Geography of Japan

The most obvious geographic characteristic of Japan is the fact that it is an island. Thus it developed in isolation from the rest of Asia. Although Japan is made up of three thousand islands, most of the population and land mass is located on four main islands: Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyshu, and Shikkoku. The total land mass of Japan is 146,000 square miles. Japan has a temperate climate. Its land is highly mountainess, thus only 20% of the land can be farmed.