A little smaller than France or California
4 major islands
Hokkaidō
*Honshū
Shikoku
*Kyūshū
Mountainous
Mount Fuji
Ice age settlement, 13,000 BCE
Rice agriculture, 3rd c. BCE
France 67.8 million
California 37.2 million
Modern Ethnicities
Japanese
Korean
Ainu
Siberian origin?
20,000 left
Okinawan
4 major islands
Mountainous
Social Consequences
Insulated from outside
100 mi. to Korea
500 mi. to China
English channel, 20 mi.
Internal dialectical diversity
Tokyo dialect standard
16% of land arable
1/8 of acre/person in modern times
Lack of domesticated animals
Modern imports
98% of oil
95% of iron ore
Sea
Temperate climate
Plentiful rainfall
Irrigated fields
Double cropping
Fertilizers
70% of food produced domestically (100% in premodern era)
Denser population than Europe
