Japan Map – Islands, Earthquakes, Ageing Population and Industrial Belt
GeographyRegions & CountriesAges 16–17
Use it with your class: students open it from a link or a QR code, with no account needed.
Next in Regions & Countries
An interactive map of Japan built from latitude/longitude coordinates, showing the four main islands Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and the Okinawa island chain. Click an island to see its area, population and share of GDP; turn on the earthquake layer to see major earthquakes and the Pacific Ring of Fire; drag the year slider through 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020 to track national population and watch the share aged 65 and over rise from 12% to nearly 29%, a clear picture of population ageing.
Lesson: Location, natural conditions, population, society and economy of Japan
What it shows
Japan is an island arc on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where several tectonic plates converge; subduction causes frequent earthquakes, tsunamis and active volcanoes. Mountains cover most of the land, so people and industry crowd onto narrow coastal plains, especially along the Pacific coast of Honshu from Tokyo through Nagoya to Osaka. The map compares the four main islands by area, population and share of GDP, and national data from 1990 to 2020 show population ageing: the share aged 65 and over more than doubled, while the total population peaked around 2010 and then began to fall.
How to use
Start on the Physical layer and click each island to compare its area, then switch to Population and Economy to compare each island's share of people and GDP. Turn on Show major earthquakes and Ring of Fire, and Show cities and industrial centres, to see how hazards and industry are distributed. Press Run or change the year to follow the national population and the share aged 65 and over.
Parameters you can change
- Data layer Physical – island area, Population – population by island, Economy – share of national GDP
- National population data year Year 1990, Year 2000, Year 2010, Year 2020
- Selected island View whole country, Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu
- Show major earthquakes and Ring of Fire
- Show cities and industrial centres
Questions to explore
- Why does Japan experience so many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions?
- Which island has the largest share of GDP, and how is this linked to its population and coastline?
- How did the share of people aged 65 and over change from 1990 to 2020, and what problems can this cause?
