FACT FILE
Japan ...
- is known as 'nihon' or 'nippon' (both 日本) in Japanese. These characters mean 'sun origin'.
- is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean
- an archipelago made up of over 6000 islands
- has four main islands - Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku
- has a population of over 126 million people
- has a total area of 145,894 sq miles
- uses the currency yen (円 - pronounced 'en')
- has more than 50,000 people over 100 years old
- highest point is Mt. Fuji which stands at 12,388 ft
- has more pets than children
- capital city is Tokyo, which is also the country's largest city
- has over 5.5 million vending machines
- is a world leader in robotics