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Japan

Japan is an island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula. This is a very strategic geographic location in northeast Asia. The area is slightly smaller than California, with a population in July of 2007 of 127,433,494. Japan has fertility rate of 1.23 children born per woman, which explains why the population is not growing but is actually shrinking. The population growth rate is a negative 0.088% with 8.1 births per 1,000 of population. (CIA)
The climate in Japan varies from the south to the north. In the south the climate is a tropical temperate and in the north the climate is a cool temperate. The terrain in Japan is mostly rugged and mountainous. Volcanoes, both dormant and active, are a natural hazard in Japan. There are about 1.500 seismic occurrences every year. Japan also has problems tsunamis and typhoons. (CIA)
Japans natural resources include a very small amount of minerals and fish. Agriculture is 1.5% of the gross domestic product. Japan's agricultural products include rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit, pork, poultry, dairy products, eggs, and fish. The majority of the Japanese people, 73.3% earn a living working in the service industry. The low production of food causes Japan to "import 55% of its food based on a caloric basis." (CIA) Japan is one of the largest consumers of fish and tropical timber. The high consumption of these resources is part of the reason these resources are being depleted in Asia. (CIA)
Some of the environmental issues in Japan are air pollution from power plant emissions, acid rain, acidification of lakes and reservoirs, degrading water quality, and threatening aquatic life. Japan is a partner in many international agreements to help solve these environmental issues. (CIA)
The Japanese government is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government. The capital of Japan is Tokyo. The 2007 estimated unemployment rate in Japan was 3.8%....