Japan

Location of Japan

Japan (officially Nippon-koku or Nihon-koku) is an archipelago, comprising over 3,000 islands,^[1] in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, the People's Republic of 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 four largest islands — Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū, and Shikoku — together accounts for 97% of Japan's land area. Most of the islands are mountainous, with many volcanoes. Japan has the world's 10th largest population, with about 128 million people. The Greater Tokyo Area, which includes the de facto capital city of Tokyo and several surrounding prefectures, is the largest metropolitan area in the world, with over 30 million residents. A major economic power,^[1] Japan has the world's 2nd largest economy by nominal GDP and the 3rd largest in purchasing power parity. It is also the world's 4th largest exporter and 6th largest importer. A developed country with high living standards (8th highest HDI), Japan has the longest life expectancy in the world (according to UN estimates).^[1] The characters which make up Japan's name mean "sun-origin", which is why Japan is sometimes identified as the "Land of the Rising Sun".

2. History: Archaeological research indicates that people were living on the islands of Japan as early as the Upper Paleolithic period. The first written mention of Japan begins with brief appearances in Chinese history texts from the 1st century AD. Japan's history is characterized by influences from the outside world, followed by long periods of isolation. Since adopting its constitution in 1947, it has maintained a unitary constitutional monarchy with an emperor and an elected parliament, the Diet. more... at Wikipedia