Japan: Population and Physiography

Japan is a country which is slightly smaller in total area than the state of California [jponus] but with a total population of 127.2 million (about half that of the entire United States-273.5 million). This results in an arithmetic population density of more than 874 people per square mile [ArithDen]. This is over 11 times the population density of the United States.

But japan is a mountainous country [elevation]. Seventy-five percent of the land is too steep for agriculture. Therefore, the physiologic population density [PhysDen] is approximately 5,800 people per square mile of arable land.

Japan is a crowded country, yet forests cover 65% of its area. In other words, Japan's 127 million people are crowded onto a land area the size of the state of Indiana.

The people of Japan live in dispersed narrow river valley and coastal plains [Ecumene]. A comparison of five criteria which explain where most people live [criteria] with the map of Japan's ecumene show that flat terrain [elevation] and coastal locations best describe Japan's population pattern [Ecumene] .