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Coordinates: 36°N 138°E / 36°N 138°E / 36; 138
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{{Short description|Archipelago off the coast of Northeast Asia}}
{{Short description|Archipelago off the coast of Northeast Asia}}

{{Infobox islands
{{Infobox islands
| name = Japanese Archipelago
| name = Japanese Archipelago
| image_name = Satellite View of Japan 1999.jpg
| native_name = <!-- or |local_name= -->
| image_caption = A satellite image of the main archipelago (Ryukyu Islands and South Kuril Islands not pictured)
| native_name_link =
⚫
| coordinates = {{Coord|36|N|138|E|type:isle_region:JP_scale:10000000|display=inline,title}}
| native_name_lang =
| sobriquet = <!-- or |nickname= -->
| country = Japan
| area_km2 = 377,975
| image_name = Japan (orthographic projection).svg
| image_size =
| image_caption = Japanese archipelago shown in dark green
⚫
| coordinates = {{Coord|37.514444|137.712222|format=dms|display=inline,title|type:isle_region:JP_scale:10000000}}
| country = [[Japan]]<br />[[Russia]] (''[[Sakhalin]]'')
}}
}}


⚫
The '''Japanese archipelago''' ([[Japanese language|Japanese]]: {{Lang|ja|日本列島}}, ''Nihon Rettō'') is an [[archipelago]] of [[list of islands of Japan|14,125 islands]] that form the country of [[Japan]].<ref name="recount">{{cite web |title=Recount with digital map leads to doubling of listed Japanese islands |website=Japan Times |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/02/15/national/japanese-islands-recount/ |date=Feb 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230215042328/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/02/15/national/japanese-islands-recount/ |archive-date=Feb 15, 2023}}</ref> It extends over {{cvt|3000|km|mi}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Water Supply in Japan |format=website |url=https://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/policy/health/water_supply/1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126130519/https://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/policy/health/water_supply/1.html |archive-date=January 26, 2018 |publisher=Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare |access-date=2018-09-26}}</ref> from the [[Sea of Okhotsk]] in the northeast to the [[East China Sea|East China]] and [[Philippine Sea|Philippine]] seas in the southwest along the [[Pacific coast]] of the [[Eurasia]]n continent, and consists of three [[island arc]]s from north to south: the [[Northeastern Japan Arc]], the Southwestern Japan Arc, and the [[Ryukyu Islands|Ryukyu Island Arc]]. The [[Daitō Islands]], the [[Izu–Bonin–Mariana Arc]], the [[Kuril Islands]], and the [[Nanpō Islands]] neighbor the [[archipelago]].
[[File:Japan topo en.jpg|thumb|240px|A [[topographic map]] of Japan]]
[[File:Satellite View of Japan 1999.jpg|thumb|240px|A satellite image of Japan]]


⚫
Japan is the largest [[island country]] in [[East Asia]] and the [[list of island countries|fourth-largest island country]] in the world with {{convert|377,975.24|km²|sqmi|abbr=on}}.<ref name="world-atlas">{{cite web |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/which-are-the-island-countries-of-the-world.html |title=Island Countries Of The World |publisher=WorldAtlas.com |access-date=2019-08-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207094959/http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/which-are-the-island-countries-of-the-world.html | archive-date=2017-12-07}}</ref><ref name="Geospatial Information Authority of Japan 2019">{{cite web |title=令和元年全国都道府県市区町村別面積調（１０月１日時点）, Reiwa 1st year National area of each prefecture municipality (as of October 1) |url=https://www.gsi.go.jp/KOKUJYOHO/MENCHO201910-index.html |publisher=[[Geospatial Information Authority of Japan]] |access-date=2 January 2020 |language=ja |date=26 December 2019 |archive-date=15 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200415123703/https://www.gsi.go.jp/KOKUJYOHO/MENCHO201910-index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It has an [[Exclusive economic zone of Japan|exclusive economic zone]] of {{convert|4,470,000|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}.<ref name="kaiho">{{cite web |url=http://www1.kaiho.mlit.go.jp/JODC/ryokai/ryokai_setsuzoku.html |title=日本の領海等概念図 |publisher=海上保安庁海洋情報部| access-date=12 August 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180812151410/http://www1.kaiho.mlit.go.jp/JODC/ryokai/ryokai_setsuzoku.html| archive-date=August 12, 2018}}</ref>
⚫
The {{nihongo|'''Japanese Archipelago'''|日本列島|Nihon rettō}} is a group of 6,852 islands that form the country of [[Japan]] as well as the Russian island of [[Sakhalin]]. It extends over {{convert|3000|km|mi|abbr=on}}<ref>{{cite web |title = Water Supply in Japan |format=website |url = https://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/policy/health/water_supply/1.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126130519/https://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/policy/health/water_supply/1.html |archivedate = January 26, 2018 | publisher = Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare | accessdate = 26 September 2018 }}</ref> from the [[Sea of Okhotsk]] southwest to the [[Philippine Sea]] along the coast of the [[Eurasia]]n continent. It consists of four [[island arc]]s from north to south: the [[Sakhalin Island Arc]], the [[Northeastern Japan Arc]], the [[Southwestern Japan Arc]], and the [[Ryukyu Islands|Ryukyu Island Arc]]. The [[Kuril Islands|Kuril Island Arc]], the [[Daitō Islands]], and the [[Nanpō Islands]] are not parts of the archipelago.

