Japan is a country of mountainous islands
in the Pacific Ocean. It’s part of the
continent of Asia.
Most people live
on the four main islands of Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. Honshu is the largest and has the most
people. There are several thousand
smaller islands too, many of which are uninhabited. This means there are a lot of islands without people.
The islands have dormant and active
volcanoes. Mt. Usu is an active
one. The islands are prone to
earthquakes.
This small country is about the size of
California. Most of the land is covered
with mountains. Two- thirds of Japan is covered by woodlands and forest. The rest is for farming and people. Most people live on the developed east coast
or in the southern region where most cities are.
Japan is divided into regions. There are eight regions. These are: Kyushu, Chugoku, Chubu, Tohoku,
Kanto, Kansai, Shikoku, and Hokkaido.
Each region is divided into prefectures. Prefectures are similar to our states. There are 47 prefectures in Japan.