JAPAN
Country Profile: Japan
 Capital: Tokyo (largest urbanized area with 36 million)
 Area: 377,915 sq. kms; 62nd largest in the world
 Population: 127,103,388 (July 2014 estimate); 11th
largest in the world
 Major cities: Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Kobe,
Kyoto, Fukuoka-shi, Kawasaki, Saitama
 Major rivers:
• Shinano (longest)
• Tone (largest watershed)
• Mogami, Fuji, Kuma (most rapid rivers)
 Highest Point: Fujiyama (3,776 mts)
 Lowest Point: Hachirogata (-4 mts)
Country Profile: Japan
 Currency: Yen
 Ethnicity: Japanese 98.5%, Koreans 0.5%, Chinese 0.4%, others 0.6%
 Religion: Shintoism, Buddhism, Christianity
 Major Languages: Japanese (99%)
• Ryukyuan languages (Amami, Kunigami, Okinawan, Miyako, Yaeyama,
Yonaguni), also part of the Japonic language family, are spoken in the
Ryukyu Islands chain
 Land Boundaries: none
 Coastline: 29,751 Kms.
 Climate: varies from tropical in south to temperate in the north
 Terrain: Mostly rugged mountains
 The islands of Japan are located on the Ring of Fire, and as a result suffer
from frequent, violent earthquakes and some serious volcanic activity.
 There are a total of 108 active volcanoes within Japan's archipelago, most of
which provoke devastating earthquakes and tsunamis several times every
century.
Country Profile: Japan
 The territory of Japan is about 378,000 Sq. Kms.
• Countries much larger than Japan (times)
• Russia： 45.2
Canada: 26.4
• China： 25.4
Brazil： 22.5
• Countries somewhat larger than Japan (times)
• Thailand： 1.4
France: 1.5
• Spain： 1.3
Iraq： 1.2
• Countries somewhat smaller than Japan (times)
• Vietnam: 0.9
Malaysia: 0.9
• Germany: 0.9
Finland: 0.9
• New Zealand: 0.7
United Kingdom: 0.6
 National Symbols:
• Animal:
Raccoon Dog
• Bird:
Green Pheasant, Red-crowned Crane
• Fruit:
Lychee
• Tree:
Cherry blossom
The USA： 25.5
Australia： 20.5
Sweden： 1.2
Morocco: 1.2
Italy: 0.8
Poland: 0.9
Norway: 1.0
Country Profile: Japan
 Location: Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean
and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula
 Formally known as Nippon-koku, Nihon-koku (the state of Japan)
• Wa or Wakoku (before Nihon became official)
 Also referred to as ‘Land of the Rising Sun’
 Japan is a stratovolcanic archipelago of 6,852 islands
 Japan is a Shimaguni (island country)
 The four largest islands (Home Islands) - Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu,
and Shikoku (97% of Japan's land area)
 Honshū's Greater Tokyo Area, which includes the de facto capital of
Tokyo and several surrounding prefectures, is the largest metropolitan
area in the world, with over 30 million residents
 Superimposing on a map of the east coast of North America at the
same latitudes, Japan would stretch from northern Maine, or
Montreal, to almost the Gulf of Mexico
• Sapporo City in north Japan is situated at about the same latitude as Boston
• Okinawa, in southern Japan is situated at about the same latitude as Miami
Country Profile: Japan
 Honshū's Greater Tokyo Area, which includes the de facto capital of
Tokyo and several surrounding prefectures, is the largest
metropolitan area in the world, with over 30 million residents
 Consists of 47 prefectures, each overseen by an elected governor
 About 73% of Japan is forested, mountainous, and unsuitable for
agricultural, industrial, or residential use
 Natural resources: small deposits of coal, oil, iron, and minerals.
Major fishing industry.
 Major Exports: motor vehicles; semiconductors; iron and steel
products; auto parts; plastic materials; power generating machinery
 Major Imports: petroleum; liquid natural gas; clothing;
semiconductors; coal; audio and visual apparatus (2011 est)
 Seikan Tunnel linking Honshu to Hokkaido is the world’s deepest
operational railroad tunnel at 54 kms. (33 miles), with 23.3 km
(14.5 mi) long portion under the seabed. (longest until 2010)
• Line 3 of the Guangzhou Metro’s central tunnel has been longer since 2010
• Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland will be longer when it opens in 2016
INDONESIA
Sang Saka Merah-Putih,
Bendera MerahPutih or Merah-Putih
Country Profile: Indonesia
Country Profile: Indonesia
Country Profile: Indonesia
National Monument
Derawan Islands in
East Kalimantan Islands
Tana Toraja (south Sulawesi) traditional ancestral houses (tongkonan)
Raja Ampat - Wayag, the cluster of
volcanic rock sticking out of the ocean
Bali
Country Profile: Indonesia
Mount Semeru (in background) and
Mount Bromo (in foreground)
Stupas at Borobudur
Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave) on the island
of Bali depict leaves, waves, animals, and
demons
Country Profile: Indonesia
 Capital: Jakarta
 Area: 1,904,569 sq. kms; 15th largest in the world
 Population: 253,609,643 (July 2014 estimate); 5th largest in the world
 Major cities: Surabaja, Bandung, Bekasi, Medan, Tangerang, Depok, Semarang, Palembang
 Major rivers:
• Kapuas (1,143 kms / 710 miles) in Kalimantan is longest river flowing from north-central mountains to the South China Sea.
