Japan's Geography
Japan is a chain of islands that stretches north and south in the northern Pacific Ocean. There are more than 3,000 islands in Japan. The four biggest islands in Japan are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. The land is rocky and mountainous.The islands of Japan are tops of mountains that rise from the ocean floor. 188 of those islands are volcanoes. Many earthquakes occur because the islands lie where parts of the earth's surface shift. Because of the mountains, only 20% of the land can be farmed. Japanese people turned to the sea for food. The sea surrounding Japan made it easy for people to travel in ships. These people became merchants and traveled to trade. The ocean also helped keep the people safe and isolated from the rest of Asia. Since then, Japan developed its own society with it's own religion,art,literature, and government.