⚫
Japan is the largest [[island country]] in [[East Asia]] and the [[list of island countries|fourth-largest island country]] in the world with {{convert|377,975.24|km²|sqmi|abbr=on}}.<ref name="world-atlas">{{cite web|url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/which-are-the-island-countries-of-the-world.html |title=Island Countries Of The World |publisher=WorldAtlas.com |accessdate=2019-08-10 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207094959/http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/which-are-the-island-countries-of-the-world.html | archivedate=2017-12-07}}</ref><ref name="Geospatial Information Authority of Japan 2019">{{cite web |title=令和元年全国都道府県市区町村別面積調（１０月１日時点）, Reiwa 1st year National area of each prefecture municipality (as of October 1) |url=https://www.gsi.go.jp/KOKUJYOHO/MENCHO201910-index.html |publisher=[[Geospatial Information Authority of Japan]] |accessdate=2 January 2020 |language=ja |date=26 December 2019}}</ref> It has an [[Exclusive economic zone of Japan|exclusive economic zone]] of {{convert|4,470,000|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}.<ref name="kaiho">{{cite web| url=http://www1.kaiho.mlit.go.jp/JODC/ryokai/ryokai_setsuzoku.html|title=日本の領海等概念図| publisher=海上保安庁海洋情報部| accessdate=12 August 2018| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180812151410/http://www1.kaiho.mlit.go.jp/JODC/ryokai/ryokai_setsuzoku.html| archivedate=August 12, 2018}}</ref>


==Terminology==
==Terminology==
The term ''[[mainland Japan]]'' is used to distinguish the mainland from the remote islands. It is used when referring to the main islands of [[Hokkaido]], [[Honshu]], [[Kyushu]], [[Shikoku]] and [[Okinawa Island|Okinawa]].<ref name="main-islands-japan">{{cite web |script-title=ja:離島とは(島の基礎知識) |trans-title=what is a remote island? |publisher=[[Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism]] |url=http://www.mlit.go.jp/crd/chirit/ritoutoha.html |website= MLIT (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism) |date=22 August 2015 |accessdate= 9 August 2019 |language=Japanese |format=website |quote=MILT classification 6,852 islands(main islands: 5 islands, remote islands: 6,847 islands) |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071113053915/http://www.mlit.go.jp/crd/chirit/ritoutoha.html |archivedate=2007-11-13}}</ref> It included [[Karafuto Prefecture]] (Sakhalin) until the end of [[World War II]].
The term "[[Mainland Japan]]" is used to distinguish the large islands of the Japanese archipelago from the remote, smaller islands; it refers to the main islands of [[Hokkaido]], [[Honshu]], [[Kyushu]], and [[Shikoku]].<ref name="main-islands-japan">{{cite web |script-title=ja:離島とは(島の基礎知識) |trans-title=what is a remote island? |publisher=[[Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism]] |url=http://www.mlit.go.jp/crd/chirit/ritoutoha.html |website=MLIT (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism) |date=22 August 2015 |access-date= 9 August 2019 |language=ja |format=website |quote=MILT classification 6,852 islands(main islands: 5 islands, remote islands: 6,847 islands) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071113053915/http://www.mlit.go.jp/crd/chirit/ritoutoha.html |archive-date=2007-11-13}}</ref> From 1943 until the end of the [[Pacific War]], [[Karafuto Prefecture]] (south [[Sakhalin]]) was designated part of the mainland. Geographically speaking the term "mainland" is somewhat inaccurate, as this refers to an expanse of territory that is attached to a continental landmass.


