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Geography Quiz - Case Study Japan 01 (Questions)

How much do you know about Japan? Test yourself in this KS3 Geography quiz case studying Japan. The characters that make up Japan's name mean 'sun-origin' (because it lies to the east of nearby countries), which is why Japan is sometimes referred to as the 'Land of the Rising Sun'. It is an island nation made up of at least a thousand individual islands. Most of these are very small, but the main four are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. Tokyo is the capital city and has the highest population in Japan. Yokohama is the port for Tokyo and is the second most populated city.

About three-quarters of the land is mountainous and forested and cannot be used for agriculture, industry or residential housing. This means that the population is squashed into narrow strips of flatter coastal land. Japan is one of the most densly populated countries in the world. There is some agriculture, helped by building terraces into the mountain sides. These are narrow strips of flat land cut out of the slopes and often supported by walls. The climate of Japan is very varied, and in the late summer and early autumn, typhoons moving in from the Pacific ocean can bring very heavy rainfall.

1. Japan is made up of how many main islands?
[ ] 3
[ ] 4
[ ] 5
[ ] 6
2. In autumn the south is commonly hit by what?
[ ] Meteors
[ ] Sandstorms
[ ] Snowstorms
[ ] Typhoons
3. Which is the country's largest island?
[ ] Hokkaido
[ ] Honshu
[ ] Kyushu
[ ] Shikoku
4. What is the capital of Japan?
[ ] Kyoto
[ ] Nagasaki
[ ] Osaka
[ ] Tokyo
5. Japan lies on which body of water?
[ ] Atlantic Ocean
[ ] Indian Ocean
[ ] Pacific Ocean
[ ] Yellow Sea
6. What is the Shinkansen?
[ ] A volcano
[ ] An electronics company
[ ] Bullet train
[ ] Japanese National Bank
7. Which statement is true about Mount Fuji, Japan's highest mountain?
[ ] It has three peaks
[ ] It is a dormant volcano
[ ] It is the world's 2nd highest mountain
[ ] It lies on an island
8. Lying on Tokyo Bay, what is Japan's chief port?
[ ] Hiroshima
[ ] Nagoya
[ ] Sapporo
[ ] Yokohama
9. Most of the major cities are located where?
[ ] In the centre of Honshu
[ ] In the north
[ ] In the south
[ ] On flat coastal plains
10. Level strips of land cut out of hillsides for farming are called what?
[ ] Bonsais
[ ] Levees
[ ] Terraces
[ ] Transects
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Geography Quiz - Case Study Japan 01 (Answers)
1. Japan is made up of how many main islands?
[ ] 3
[x] 4
[ ] 5
[ ] 6
Japan is an archipelago - a collection of islands
2. In autumn the south is commonly hit by what?
[ ] Meteors
[ ] Sandstorms
[ ] Snowstorms
[x] Typhoons
Typhoons are a type of tropical storm, they are the equivalent of hurricanes in the Atlantic ocean
3. Which is the country's largest island?
[ ] Hokkaido
[x] Honshu
[ ] Kyushu
[ ] Shikoku
It is connected to the other islands by bridges and tunnels
4. What is the capital of Japan?
[ ] Kyoto
[ ] Nagasaki
[ ] Osaka
[x] Tokyo
Kyoto was the capital until the 1860s
5. Japan lies on which body of water?
[ ] Atlantic Ocean
[ ] Indian Ocean
[x] Pacific Ocean
[ ] Yellow Sea
The Pacific is the largest and deepest of the Earth's oceans
6. What is the Shinkansen?
[ ] A volcano
[ ] An electronics company
[x] Bullet train
[ ] Japanese National Bank
Bullet trains can reach over 180mph
7. Which statement is true about Mount Fuji, Japan's highest mountain?
[ ] It has three peaks
[x] It is a dormant volcano
[ ] It is the world's 2nd highest mountain
[ ] It lies on an island
It last erupted in the 1700s and is considered sacred
8. Lying on Tokyo Bay, what is Japan's chief port?
[ ] Hiroshima
[ ] Nagoya
[ ] Sapporo
[x] Yokohama
The Port of Yokohama was officially opened on June 2, 1859 and Japan began trading with the USA
9. Most of the major cities are located where?
[ ] In the centre of Honshu
[ ] In the north
[ ] In the south
[x] On flat coastal plains
Almost 75% of Japan is covered by high land
10. Level strips of land cut out of hillsides for farming are called what?
[ ] Bonsais
[ ] Levees
[x] Terraces
[ ] Transects
The same solution for farming has been used in mountainous areas throughout the world