Knowra Japanese archipelago Japanese archipelago The island chain east of the Asian mainland that forms Japan’s main territory, extending from Hokkaido through Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu to the Ryukyu Islands.
Honshu : The largest Japanese island, containing Tokyo and most of Japan’s population and major cities. It is the archipelago’s central and most populous island.
Japan Trench : A deep ocean trench east of northeastern Honshu, where the Pacific Plate descends beneath the Okhotsk microplate. Subduction along it drives major earthquakes off northeastern Japan.
Japanese Sea : A marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, the Korean Peninsula, and the Russian Far East. Its opening accompanied the separation of Japan from continental Asia.
Seto Inland Sea : A sheltered sea between Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, connected to the Pacific and Sea of Japan. Its protected waters became a major route between the main islands.
Japanese geography : The study of Japan’s physical landscapes, climate, population, and spatial relationships. It places the island chain within the country’s broader geographic patterns.
Hokkaido : The northernmost of Japan’s four main islands, separated from Honshu by the Tsugaru Strait. It anchors the archipelago’s northern end.
Nankai Trough : A submarine trench south of Japan where the Philippine Sea Plate subducts beneath southwestern Japan. Its subduction zone lies beside the archipelago’s densely populated Pacific coast.
Back-arc basin : A basin formed behind a volcanic arc as a subducting plate causes extension in the overriding plate. Back-arc extension helped create the sea separating Japan from the mainland.
Tsugaru Strait : The strait separating Hokkaido from Honshu and connecting the Sea of Japan with the Pacific Ocean. It is a decisive maritime passage between two main islands.
Japanese coastal settlements : Communities built along Japan’s shores, where access to the sea meets exposure to coastal hazards. The archipelago’s long coastline concentrates settlement near the water.
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