{"id":695,"date":"2021-03-12T23:13:22","date_gmt":"2021-03-12T16:13:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/?page_id=695"},"modified":"2021-06-01T14:13:59","modified_gmt":"2021-06-01T07:13:59","slug":"maritime-geography","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bluejapan.org\/fr\/geography\/maritime-geography\/","title":{"rendered":"Maritime Geography Of Japan"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Geography<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Maritime Geography<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

An Island Country <\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Japan is an island-country<\/strong> located in northeast Asia, at the eastern extremity of the Eurasian continent, along northeast Asia\u2019s Pacific coast, north of the Philippines.<\/p>

The islands of the Japanese archipelago, most of which are of stratovolcanic origins, separate the continent from the waters of the<\/strong> North-West Pacific Ocean<\/strong>, creating a marginal sea, the Sea of Japan (East Sea).
The islands of Japan stretch between the Sea of Okhotsk to the north and the East China Sea and Philippine Sea to the south.
<\/span><\/p>

Japan\u2019s territory is made up of 6,852 islands<\/strong>, of which approximately 430 are inhabited<\/strong>.<\/p>

Of these, 5 main islands<\/strong> (Hokkaid\u014d<\/strong>, Honsh\u016b<\/strong>, Shikoku<\/strong>, Ky\u016bsh\u016b<\/strong> and Okinawa<\/strong> Island<\/strong>) concentrate the bulk of its population and landmass, whereas the remaining 6,847 islands are smaller and mostly uninhabited.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Image source: legacy.lib.utexas.edu<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

In addition to the 5 main islands, Japan has two major archipelagos:<\/strong>
the Nanp\u014d Islands <\/strong>and the Nansei (Ry\u016b-Ky\u016b) Islands<\/strong>, island chains that extend respectively far to the south of the main Islands of Honsh\u016b, and to the southwest of the main island of Ky\u016bsh\u016b.<\/p>

Some of the largest other islands<\/strong> located near the main islands of Japan include the islands of Rishiri<\/strong> (near Hokkaid\u014d), Sado<\/strong> and Oki<\/strong> (Sea of Japan, near Honsh\u016b), Awaji<\/strong> (Inner Sea, between Honsh\u016b and Shikoku), Tsushima<\/strong>, Got\u014d<\/strong>, and Amakusa Islands<\/strong> (near Ky\u016bsh\u016b).<\/p>

Please note some smaller islands\/islets claimed by Japan, such as the Senkaku\/Diaoyu Islands, the Northern Territories (Kuril islands) and the Liancourt Rocks, are subject to territorial disputes<\/strong> with China, Russia and South Korea respectively.<\/p>

Japan is the largest island-country in East Asia,<\/strong> and also ranks as the 4th largest island country in the world.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Geographical Position<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Length and latitude<\/strong>
<\/strong><\/h2>

The Japanese archipelago is shaped like a long and narrow crescent<\/strong>, curving to the west over a length of roughly 3,000\u00a0km from north to south<\/strong>.<\/p>

The north-to-southwardly arc created reaches from the subarctic latitudes<\/strong> of Sea of Okhotsk down to the subtropical latitudes<\/strong> of the Philippine Sea in the Pacific Ocean, yet all the Japanese islands are located in the northern hemisphere, firmly above the equatorial plane.<\/p>

Japan\u2019s highly distinctive crescent shape means that north and east<\/em> and west and south<\/em> are often mixed in Japanese place names<\/strong>, especially on the main islands, since the southern parts effectively stretch to the west, whereas the northern parts are effectively to the east).<\/p>

The Japanese archipelago spans from approximately 46\u00b0 north<\/strong> from to the northern tip of Hokkaid\u014d, to 24\u00b0 south<\/strong> at the Nansei islands\u2019 most southern landmass, Yonaguni<\/strong> island (20\u00b0<\/strong> if we include the extreme southern latitude of the tiny Okinotorishima atoll <\/strong>in the Nanp\u014d islands).<\/p>

On the latitudinal plane<\/strong>, Japan covers 2,788 km<\/strong> from the northernmost island of Bentenjima to the southernmost island of Okinotorishima.
On the longitudinal<\/strong> plane<\/strong>, Japan covers 3, 146 km<\/strong> from the easternmost island of Minami-Torishima to the westernmost island of Yonaguni.<\/div>
\u00a0<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Taille et latitude relatives des \u00eeles principales du Japon<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Extreme Points<\/strong><\/h2>

\u00a0<\/strong>Looking more closely at the extreme points defining Japanese latitudes, the country reaches a northern latitude of 45\u00b031′ N<\/strong> in the Cape S\u014dya \/ Bentenjima area, which is the most northern point on the island of Hokkaid\u014d (there are other extreme points further north, but they are on islands currently subject to territorial disputes with the Russian Federation).<\/p>

The 45\u00b0 parallel north<\/strong> runs roughly near the towns of Grenoble in France, Turin in Italy in Europe or the New York \/Quebec states border in the North America or Inner Mongolia in China.<\/p>

In the southern latitudes, extreme points include, to the south-west, a latitude of 24\u00b026\u2019 <\/strong>reached at Cape Irizaki, at the western end of Yonaguni island, which is itself part of the Yaeyama Islands group, located at the far end of the Ry\u016b-Ky\u016b archipelago (Okinawa Prefecture).
This point is roughly 110 km from the island of Taiwan (which is visible from Yonaguni on a clear day).<\/p>

The 24\u00b0 parallel north<\/strong> runs roughly through Yunnan in China, Manipur in India, Oman, Egypt, or the Baja-California peninsula in Mexico.<\/p>

Other extreme points are located on remote islands\/islets in the Philippine Sea, including, at the southern end of the Nanp\u014d archipelago, the Okinotorishima atoll<\/strong> (where 2 islets and a semi-articifial dry area serve as a research station on the reef) which is at an extreme southern latitude of<\/strong> 20\u00b025\u2019 north.<\/strong><\/p>

The 20\u00b0 parallel north<\/strong> runs roughly through the town of Chiang Rai in Thailand, the Odisha State in India, Mexico or Quintana Roo States in Mexico, Cuba or Big Island in Hawaii.<\/p>

For more information on Japan\u2019s various extreme points and their status, see this entry<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t