rts - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1999 est.)
@Jan Mayen:Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Norway
@Jan Mayen:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
______________________________________________________________________
JAPAN
@Japan:Introduction
Background: While retaining its time-honored culture, Japan rapidly
absorbed Western technology during the late 19th and early 20th
centuries. After its devastating defeat in World War II, Japan
recovered to become the second most powerful economy in the world and
a staunch ally of the US. While the emperor retains his throne as a
symbol of national unity, actual power rests in networks of powerful
politicians, bureaucrats, and business executives. The economy
experienced a major slowdown in the 1990s following three decades of
unprecedented growth.
@Japan:Geography
Location: Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean
and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula
Geographic coordinates: 36 00 N, 138 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area:
total: 377,835 sq km
land: 374,744 sq km
water: 3,091 sq km
note: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto,
Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and
Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto)
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than California
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 29,751 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the international
straits - La Perouse or Soya, Tsugaru, Osumi, and Eastern and Western
Channels of the Korea or Tsushima Strait
Climate: varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north
Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Hachiro-gata -4 m
highest point: Fujiyama 3,776 m
Natural resources: negligible mineral resources, fish
Land use:
arable land: 11%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 2%
forests and woodland: 67%
other: 19% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 27,820 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500
seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis
Environment - current issues: air pollution from power plant emissions
results in acid rain; acidification of lakes and reservoirs degrading
water quality and threatening aquatic life; Japan is one of the
largest consumers of fish and tropical timber,
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