Country
Background
Japan is an archipelago,
made up of many small islands and four main islands: Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu,
and Shikoku. Much of Japan's
land is covered with mountains, some of which contain active volcanoes. The most
famous of Japan's many mountains is Mount
Fuji. Measuring over 12,000 miles high, Mount Fuji boasts the highest peak
in Japan.
The first records of Japanese history date
back as far as A.D. 400, but it wasn't until
1542 that the first Europeans, from Portugal,
reached the islands. Through the 19th century,
Japan continued to grow and modernize, and
it established itself as an influential nation
in the late 1800s. Today, Japan's economy is
one of the largest the world.
Related
Links
There is a lot more to learn about Japan!
- Explore these sites for more facts and
figures about Japan.
- See a National Geographic map of
Japan. Then search for more maps.
- Visit the museums
of Japan to explore many types of
traditional Japanese fine arts, martial
arts, performing arts, and pastimes,
such as sculpture, karate, bunkaru puppetry,
and the tea ceremony.
- Read a collection of Japanese
Folktales.
- Browse kid-friendly facts about Japanese
daily life, history, education, and more
from Kids
Web Japan.
- Read about Japan or take a virtual
reality tour.
More Countries (past hosts of
Olympic Games)
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// TODAY Parade of Nations and National
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