How the Islands are Changing

Japan is obviously changing, due to tectonic plate movement. When these plates move, mountains and mountain chains are forming. Also, the islands may be slowly drifting away. There is also the possibility that the islands are moving together or moving towards other countries and other land forms.

Bibliography

Website Name: CIA World Factbook
Title of Article: Japan
Date Accessed: May 7th, May 21st, June 14th, 2009.
Web Address: CIA.gov

Author of Encyclopedia Article: Albert M. Craig
Title of Article: Japan
Encyclopedia Name: The New Book of Knowledge
Year (Edition): 2008

Facts About Japan

• Japan is the world's oldest monarchy.
• New Year's Day is the most important holiday in Japan.
• Baseball is almost the national sport.
• Japan received independence in 660 B.C.
• Japan has no offensive military, just a defensive military.
• Constitution established on May 3rd, 1947.
• Japan has extreme air pollution.
• Japan has many active and dormant volcanoes, including Mt. Fuji.
• 127,078,679 people live in Japan. (Estimated)
• Japan lost World War II.

Religions of Japan

There are four main types of religions in Japan. The most used are Shinto and Buddhism. The remaining main religions are Atheism and Christianity.

Monetary Unit

The monetary unit(currency) in Japan is the Yen. It takes about 98 Yen to make one U.S. dollar. Japan adopted the Yen as a currency on May 10, 1871.

World War II

In World War II, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. This was because the U.S. stopped sending oil to the Japanese, due to the fact that Japan invaded China and also were allies with Nazi Germany. Japan suffered from severe economic issues because they relied on the U.S. for oil. The U.S. declared war on Japan, and Nazi Germany and the Kingdom of Italy declared war on the U.S., too. Eventually, the U.S. successfully used the an atom bomb, codenamed "Little Boy", on Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945. Total casualties estimated 140,000 deaths. However, most deaths were from leukemia, other cancers, or radiation poisoning. On August 9th, 1945, the U.S. dropped another atom bomb, codenamed "Fat Man", on Nagasaki. Casualties were estimated at about 80,000 deaths. Six days after the nuking of Nagasaki, Japan surrendered to Allied Nations and ultimately ending the war. After the war, Japan now has no offensive military.

Japan's Geography

• In Eastern Asia, Japan is a group of islands between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan. Japan is also east of the Korean Peninsula.
• Geographic coordinates of Japan: 36 00 N, 138 00 E
• Japan is in the continent of Asia
• Coastline: 29,751 km
• Area: Total: 377,835 sq km, Land: 374,744 sq km, Water: 3,091 sq km
• Climate: Japan is tropical in the south and cool temperate in the north.
• Terrain: Japan is mostly rugged and mountainous.