• Other rivers include Barito, Mahakham, Rajang (Kalimantan); Batanghari, Musi, Indragiri, Kampar (Sumatra); Solo, Tarum,
Brantas (Java); Mamberamo, Digul (Papua)
 Deserts: None
 Highest Point: Puncak Jaya (5,030 mts)
 Lowest Point: Indian Ocean (0 mts)
Country Profile: Indonesia
 Currency: Indonesian Rupiah (IDR)
 Ethnicity: Javanese (45%), Sundanese (14%), Madurese (7.5%), coastal Malays (7.5%), others (26%)
 Religion: Muslim (88%), Protestant (5%), Catholic (3%), Hindu (2%), Buddhism (1%)
 Major Languages: Bahasa Indonesia (modified form of Malay), English, Dutch, Javanese, Sundanese, Madurese, Malay
 Land Boundaries: Timor-Leste (253 km), Malaysia (1,881 km), Papua New Guinea (824 km)
 Coastline: 54,716 Kms on the Indian Ocean, Strait of Malacca, South China Sea, Java Sea, Sulawesi Sea, Maluku Sea, Pacific
Ocean, Arafura Sea, Timor Sea
 Climate: Lying along the equator, Indonesia's climate tends to be relatively even year-round. Tropical; hot, humid; more
moderate in highlands
 Terrain: mostly coastal lowlands; larger islands have interior mountains
 Natural Resources: Petroleum and natural gas, coal, timber. Other significant minerals are bauxite, copper, gold, iron,
manganese, nickel, sulfur, silver, tin
Country Profile: Indonesia
 Greek indos—for India—and nesos—for island
 Citizens of Indonesia often refer to their country as "Tanah Air Kitah," "Our Land and Water," which illustrates importance
of seas surrounding the archipelago
 Location: an archipelagic island country in Southeast Asia, lying between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean (Largest
 Extends 5,120 kms. (3,181 mi) from east to west and 1,760 kms. (1,094 mi) from north to south
 It encompasses an estimated 17,508 islands, only 6,000 of which are inhabited.
 Comprise five main islands: Sumatra, Java, Borneo (Kalimantan), Sulawesi (Celebes), and New Guinea (Irian Jaya)
 Two major archipelagos - Nusa Tenggara and the Maluku Islands; and sixty smaller archipelagoes.
Country Profile: Indonesia
 Four of the islands are shared with other nations:
• Borneo is shared with Malaysia
• Brunei, Sebatik, located eastern coast of Kalimantan, shared with Malaysia
• Timor is shared with East Timor
• newly divided provinces of Papua and West Papua share the island of New Guinea with Papua New Guinea
 South of the island of Java is the lowest point in the Indian Ocean, the Java Trench, some 7,300 meters (24,000 feet) deep.
Between Timor and Australia is the Timor Trough, which is approximately 3,000 meters (9,842 feet) deep
 Geologically, Indonesia is located on intersections between two rings of fire and two plateau continent. Indonesia’s
geological location causes earthquakes and volcano eruptions often happened. However, the soil is fertile with rich volcanic
minerals thus agriculture has been the main source of living for the most people in rural.
