General information on Japan

A map - Japan in the Globe

It is surprising for us that many people in the world cannot tell where Japan is located. Look, the red islands on the map above is Japan (We use this type of arrangement for world map, which puts Pacific Ocean the center so that our country comes near the center of the globe).

This page includes data of: - Area - Climate - Population - Currency - GNP/GDP - Int'l Balance - (most data as of 1997 - sorry for not updating)

A map of Japan
And, here comes a map of Japan.

Area:

total area: 377,812 sq km
extension: approx. 3000 km
islands: roughly 7000
latitudes: 20°25'N to 45°33', 35°40' in Tokyo
comparative area: slightly smaller than California

Climate:

Since Japan extends a long distance from south to north, it varies from subtropical to subarctic. Average temparature in Tokyo is 5.2 °C in January while 27.1 °C in August.
Seasonal conditions (in Tokyo area):

  • sometimes snow in winter
  • mild in spring
  • rainy in June to July (baiu)
  • humid and hot in summer
  • typhoon in Septemer to October
  • cool in autumn

roughly.

Terrain:

mostly rugged and mountainous:

  • 53% mountains
  • 7% volcanic
  • 11% hills
  • 4% piedmont
  • 12% plateau
  • 13% lowland
Population:

125,034 thousands (Oct. 1994)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 79.31 years
male: 76.47 years
female: 82.28 years (1994 est.)

Currency:

yen (¥)

Exchange rates:

yen (¥) per US$1 - around 120 (March 1997), 105.84 (January 1996), 94.06 (1995), 102.21 (1994), 111.20 (1993), 126.65 (1992), 134.71 (1991), 144.79 (1990), 137.96 (1989)

GNP & GDP:

Calendar 1996 (QE base)
N-GNP: 505,813 billion yen
R-GNP: 483,086 billion yen
N-GDP: 500,356 billion yen
R-GDP: 477,871 billion yen
(N- stands for nominal, R- for real)

International Balance of Payments (1994):
Current balance      129,140
  Trade balance      145,944
    Exports          384,176
    Imports          238,232
  Invisible balance   -9,296
  Transfer balance    -7,508
Long-term capital    -82,037
Basic balance         47,103
Short-term capital    -8,897
Errors/omissions     -17,778
Overall balance       20,428

Statistics Bureau of Japan and Japan Information Network's statistic pages are good source of extensive data. Also, see Facts and Figures of The World Fact Book 1996 for more information.

Also, see Japan Links of this site for more related links.