The term ''Home Islands'' was used at the end of World War II to define the area of Japan to which its sovereignty and the constitutional rule of the [[Emperor of Japan|emperor]] would be restricted.{{citation needed|date=June 2013}} The term is also commonly used today to distinguish the archipelago from Japan's colonies and other territories.<ref>Milton W. Meyer, ''Japan: A Concise History'', 4th ed. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2012, {{ISBN|9780742541184}}, [https://books.google.com/books?id=d11lJ2JKN4wC&pg=PA2&dq=Japan+archipelago+Home+Islands&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Wa_IUZGgFKSviALPqoG4DA&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Japan%20archipelago%20Home%20Islands&f=false p. 2].</ref>
The term "home islands" was used at the end of World War II to define the area where Japanese sovereignty and constitutional rule of its [[Emperor of Japan|emperor]] would be restricted.{{citation needed|date=June 2013}} The term is also commonly used today to distinguish the archipelago from Japan's colonies and other territories.<ref>Milton W. Meyer, ''Japan: A Concise History'', fourth ed. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2012, {{ISBN|9780742541184}}, [https://books.google.com/books?id=d11lJ2JKN4wC&dq=Japan+archipelago+Home+Islands&pg=PA2 p. 2] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226040610/https://books.google.com/books?id=d11lJ2JKN4wC&pg=PA2&dq=Japan+archipelago+Home+Islands&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Wa_IUZGgFKSviALPqoG4DA&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Japan%20archipelago%20Home%20Islands&f=false |date=2023-02-26 }}.</ref>


== Palaeogeography ==
== Palaeogeography ==
Line 34: Line 26:
|footer=
|footer=
|File:Sea of Japan Early Miocene map.svg
|File:Sea of Japan Early Miocene map.svg
|Japanese archipelago, Sea of Japan and surrounding part of continental East Asia in [[Early Miocene]] (23-18 Ma)
|Japanese archipelago, Sea of Japan and surrounding part of continental [[East Asia]] in [[Early Miocene]] (23–18 Ma)
|File:Sea of Japan Pliocene map.svg
|File:Sea of Japan Pliocene map.svg
|Japanese archipelago, Sea of Japan and surrounding part of continental East Asia in [[Middle Pliocene]] to [[Late Pliocene]] (3.5-2 Ma)
|Japanese archipelago, Sea of Japan and surrounding part of continental [[East Asia]] in [[Middle Pliocene]] to [[Late Pliocene]] (3.5–2 Ma)
|File:Japan glaciation.gif
|File:Japan glaciation.gif
|Japanese archipelago at the [[Last Glacial Maximum]] about 20,000 years ago, thin black line indicates present-day shorelines
|Japanese archipelago at the [[Last Glacial Maximum]] about 20,000 years ago, thin black line indicates present-day shorelines:
{{legend|#fbad5d|Vegetated land}}
{{legend|#fbad5d|Vegetated land}}
{{legend|white|Unvegetated land}}
{{legend|white|Unvegetated land}}
Line 50: Line 42:
{{See also|Prefectures of Japan}}
{{See also|Prefectures of Japan}}