Country Profile: Indonesia
 Major Industries: petroleum and natural gas, textiles, automotive, electrical appliances, apparel, footwear, mining, cement,
medical instruments and appliances, handicrafts, chemical fertilizers, plywood, rubber, processed food, jewelry, and tourism
 Major Exports: oil and gas, electrical appliances, plywood, textiles, rubber
 Major Imports: machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs
THAILAND
Country Profile: Thailand
National Research Council divides
Thailand into six geographical
regions:
• the North Region
• the Northeast Region
• the Central Region
• the East Region
• the West Region
• the South Region
Country Profile: Thailand
Ayuthaya was founded in 1350 AD by King U Thong as
the second capital of Siam after Sukhothai
Grand Palace started in 1782 when the capital of Siam was
moved from Thonburi to Bangkok
Chiang Mai, one of the top Thailand attractions, is a famous Night Bazaar that sprawls along several city blocks
along footpaths, inside buildings and temple grounds
Country Profile: Thailand
 Capital: Bangkok
 Area: 513,120 sq. kms; 51st largest in the world
 Population: 67,741,401; 21st largest in the world
 Major cities: Nonthaburi, Pak Kret, Hat Yai, Nakhon Ratchasima
 Major rivers: Two principal river systems:
• Chao Phraya (begins at the confluence of the Ping and Nan river at Nakhon Sawan and drains into Gulf of Thailand)
• Mekong (only river in Thailand that drains into South China Sea)
 Highest Point: Doi Inthanon (2,576 mts)
 Lowest Point: Gulf of Thailand (0 mts)
Country Profile: Thailand
 Currency: Thai Baht
 Ethnicity: Thai 95.9%, Burmese 2%, other 1.3%, unspecified 0.9% (2010 est.)
 Religion: Buddhist (official) 93.6%, Muslim 4.9%, Christian 1.2%, other 0.2%, none 0.1% (2010 est.)
 Major Languages: Thai (Official) spoken by 95.9%, Burmese (1.3%). English is secondary language
 Land Boundaries: Burma (1,800 km), Cambodia (803 km), Laos (1,754 km), Malaysia (506 km)
 Coastline: 3,219 Kms on the Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand
 Climate: tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September); dry, cool northeast monsoon
(November to mid-March); southern isthmus always hot and humid
 Terrain: central plain; Khorat Plateau in the east; mountains elsewhere
 Natural Resources: tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, gypsum, lignite, fluorite, arable land
Country Profile: Thailand
Major geographic regions:
• Northern mountainous region contains numerous ruins and temples, the ancient city of Chieng Mai, and Thailand's highest peak, Doi Inthanon; the
mountains extend along the Myanmar border down through the Kra Isthmus and the Malay Peninsula
• North-east occupies the semi-arid Korat plateau, which in some parts is extremely flat, and a few low but rugged and rocky hills, the Phu Phan Mountains
• Central Thailand is a natural self contaiined basin, which consists of the fertile plains surrounding Chao Phraya River, is “Rice bowl of Asia”
• Eastern Thailand lies between the Sankamphaeng Range, which forms the border of the Northeastern plateau to the north and the Gulf of Thailand to the
south. The western end of the Cardamom Mountains, known in Thailand as Thio Khao Banthat, extends into Eastern Thailand, characterized by short
mountain ranges alternating with small basins of short rivers which drain into the Gulf of Thailand. Fruit is a major component of agriculture in the area, and
tourism plays a strong part in the economy. The region's coastal location has helped promote the Eastern Seaboard industrial development, a major factor in
the economy of the region
• Western Thailand: Thailand's long mountainous border with Myanmar continues south from the North into Western Thailand with the Tenasserim Hills,
known in Thailand as Thio Khao Tanaosi, characterized by high mountains and steep river valleys, hosts much of Thailand's less-disturbed forest areas. Water
and minerals are also important natural resources; the region is home to many of the country's major dams, and mining is an important industry in the area..
• Southern region of Thailand, which stretches for hundreds of miles along the Malay peninsula, abounds with stunning beaches and scores of tropical islands,
including Phuket Island
Country Profile: Thailand
 Controls only land route from Asia to Malaysia and Singapore
 Thailand's congested capital city of Bangkok is located along the banks of the Chao Phraya, near the river's outlet into the
Bight of Bangkok and the Gulf of Thailand
 The geography of Thailand features many natural borders with neighboring countries: a mountainous border with Myanmar
(Burma) to the north and west; a long stretch of the Mekong River separating Thailand from Laos to the north and east; and
the Mekong River and the Dongrak Mountains delineating border of Cambodia to the east.
