectancy is 81 years). Country first in. Asia has made a demographic transition from the traditional type of population reproduction and has approached a state of population stabilization. Insignificant size and migration (migration balance at the beginning of the third millennium close to 00).
The Japanese make up 99.4% of the state's population. They belong to the Mongoloid race. The Japanese language forms a separate language family, since it is completely different from the languages of neighboring peoples. In the north of Hokkaido is home to a small number of aboriginal people (about 20 thousand people). Japan - Ainu. The main religions are Shintoism and Buddhism.
Japan is a densely populated country (about 337 people per km2). The population density is especially high in the southern coastal regions of the city. Honshu and in the north. Kyushu - more than 500 people per 1 km2. In mountainous areas and in the north of the country, the population density is 60 people per 1 km2.
. Japan is one of the most urbanized countries in the world - 78% of the population lives in cities. There are ten millionaire cities in the country. Three largest agglomerations. Japan are merging into the largest metropolis. Tokkaido has a population of over 600 km and has a population of over 600 km.
About 66 million economically active people (52%) are employed. Of these, more than 25% are in industry, 5% in agriculture and about 70% in the service sector. For. Japan is characterized by a relatively small number of unemployed (1.3 million people).
Natural conditions and resources
Japan is poor in mineral resources. Only coal, insignificant reserves of oil, gas, and non-ferrous metal ores (copper, lead, arsenic, bismuth, zinc) are of industrial importance. The chemical industry uses its own sulfur, the construction industry uses dolomite, gypsum, and limestone. The needs of most types of mineral raw materials are met through imports: oil and gas - 99%, coal - 90%, copper - 3/4, iron ore - 99.9%, more than half - lead and zinc
Rivers in In Japan, their mountainous resources are mainly used for both irrigation and electricity generation. Numerous small lakes are an important source of drinking water
Forests cover 63% of the territory. Japan. Coniferous, broad-leaved and subtropical forests predominate. However, our own forest resources are also not enough to meet production needs!
Japan is a mountainous country. Mountains occupy over 3/5 of the territory. In many places they come very close to the sea. Above the central part of the. Honshu is a towering volcano. Fuji (3776 m). The very plains of the races located in the central part of the island. Honshu (plain. Kanto) they are crossed by numerous irrigation canals. The difficult terrain forces the construction of numerous underground transport tunnels. The decline of flat lands makes it necessary to reclaim land in the bays for the development of large coastal localities.
A characteristic feature of natural conditions. Japan is highly seismic. Sometimes earthquakes cause huge waves - tsunamis
. Climate - subtropical, monsoon. Hokkaido - moderate. In summer there is a southeast monsoon, which is characterized by a predominance of hot and humid air. The winter northwest monsoon causes intense snowfall. Precipitation here ranges from 1000 to 3000 mm per river.
agroclimatic. Japan is located in the humid zone of the temperate (favorable for growing rye, barley, winter wheat, potatoes, legumes) and subtropical (citrus fruits, tobacco, rice) zones
The basis for tourism and recreation is nature and unique cultural heritage