Japan has been known by many names throughout its history. It is called Nihon or Nippon in Japanese, which means “sun origin” or “land of the rising sun” and was named so due to its location in relation to China and Korea.
Japan is a large island nation in East Asia. It is located in the Pacific Ocean, just to the east of China and Korea. The country has an area of 377,355 square miles (935,000 square kilometers), making it the world’s tenth largest country by land mass. It is an archipelago of 6,852 islands. The four largest are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku. The capital of Japan is Tokyo. The capital city of Japan is Tokyo, which is also known as Tokyo Metropolis or Tokyo Prefecture.
The earliest known inhabitants were the Jomon people who lived around 14,000 years ago. They were followed by the Yayoi people who arrived from Korea around 400 BC and were responsible for developing agriculture in Japan through their farming techniques. They also made pottery and bronze mirrors that have been found at archaeological sites dating back to this period in Japan’s history.
The Japanese language is spoken by about 127 million people in Japan and another 10 million or so elsewhere. The Japanese are known for their politeness and friendliness.
Japan’s economy is the third largest in the world after USA and China. Japan has the second highest GDP per capita in the world behind Qatar.