 Other rivers in Thailand include Bang Pakong, Phetchaburi, Mae Klong, Pran Buri, Khlong Kui, Tapi and Phum Duang, Pattani
Country Profile: Thailand
 Agricultural Products: rice, cassava (manioc, tapioca), rubber, corn, sugarcane, coconuts, soybeans
 Major Industries:
• tourism, textiles and garments, agricultural processing, beverages, tobacco, cement, light manufacturing such as jewelry and
electric appliances, computers and parts, integrated circuits, furniture, plastics, automobiles and automotive parts;
• world's second-largest tungsten producer
• third-largest tin producer
 Major Exports: electronics, computer parts, automobiles and parts, electrical appliances, machinery and equipment, textiles and
footwear, fishery products, rice, rubber
 Major Imports: capital goods, intermediate goods and raw materials, consumer goods, fuels
RUSSIA
Country Profile: Russia
Country Profile: Russia
Country Profile: Russia
Bolshoi Theatre
The Valley of Geysers, located in the Kamchatka
Peninsula, is also the world’s only geyser field and the
second largest concentration of geysers
Country Profile: Russia
 Capital: Moscow
 Area: 17,098,242 sq. kms; the largest in the world
 Population: 142,470,272 (10st largest in the world)
 Major cities: Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Kazan, Omsk, Chelyabinsk,
Rostov-on-Don, Ufa, Volgograd
 Major rivers:
• In Asia, important rivers are the Ob, Irtysh, Yenisey, Angara, Lena, Amur, Yana, Indigirka, Kolyma
 Highest Point: Gora Elbrus (5,633 mts) – also highest in Europe
 Lowest Point: Caspian Sea (-28 mts)
Country Profile: Russia
 Ethnicity: Russian 77.7%, Tatar 3.7%, Ukrainian 1.4%, Bashkir 1.1%, Chuvash 1%, Chechen 1%, other 10.2%, unspecified 3.9% (more than
190 ethnic groups – 2010 census)
 Religion: Russian Orthodox 15-20%, Muslim 10-15%, other Christian 2% (estimates are of practicing worshipers; Russia has large
populations of non-practicing believers and non-believers, a legacy of over seven decades of Soviet rule)
 Major Languages: Russian (official) 96.3%, Dolgang 5.3%, German 1.5%, Chechen 1%, Tatar 3%, other 10.3%
 Land Boundaries: Azerbaijan 338 km, Belarus 1,312 km, China (southeast) 4,133 km, China (south) 46 km, Estonia 324 km, Finland 1,309
km, Georgia 894 km, Kazakhstan 7,644 km, North Korea 18 km, Latvia 332 km, Lithuania (Kaliningrad Oblast) 261 km, Mongolia 3,452 km,
Norway 191 km, Poland (Kaliningrad Oblast) 209 km, Ukraine 1,944 km
 Coastline: 37,653 Kms
 Climate: ranges from steppes in the south through humid continental in much of European Russia; subarctic in Siberia to tundra climate in
polar north; winters vary from cool along Black Sea coast to frigid in Siberia; warm summers in steppes to cool along Arctic coast
 Terrain: broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous forest and tundra in Siberia; uplands and mountains along southern
border regions
 Natural Resources: major deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, and many strategic minerals, reserves of rare earth elements, timber
Country Profile: Russia
 Geographers traditionally divide the vast territory of Russia into five natural zones:
• Tundra zone
• Taiga or Forest zone
• Steppe, or Plains zone
• Arid zone
• Mountain zone.
 Most of Russia consists of two plains (the East European Plain and the West
Siberian Plain), two lowlands (the North Siberian and the Kolyma, in far
northeastern Siberia), two plateaus (the Central Siberian Plateau and the Lena
Plateau to its east), and a series of mountainous areas mainly concentrated in the
extreme northeast or extending intermittently along the southern border.
 Lake Baikal, the deepest lake in the world, is estimated to hold one fifth of the
world's fresh water
 Natural Hazards: permafrost over much of Siberia is a major impediment to
development; volcanic activity in the Kuril Islands; volcanoes and earthquakes on
the Kamchatka Peninsula; spring floods and summer/autumn forest fires
throughout Siberia and parts of European Russia
 Significant volcanic activity on the Kamchatka Peninsula and Kuril Islands; the
peninsula alone is home to some 29 historically active volcanoes, with dozens more
in the Kuril Islands
Country Profile: Russia
 There are about 120 ethnic groups in Russia who speak more than a hundred languages.
