Japan

Japan is located in the eastern part of the continent of Asia and the country is located on many islands. The country is situated in the Pacific Ocean and is bordered by China in the east and Korea and Russia in the north and the south from the Sea of Okhotsk to the East China Sea respectively. It is nicknamed as the land of the rising sun as the Japanese letters that are part of the name of Japan are translated in English to sun-origin. The county of Japan is a union of more than 3000 islands and it is an archipelago geographically. The biggest and the most prominent islands are that of Hokkaidō, Kyūshū, Honshū and Shikoku which constitute more than 97% of the country’s map. Japanese islands are mountainous mostly with many active and dormant Volcanoes. Mount Fuji is one of the most popular mountains in Japan and is the highest peak of the country. The country ranks on number ten amongst the most populated countries of the globe with a total population of about 128 million. The Greater Tokyo Area is the largest amongst the metropolitan areas of the planet and includes the capital city of the country Tokyo. The total population of this metropolitan area is about 30 million. The inhabitations of the islands of the present day Japan can be traced back up to the Upper Paleolithic period, thus making it one of the oldest populations of the world. The documented evidence of the Japanese civilizations goes back to 1st century AD. The country’s present day culture is an amalgam of its own history as well as foreign influences and the state is now acknowledged as a constitutional monarchy with an emperor as well as an elected parliament. Japan happens to be a major player in world politics as well as economy and is currently number two in terms of nominal GDP.