GEOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OP JAPAN 3 



country. Gullies, raviues and valleys are cut, through which flows a 

 complicated network of streams. The islands are thus very moun- 

 tainous and hilly. Their topography is highly complicated and the 

 gradient is generally very steep. 



Rivers are commonly short in the islands, and the largest does 

 not exceed 400 km. in length They often form torrents and rapids, 

 affording scenic beauties everywhere. In mountain districts, and even 

 in the plains, the river beds are commonly stony or are coveVed by 

 gravels, through which braided streams make their way. Water traffic 

 is very inconvenient, and boats are admitted within certain limits only 

 in the lower courses of the rivers. On the other hand, these rivers 

 afford excellent facilities for hydro-electric i)lants, which are found 

 everywhere in the mountain districts of the country. The total aujount 

 of white coal available is estimated at 8,230,000 horse power, of 

 which only 18^ is utilized at present. 



Plains are less extensive in countries like this. They are found 

 occasionally along the sea-coast as well as along the banks of large 

 rivers. Sometimes they ai'e well developed in delta districts, where 

 they are generally fertile and densely populated. Most of the large 

 cities of this country are located in such plains. In the mountain 

 districts, we often meet with depressed basins of tectonic origin, like 

 those in northwestern Japan or in the Kinki district in central Honshu. 

 Sometimes lakes nestle among the mountains, as in the cases of the 

 well-known Lakes Biwa and Inawashiro. 



As the Japanese islands extend through about 30 degrees of 

 latitude, or from the tropic nearly to the frigid zone, the climate 

 varies considerably. In Taiwan and Ryukyu flourish tropical and 

 subtropical vegetations, while in Karafuto and Chishima we find 

 uninhabited forests of conifer trees amidst severe arctic cold. An 

 oceanic climate, however, prevails everywhere in the country, and the 

 precipitation is generally very ])lentiful, so that most jiarts of the 

 country enjoy a very agreeable temperate clin]ate. The floral species 

 are rich in number and abundant in quantity flourishing in the 

 mountains and fields. The marine flora is also abundant along the 

 coast of the islands, esjiecially in the Pacific Ocean. Well cultivated 

 farms in the low j)lains, and even sometimes far u}) the hillsides, 

 and rich forests of various kinds of trees on the mountains, tell us 

 of the fertility of the land. 



The coast line is more developed along tlie Pacific Ocean than 



