Terminology
– Mainland Japan refers to Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku.
– Karafuto Prefecture was considered part of the mainland during the Pacific War.
– The term ‘home islands’ was used after World War II to define the restricted area of Japanese sovereignty.
– Mainland Japan is distinguished from Japan’s colonies and other territories.
– The term ‘mainland’ is somewhat inaccurate geographically.
Palaeogeography
– The landforms of Japan have changed over time.
– The Japanese archipelago was connected to continental East Asia in the Early Miocene and Middle to Late Pliocene.
– During the Last Glacial Maximum, the Japanese archipelago had vegetated and unvegetated land areas.
– Palaeogeography studies the geological history of Japan.
– The Sea of Japan surrounds the Japanese archipelago.
Geography
– The Japanese archipelago consists of 14,125 islands, with 430 inhabited.
– The five main islands are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa.
– Honshu is the largest island and often referred to as the Japanese mainland.
– The topography is divided into different regions, including Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, the Ryukyu arc, the Kuril Islands, and the Nanpō Islands.
– Tokyo Metropolis administers the Nanpō Islands, while Kagoshima Prefecture and Okinawa Prefecture administer the Ryukyu Islands.
Image gallery
– The Nanpō Islands stretch southeast and are administered by Tokyo Metropolis.
– The Ryukyu Islands extend towards Taiwan and are administered by Kagoshima Prefecture and Okinawa Prefecture.
– A seabed relief map shows underwater terrain and islands like Minami-Tori-Shima, Benten-jima, Okinotorishima, and Yonaguni.
Related topics
– Japan has a Paleolithic history.
– There are extreme points in Japan.
– A list of islands in Japan is available.
– The Japanese archipelago has been studied extensively.
– The Japanese archipelago is unique among island countries. Source URL:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_archipelago
