Geography - Japan and the World
Geography - Japan and the World
This domain tests regional geography: Japan's position and territory, climate divisions, landforms, industry and population, plus world regions and map reading.
Core rules and concepts
- Japan lies roughly 20°–46°N, 122°–154°E, with four main islands and thousands of small islands; 47 prefectures. Gunma is landlocked and belongs to the Kantō region.
- Climate: Hokkaido is subarctic; most of Japan is humid subtropical. The Pacific side has wet summers, typhoons and little snow; the Sea of Japan side has heavy winter snow from monsoon winds crossing the warm sea. The Seto Inland Sea is relatively dry; the Central Highlands have large temperature ranges.
- Mountains cover about three-quarters of the land; plains are small. Major plains are Kantō, Nōbi and Osaka. Rivers are short and steep; the Tone River is longest.
- Industry concentrates in the Pacific Belt. Gunma makes transport equipment, electronics and food; agriculture includes konjac and cabbage, and silk was historically important.
- Population is about 126 million (2020 census), declining and aging; Tokyo is largest, while rural prefectures lose people.
Worked example
Why does Gunma have hotter summers and colder winters than Niigata at a similar latitude? Gunma is inland, so the sea's moderating effect is absent. In winter, mountains block moist Sea of Japan air, giving clear, cold, dry weather. In summer, inland heating raises temperatures. The reasoning uses location, relief and wind direction, not latitude alone.
Traps
Confusing Pacific-side and Sea-of-Japan-side climates; treating Gunma as coastal; ignoring map scale or contour intervals; mixing prefecture names; assuming all of Japan is snowy.