Evening star., 1941-11-23
Natures Part in Creating Vital Reqions of the World
VII
Japan, an Empire
Spun to World Power
From SIken Threads

This is the Seuenth OF series
OF informative articles and maps
on the fascinating geographic
background OF 1Uorld areas in the
retUs OF today. At the request of
The Sunday Star, the National
Geographic Society. as part OF
its many educational activities,
has prepared the basic data and
accompanying maps from, its rich
resources OF geographic kno,cl-
edge and surveys. By clipping
this series from Ueek to iUeok
adults and school pupils may ac-
Qutre gazetteer for permanent
reference and Interpretation of
7aetDs dispatches.
tCopyright, National Geographic Society,"
Most valuable livestock" in Japan
is the sllkworm, which grows fat on
mulberry leaves and then spins a
cocoon yielding as much as a half
mile of pure silk fiber!
In the crowded mountainous Jap
aneSe islands one of the silk worm s
chief advantages is its tiny size.
Farmers cannot raise many cattle,
sheep or hogs because those animals
require too much land. But hun
dreds of silkWorms can be tended on
a small tray; farmers who produce
silk often keep the trays in their own
homes.
That Is why the production of silk
thread is such a convenient industry
for densely- populated Japan. And
the silk industry is an important
reason why, in less than a century,
Japan changed from an isolated,
self-suficient country to world
power.
When Commodore Matthew c.
Perry and United States naval
squadron visited Japan in 1853 for
eigners had been shut out of the
islands for 200 years, and natives
had been forbidden to leave the
shores. Perry brought home
treaty Of friendship and commerce,
and American trade with Japan
began.
The basis Of that trade ever since
has been the expectation of Japa-
nese raw silk for manufacture in the
United States.
To understand silks unique role in
Japan's amazingly rapid advance
look first at the country's geographic
position. There are four major
islands, as the accompanying map
shows. The maps inset shows how
groups OF japanese iSlands-hun-
dreds of them-are strung nearly
5000 miles along Asia's Pacific coast,
north of the Philippines and south
of Siberia's Kamchatka Peninsula.
Chosen (Korea), on the Asiatic
mainland, is governed as a japanese
province. The nearby Kwantung
Peninsula Is leased by Japan from
China.
Japan sometimes Is called the
Britain of the Orient" because of
geographic similarities between the
two countries. Both the British
Isles and the Japanese islands lie
close to continental shores. Their
rugged coasts provide fine natural
harbors. Good fishing grounds are
near at hand. Both island groups
are at the end of important shipping
lanes. Much of Japan has a tenn
perature range and climate like that
of Great Britain. factor in making
the people industrious.
Economically, however, Japan has
two big disadvantages: 1t possesses
few natural resources. and not
enough good land to raise sufficient
food for its expanding population.
Low-grade coal and copper are
mined. but there is little iron. lead
and zinc, and only a small amount
of oil.
There are so many mountains,
volcanoes and forests that only about
one-sixth of the islands surface is
suitable for farming. Yet more
than half the people engage in