The archipelago consists of 6,852 islands<ref>{{cite web |title = 離島とは(島の基礎知識) |format=website |url = http://www.mlit.go.jp/crd/chirit/ritoutoha.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071113053915/http://www.mlit.go.jp/crd/chirit/ritoutoha.html |archivedate = November 13, 2007 | publisher = Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism | accessdate = 3 October 2018 }}</ref> (here defined as land more than 100 m in circumference), of which 430 are inhabited.<ref>{{cite magazine|title = Islands in Abundance|work =Look Japan|volume= 43|issue = 493–504|publisher= Limited |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=NHi6AAAAIAAJ&q=%226%2C852+islands%22 |page = 35}}</ref> The six main islands, from north to south, are [[Sakhalin]] (a part of the [[Russia|Russian Federation]]), [[Hokkaido]], [[Honshu]], [[Shikoku]], [[Kyushu]], and [[Okinawa Island|Okinawa]].<ref name="main-islands-japan" /> Honshu is the largest and referred to as the [[Mainland Japan|Japanese mainland]].<ref>[http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Japanese+Archipelago "Japanese Archipelago"], [[TheFreeDictionary.com]], retrieved 24 June 2013.</ref>
The archipelago consists of 14,125 islands<ref name="recount">{{cite web |title=Recount with digital map leads to doubling of listed Japanese islands |website=Japan Times |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/02/15/national/japanese-islands-recount/ |date=Feb 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230215042328/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/02/15/national/japanese-islands-recount/ |archive-date=Feb 15, 2023}}</ref> (here defined as land more than 100 m in circumference), of which 430 are inhabited.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Islands in Abundance |magazine=Look Japan |year=1997 |volume=43 |issue=493–504 |publisher=Limited |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NHi6AAAAIAAJ&q=%226%2C852+islands%22 |page=35 |access-date=2015-10-18 |archive-date=2023-02-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226040609/https://books.google.com/books?id=NHi6AAAAIAAJ&q=%226%2C852+islands%22 |url-status=live }}</ref> The five main islands, from north to south, are [[Hokkaido]], [[Honshu]], [[Shikoku]], [[Kyushu]], and [[Okinawa Island|Okinawa]].<ref name="main-islands-japan" /> Honshu is the largest and referred to as the [[Mainland Japan|Japanese mainland]].<ref>[http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Japanese+Archipelago "Japanese Archipelago"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180919195043/https://www.thefreedictionary.com/Japanese+Archipelago |date=2018-09-19 }}, [[TheFreeDictionary.com]], retrieved 24 June 2013.</ref>


The topography is divided as:
The topography is divided as:
⚫
*Hokkaido, Honshu, and Shikoku and its surrounding islands;
⚫
*Kyushu and the [[Ryukyu arc]], which is composed of the Ryukyu Islands and other surrounding islands;
⚫
*Eastern part of Hokkaido and the [[Kuril Islands]];
⚫
*[[Nanpō Islands]] and the [[Izu Peninsula]] (part of [[Izu–Bonin–Mariana Arc|Izu-Bonin-Mariana Arc]]).


===Image gallery===
⚫
* Sakhalin, Hokkaido, Honshu, and Shikoku and its surrounding islands;
{{Gallery
⚫
* Kyushu and the [[Ryukyu arc]] , which is composed of the Ryuku Islands and other surrounding islands;
|title=
⚫
* Eastern part of Hokkaido and the [[Kuril Islands]];
|width=160 | height=170
⚫
* [[Nanpō Islands]] and the [[Izu Peninsula]] (part of [[Izu–Bonin–Mariana Arc|Izu-Bonin-Mariana Arc]]).
|align=center

|footer=
[[File:Ogasawara islands.png|thumb|upright=1.5|The [[Nanpō Islands]] administered by [[Tokyo Metropolis]]]]
|File:Ogasawara islands.png
[[File:Location_of_the_Ryukyu_Islands.JPG|thumb|upright=1.5|The [[Ryukyu Islands]] administered by [[Kagoshima Prefecture]] and [[Okinawa Prefecture]]]]
|The [[Nanpō Islands]] stretch to the southeast and are administered by the [[Tokyo Metropolis]].|File:Location_of_the_Ryukyu_Islands.JPG
[[File:Japan_Relief_Map_of_Land_and_Seabed.png|thumb|upright=1.5|This is a relief map of the land and the seabed of Japan. It shows the surface and underwater terrain of the Japanese archipelago. It includes all the Japanese islands such as Minami-Tori-Shima, Benten-jima, Okinotorishima, and Yonaguni.]]
|The [[Ryukyu Islands]], which stretch towards [[Taiwan]], are administered by [[Kagoshima Prefecture]] and [[Okinawa Prefecture]].|File:Japan_Relief_Map_of_Land_and_Seabed.png
|Seabed relief map, showing surface and underwater terrain and islands such as Minami-Tori-Shima, Benten-jima, Okinotorishima, and Yonaguni}}


==See also==
==See also==
* [[Sea of Japan#Geography and geology|Japan in the Paleolithic]]
*[[Sea of Japan#Geography and geology|Japan in the Paleolithic]]
* [[List of islands of Japan]]
*[[List of extreme points of Japan]]
* [[Extreme points of Japan]]
*[[List of islands of Japan]]


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{reflist}}


{{Japan topics}}
{{Japan topics}}

{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


Latest revision as of 00:59, 10 November 2024

Japanese Archipelago
A satellite image of the main archipelago (Ryukyu Islands and South Kuril Islands not pictured)
Map
Geography
Coordinates36°N 138°E / 36°N 138°E / 36; 138
Area377,975 km2 (145,937 sq mi)
Administration
Japan

The Japanese archipelago (Japanese: 日本列島, Nihon Rettō) is an archipelago of 14,125 islands that form the country of Japan.[1] It extends over 3,000 km (1,900 mi)[2] from the Sea of Okhotsk in the northeast to the East China and Philippine seas in the southwest along the Pacific coast of the Eurasian continent, and consists of three island arcs from north to south: the Northeastern Japan Arc, the Southwestern Japan Arc, and the Ryukyu Island Arc. The Daitō Islands, the Izu–Bonin–Mariana Arc, the Kuril Islands, and the Nanpō Islands neighbor the archipelago.

