page_title: Outline of Japan
section_title: Environment of Japan
hierarchical_section_title: Outline of Japan / Geography of Japan / Environment of Japan
caption_attribution_description: Satellite image of Japan in May 2003. The islands of Japan are shown clearly off the coast of North and South Korea, China, and Russia in this true-color image. Running down through the islands are a string of mountains that make up part of the Pacific â€œRing of Fire.â€ The Ring of Fire is a zone of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that stretches in a series of arcs from New Zealand, through Indonesia, up through the Philippines, Japan, the Kuril Islands and Kamchatka Peninsula (Russia), across the Pacific Ocean via the Aleutian Islands, and down the coast of the Americas. Seventy-five percent of the worldâ€™s volcanoes are in this ring, making it the most volcanically-active region on the planet. Also shown in this image are a number of fires, which are marked with red dots. A few fires were detected in Japan, China, and North Korea, but the majority were detected in Russiaâ€™s Primorskiy-Kray region. This true-color Aqua MODIS image was acquired on May 1, 2003.
context_page_description: The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Japan:
  Japan – an island nation in East Asia, located in the Pacific Ocean. It lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south. The characters that make up Japan's name mean "sun-origin", which is why Japan is sometimes referred to as the "Land of the Rising Sun". Japan is an archipelago of 6,852 islands. The four largest islands are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku, which together comprise about ninety-seven percent of Japan's land area.
context_section_description: Environment of Japan
  Climate of Japan
  Climate change in Japan
  Environmental issues in Japan
  Ecoregions in Japan
  Energy in Japan
  Geology of Japan
  National parks of Japan
  Tsunami
  Wildlife of Japan
  Flora of Japan
  Fauna of Japan
  Birds of Japan
  Mammals of Japan
caption: An enlargeable satellite image of Japan
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