Landforms

Japan is a stratovolcanic archipelago, a chain of islands formed by underwater volcanoes, off the coast of China. Over thousands of years, volcanoes have created nearly 3,000 small bodies, with four main islands-Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. As the Phillipine Plate and the Eurasian Plate collide due to movement of the Earth's crust, they have and continue to push up against each other, resulting in volcanic chains forming. The islands of Japan are the volcanoes that have spewed out lava, which cooled and became the surface land above sea level. The volcanic chain that formed Japan is part of the Ring of Fire - a "circle" around the Pacific Ocean comprised of volcanic chains. Because of Japan's positioning, having still been above the Ring of Fire, Japan is susceptible to earthquakes and volcanic activity. Japan is essentially a floating mountain (about 73% mountainous), with small amounts of flatlands.