Question

How was the island of Japan formed?

Answer 1

Hint: Japan is a country in East Asia which is an archipelago made up of 6852 islands in the northwest pacific ocean. The country spans over an area of 377,975 sq. km and the five main islands in the country are— Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and Okinawa. It is the eleventh most populated country in the world. About 73% of Japan has mountainous terrain and thus, most of the population occupies the coastal plains.

Complete answer: The islands of Japan have formed over 450 million years ago due to the subduction of the Philippine sea plate and the Pacific Plate beneath the continental plates in the south and north respectively. Western Japan was the coastal part of Eurasia but about 23 million years ago, the subjecting plates pulled it eastwards leaving the opening in the middle as the Sea of Japan. Other parts like Tohoku and Hokkaido have uplifted from the seafloor over 11 million years ago. Modern-day Japan is situated in the volcanic region of the Pacific Ring of Fire and often experiences earthquakes and tsunamis caused by tremors and volcanic activities.

Note: Most regions of Japan are located in the temperate zone. The southern islands like the Hokkaido experience a humid subtropical climate. The country overall experiences hot humid weather with high rainfall between June and September. Japan has a large forest cover of over 68% because the mountainous regions are heavily forested. The Shinano River is the longest river in Japan extending up to 367 km.