Geography of Japan  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump
to: navigation, search Satellite image of Hokkaido in January
Severe Storm Talas approaching Japan  Japan is an island nation
in East Asia comprising a stratovolcanic archipelago extending
along the Pacific coast of Asia. It lies between 24° to 46°
north latitude and from 123° to 146° east longitude. The country
is southeast of the Russian Far East, separated by the Sea of
Okhotsk; slightly east of Korea, separated by the Sea of Japan;
and east-northeast of China and Taiwan, separated by the East
China Sea. The closest neighboring country to Japan is the
Russian Federation.[1]  The major islands, sometimes called the
"Home Islands", are (from north to south) Hokkaidō, Honshū (the
"mainland"), Shikoku and Kyūshū. There are also 2,456
islands,[2] including Okinawa, and islets, some inhabited and
others uninhabited. In total, as of 2006, Japan's territory is
377,923.1 km2 (145,916.9 sq mi), of which 374,834 km2
(144,724 sq mi) is land and 3,091 km2 (