 Roughly 80 percent of Russians trace their ancestry to the Slavs who settled in the country 1,500 years ago. Other major
groups include Tatars, who came with the Mongol invaders, and Ukrainians
 National Symbols:
• Animal - Russian bear
• Symbol - Double-headed Eagle
• Tree - Birch tree
• Instrument - Balalaika
• Coat of arms - A golden double-headed eagle on a red shield
• Other symbols - Fur hats, Valenki (felt boots), Hammer and sickle (USSR), Mother Russia, Red star (USSR)
Country Profile: Russia
 Major Industries: complete range of mining and extractive industries producing coal, oil, gas, chemicals, and metals; all
forms of machine building from rolling mills to high-performance aircraft and space vehicles; defense industries (including
radar, missile production, advanced electronic components), shipbuilding; road and rail transportation equipment;
communications equipment; agricultural machinery, tractors, and construction equipment; electric power generating and
transmitting equipment; medical and scientific instruments; consumer durables, textiles, foodstuffs, handicrafts
 Major Exports: petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, metals, wood and wood products, chemicals, and a wide
variety of civilian and military manufactures
 Major Imports: machinery, vehicles, pharmaceutical products, plastic, semi-finished metal products, meat, fruits and nuts,
optical and medical instruments, iron, steel
IRAN
Country Profile: Iran
Country Profile: Iran
Country Profile: Iran
 Capital: Tehran
 Area: 1,648,195 sq. kms; 18th largest in the world
 Population: 80,840,713 (July 2014 estimate); 19th largest in the world
 Major cities: Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan, Karaj, Tabriz, Shiraz, Qom, Ahvaz, Kahriz, Kermanshah
 Major rivers and water bodies:
• Longest and only navigable river, the Karun, flows through the city of Ahvaz in the southwest.
• Karkheh (755 kms. /469 miles); Dez (515 kms. /320 miles); Hendijan (488 kms. /303 miles),
Jarahi (438 kms. /272 miles); Sefidrood (765 kms. /475 miles), Atrek (535 kms. /332 miles);
Mand (685 kms. /426 miles) in the southwest; and Zayande (405 kms. /251 miles), which flows
through the city of Isfahan
• Three rivers form portions of Iran's international boundaries.
 Aras River lies along the border with Armenia and Azerbaijan
 Atrek River borders Turkmenistan
 Shatt al Arab is part of the border with Iraq.
• Iran also shares the Caspian Sea with four other countries.
• Largest lake is Lake Urmia in the northwest
 Deserts: More than 300,000 sq. kms. (115,831 sq. miles). Lūt Desert covers some 80,000 sq.
kms. (30,888 sq. miles). It includes the Dasht-e-Kavīr and Dasht-e-Lūt, and the adjacent
Namakzār-e Shahdād. It is one of the hottest places on Earth with temperatures reaching as high
as 57°C (135°F). The similar Jaz Mūrīān Desert lies to the south of the Lūt Desert.
Aerial view of Mount Damavand
Country Profile: Iran
 Highest Point: Kuh-e Damavand (5,610 mts)
 Lowest Point: Caspian Sea (-28 mts)
 Currency: Iranian Rials
 Ethnicity: Persian 61%, Azeri 16%, Kurd 10%, Lur 6%, Baloch 2%, Arab 2%, Turkmen and Turkic 2%
 Religion: Muslim (official) 99.4% (Shia 90-95%, Sunni 5-10%), other (includes Zoroastrian, Jewish, and Christian) 0.3%, unspecified 0.4% (2011 est.)
 Major Languages: Persian (official) 53%, Azeri Turkic and Turkic dialects 18%, Kurdish 10%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 7%, Luri 6%, Balochi 2%, Arabic
2%, other 2%
 Land Boundaries: Total land borders (5,440 km/ (3,380 mi)
• Afghanistan 936 kms. (582 miles); Armenia 35 kms. (22 miles); Azerbaijan proper 432 kms. (268 miles); Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave 179 kms.
(111 miles); Iraq 1,458 kms. (906 miles); Pakistan 909 kms. (565 miles); Turkey 499 kms. (310 miles); Turkmenistan 992 kms. (616 miles)
 Coastline: 2,440 Kms on the Persian Gulf, Caspian Sea, Gulf of Oman, Strait of Hormuz
 Climate: In general, Iran has an arid climate in which most of the relatively scant annual precipitation falls from October through April. In the
northwest, winters are cold with heavy snowfall and subfreezing temperatures during December and January. Spring and fall are relatively mild,
while summers are dry and hot. In the south, winters are mild and the summers are very hot, having average daily temperatures in July exceeding 38
°C (100.4 °F)
 Terrain: rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts
Country Profile: Iran
 Natural Resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead,
manganese, zinc, sulfur
 Major Industries: petroleum, petrochemicals, fertilizers, caustic soda, textiles, cement
and other construction materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and
vegetable oil production), ferrous and non-ferrous metal fabrication, armaments
 Major Exports: petroleum 80%, chemical and petrochemical products, fruits and nuts,
carpets
 Major Imports: industrial supplies, capital goods, foodstuffs and other consumer
goods, technical services
 There are eighteen sites in Iran that have been designated as Wetlands of
International Importance under the Ramsar International Convention on Wetlands.
Caspian wetlands sites include the Anzali Mordab marsh complex (a bird migration
area), Bandar-e Torkeman Lagoon, and other lagoons
The desert city, famous for its windcatchers [ventilators)