Official Name: Nihon (Japan)
Currency: Japanese yen
Current Exchange Rate: |
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Hemisphere: Northern-above equator Southern-below equator
Continent: Asia
Location: Archipelago off E coast of Asia. Neighbors: Russia to N, South Korea to W,
Area: 145,898 sq mi, 377,873 sq km
Form of Government: Constitutional monarchy with a national Diet consisting of two legislative houses (House of Councilors 247) and ( House of Representatives 480)
Population: (2007) 127,770,000
Population Density: (2007) persons per sq mi 875.7, persons per sq km 338.1
Principal Language(s): WA
Religions: Shinto& Buddhist (observed together) 84%, other 16%
Capital: Tokyo
Capital Population: 8,535,792
Capital Average Temperature: Maximum: 14.5 degrees Celsius, 58.1 degrees Fahrenheit
Major Cities: Yokohama 3,602,758, Osaka 2,635,420, Nagoya 2,223,148, Sapporo 1,888,953, Kobe 1,528,687, Kyoto 1,472,511, Fukuoka 1,414,417, Kawasaki 1,342,262, Saitama 1,182,744, Hiroshima 1,157,846, Sendai 1,027,329, Kita-Kyushu 990,585
Topography: Consists of four islands: Honshu87, 805 sq mi, Hokkaido 30,144 sq mi, Kyushu 14,144 sq mi, and Shikoku 7,049. The coast, deeply indented, measures16, 654 mi. the northern islands are continuation of the Sakhalin Mts. The Kunlun range of China continues into southern islands, the ranges meeting in Japanese Alps. In a vast transverse fissure crossing Honshu E-W rises a group of volcanoes, mostly extinct or inactive, including 12,388 ft. Mt. Fuji near Tokyo
Economy: G.D.P. $ 4.417 trillion
G.D.P. per Capita: $ 33,800
Vital Statistics: Birth rate per 1,000 population (2005): 8.4 (world avg. 20.3). Death rate per 1,000 population (2005); 8.6 (world avg. 8.6) Total fertility rate (avg. births per childbearing woman 2005) 1.25. Life expectancy at birth (2005) male 78.5 years; female 85.5 years
Government Website: www.kantei.go.jp
Reference Sources: The World Almanac 2009, The New York Times Almanac 2009, Time Almanac 2009, World Climate website.
