Geographyof JAPAI\{ E.Q. t{olv did the geographicfeatures of Japan influence the developmentof its culture?
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Japanis an archipelagoor a chainof islands.It is composedof four tnain islands
and a seriesof smallerislandson the westernedgeof the Pacific Oceannearthe
continentof Asia. The islandnationhasalwaysbeensetaparlfiom Asia and the
worid. Its hornein the oceanhashelpedto protectit and isolateit.
About thlee-fourths(75%) of Japanis coveredwith mountains,and of those
there
muchof the land is mountainous,
mountains,83 arevolcanoes!Because'so
is very little flat land. Ttrls providesvery little living spaceand farm land in Japan.
Thoseliving in the rnountainousareashavehad to be creativewith their farrning
and useof irrigation. For settlement,peoplehavealwaysclusteredalongthe
coastalplainswhere land could be farmed. Thosepeoplealongthe coastalplains
take advantageof Japan'slargestnatur:airesource,the sea.
The islandsof Japanare rnadeup of a volcanic islandarc and.prepart of the Pacific
Ocean's"Ring of Fire". The "Ring of Fire" is a zonein the PacificOceanthat
containssomeof the world's most activevolcanoes.lylovementsdeepin the earth
andvolcanic
alongthe Ring of Fire arethe sourcesof Japan'sman)'earthquakes
eruptions
A tsunamiwave is also a naturaldisasterthat affectsthe islandsof Japan. These
wavesoccur when an earthquakeoccurson the oceanfloor. This earthquakewill
producea small,rapidly moving wave in the ocean. As the wave movesquickly
towardsshore,it grows into a giant, fast moving wave. Tsunarnisoften travel at
speedsof hundredsof miles per hour. TsunarnisfloorJcoastalvillages,destroy
crops,and cankill manypeople.
believedthat
culture. iDarlyJapanese
Respectfbr naturehas long shapedJapanese
lcami,or spiritslived in naturalobjects. A religion calledShinto,or "the way of the
gods", grew out of this reverenceof nature. Follower:;of Shintobuild shrines,
placeswherepeoplego to pay respectto a kami. Honcring thesespiritsbecame
part of Japanese
daily life.
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