Japan 高校2年 Geography: Inquiry

1. Systematic geography

Natural environment: landforms, climate, ecosystems · Resources and industry · Transport, communication, tourism · Population, cities and villages · Lifestyles, ethnicity and religion

• Climate Zones of the World – Climate is the average weather of a place over about 30 years. It depends mainly on latitude (how high the Sun climbs), altitude (about 6.5 °C cooler per km up), distance from the sea, winds and ocean currents. Using these, the Köppen system sorts the world into five groups: A tropical, B dry, C temperate, D continental and E polar, plus highland climates on high mountains. Monsoon climates have winds that change direction with the seasons.
• Minerals and Energy Resources – Minerals are natural substances found in rocks. They are metallic (ferrous or non-ferrous), non-metallic, or energy minerals. Energy comes from conventional sources like coal, petroleum, natural gas and electricity, and from non-conventional sources like sun, wind, nuclear, biogas, tides and heat from the Earth. Both minerals and energy must be conserved.
• Lifelines of National Economy – Transport, communication and trade connect producers with consumers and join the country together, like blood vessels in a body. India has roads, railways, pipelines, waterways, ports and airways. Communication carries messages; trade exchanges goods within and between countries. Tourism is also a trade that earns money and jobs.
• Transport and Communication in the World – Transport moves people and goods; communication moves messages. Roads are best for short, door-to-door trips, and highways join far cities. Transcontinental railways cross whole continents, like the Trans-Siberian. Sea routes carry most world trade, and ship canals like Suez and Panama save long detours. Inland waterways such as the Rhine and the St Lawrence Seaway carry heavy goods deep inland. Air transport is fastest but costly, pipelines carry oil and gas nonstop, and satellites and the internet move information across the world in seconds.
• Human Settlements: Rural and Urban Types, Evolution of Towns, Urbanisation and Smart Cities – A settlement is any group of homes where people live, from a single hut to a big city. Rural settlements depend on farming and other primary work; urban settlements depend on industry, trade and services. Villages can be clustered, semi-clustered, hamleted or dispersed. Indian towns grew in three periods: ancient, medieval and modern. The urban share rose from 11% in 1901 to 31% in 2011. Towns are grouped by their main job: administrative, industrial, transport, commercial, mining, garrison, educational, religious and tourist. The Smart Cities Mission (2015) aims to make 100 cities cleaner, safer and easier to live in.

2. Regional geography

Regional divisions of the world · Regions of the world

Coming soon

3. Japan's future national land

Inquiry into a sustainable national land

Coming soon