Japan is the largest island country in East Asia and the fourth-largest island country in the world with 377,975.24 km2 (145,937.06 sq mi).[3][4] It has an exclusive economic zone of 4,470,000 km2 (1,730,000 sq mi).[5]

Terminology

[edit]

The term "Mainland Japan" is used to distinguish the large islands of the Japanese archipelago from the remote, smaller islands; it refers to the main islands of Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku.[6] From 1943 until the end of the Pacific War, Karafuto Prefecture (south Sakhalin) was designated part of the mainland. Geographically speaking the term "mainland" is somewhat inaccurate, as this refers to an expanse of territory that is attached to a continental landmass.

The term "home islands" was used at the end of World War II to define the area where Japanese sovereignty and constitutional rule of its emperor would be restricted.[citation needed] The term is also commonly used today to distinguish the archipelago from Japan's colonies and other territories.[7]

Palaeogeography

[edit]
Main article: Geology of Japan
Changes of land-forms of Japan over time
  • Japanese archipelago, Sea of Japan and surrounding part of continental East Asia in Early Miocene (23–18 Ma)
    Japanese archipelago, Sea of Japan and surrounding part of continental East Asia in Early Miocene (23–18 Ma)
  • Japanese archipelago, Sea of Japan and surrounding part of continental East Asia in Middle Pliocene to Late Pliocene (3.5–2 Ma)
    Japanese archipelago, Sea of Japan and surrounding part of continental East Asia in Middle Pliocene to Late Pliocene (3.5–2 Ma)
  • Japanese archipelago at the Last Glacial Maximum about 20,000 years ago, thin black line indicates present-day shorelines:   Vegetated land   Unvegetated land   Ocean
    Japanese archipelago at the Last Glacial Maximum about 20,000 years ago, thin black line indicates present-day shorelines:
      Vegetated land
      Unvegetated land
      Ocean

Geography

[edit]
Main article: Geography of Japan
See also: Prefectures of Japan

The archipelago consists of 14,125 islands[1] (here defined as land more than 100 m in circumference), of which 430 are inhabited.[8] The five main islands, from north to south, are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa.[6] Honshu is the largest and referred to as the Japanese mainland.[9]

The topography is divided as:

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Recount with digital map leads to doubling of listed Japanese islands". Japan Times. Feb 15, 2023. Archived from the original on Feb 15, 2023.
  2. ^ "Water Supply in Japan". Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Archived from the original (website) on January 26, 2018. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
  3. ^ "Island Countries Of The World". WorldAtlas.com. Archived from the original on 2017-12-07. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
  4. ^ "令和元年全国都道府県市区町村別面積調（１０月１日時点）, Reiwa 1st year National area of each prefecture municipality (as of October 1)" (in Japanese). Geospatial Information Authority of Japan. 26 December 2019. Archived from the original on 15 April 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  5. ^ "日本の領海等概念図". 海上保安庁海洋情報部. Archived from the original on August 12, 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  6. ^ a b 離島とは(島の基礎知識) [what is a remote island?]. MLIT (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism) (in Japanese). Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. 22 August 2015. Archived from the original (website) on 2007-11-13. Retrieved 9 August 2019. MILT classification 6,852 islands(main islands: 5 islands, remote islands: 6,847 islands)
  7. ^ Milton W. Meyer, Japan: A Concise History, fourth ed. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2012, ISBN 9780742541184, p. 2 Archived 2023-02-26 at the Wayback Machine.
  8. ^ "Islands in Abundance". Look Japan. Vol. 43, no. 493–504. Limited. 1997. p. 35. Archived from the original on 2023-02-26. Retrieved 2015-10-18.
  9. ^ "Japanese Archipelago" Archived 2018-09-19 at the Wayback Machine, TheFreeDictionary.com, retrieved 24 June 2013.
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