02: Japan’s Geographical Features

Exercise 1.Look at the picture and talk about it.

Exercise 2. Read the Introduction

The Japanese archipelago is comprised of several thousand islands; Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku being the four major isles. The Japanese sea isolates its geographical entity from its neighbors, including Korea, Russia and China. The topography of the Japanese archipelago is quite similar to that of a plateau. Japan is located on the convergence point of the various continental plates along the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area infamous for seismic disturbances, making the country prone to earthquakes.

Exercise 3. Answer the questions below.

1. Where on earth is Japan located? How does its location affect its conditions?

2. Where are most plains located? What features are they composed of?

3. How many volcanoes exist in Japan? Which is the highest and most well-known?

4. Which is the longest river in Japan? Where is it located and how far does it span?

5. On average, how many earthquakes does Japan experience every year?

6. What is the climate in most of the major cities?

7. Which parts of Japan are the warmest and the coolest?

8. How would you describe each of the four seasons in Japan?