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Fukushima, Fukushima

Fukushima, Fukushima

Fukushima (福島市; -shi) is the capital city of Fukushima Prefecture in the Tohoku region of Japan. It lies about 250 km north of Tokyo. Although the city is located inland, the prefecture has several Pacific ports. As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 290,866 and the density of 389.68 persons per km². The total area is 746.43 km². The city was founded on April 1, 1907.

External links


- [http://www.city.fukushima.fukushima.jp/ Fukushima official website] in Japanese Category:Cities in Fukushima Prefecture ja:福島市

Cities of Japan

A is a local administrative unit in Japan. They are ranked on the same level as towns (machi) and villages (mura), but cities are not part of Districts (gun). Like other contemporary administrative units, they were by with the Local Autonomy Law of 1947. Generally, a village or town can be promoted to a city when its population increases above fifty thousand, and a city can (but need not) be demoted to a town or village when its population decreases below fifty thousand. The least-populated city, Utashinai, Hokkaido, has population of mere six thousand, while a town in the same prefecture, Otofuke, Hokkaido, has nearly forty thousand. Larger cities of at least 200,000 inhabitants can achieve a special status, special city, core city or designated city. See List of cities in Japan and List of cities in Japan by population for a complete list.

Tohoku


The Tōhoku region (東北地方; Tōhoku-chihō) is a geographical area of Japan. Tōhoku is Japanese for "northeast," and the Tōhoku region occupies the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The area is also known as Michinoku (みちのく). The region consists of six prefectures: Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi and Yamagata Prefectures. The last stronghold of the indigenous Ainu on Honshu and the site of many battles, Tōhoku retains a reputation as a remote and backward region, offering breathtaking scenery but a harsh climate. Tōhoku is immemorialized in haiku poet Matsuo Basho's work Oku no Hosomichi (The Narrow Road to the Deep North). Tōhoku, like most of Japan, is hilly or mountainous, with the Ou Mountains forming running north-south. Its initial historical settlement occurred between the seventh and ninth centuries A.D., well after Japanese civilization and culture had become firmly established in central and southwestern Japan. Although iron, steel, cement, chemical, pulp, and petroleum-refining industries began developing in the 1960s, Tōhoku was traditionally considered the granary of Japan because it supplied Sendai and the Tokyo-Yokohama market with rice and other farm commodities. Tōhoku provided 20 percent of the nation's rice crop. The climate, however, is harsher than in other parts of Honshu and permits only one crop a year on paddy land. Ou Mountains The inland location of many of the region's lowlands has led to a concentration of much of the population there. Coupled with coastlines that do not favor port development, this settlement pattern resulted in a much greater than usual dependence on land and railroad transportation. Low points in the central mountain range fortunately make communications between lowlands on either side of the range moderately easy. Tourism became a major industry in the Tōhoku region, with points of interest including:
- Hirosaki
- the islands of Matsushima Bay
- Lake Towada
- Oirase River Valley
- Lake Tazawa
- Kakunodate
- the Rikuchu Coastline National Park
- the Bandai-Asahi National Park
- Sanriku Coastline
- Morioka
- Hiraizumi
- Aizu
- Mt. Bandai
- Three Mountains of Dewa

See also


- Geography of Japan
- List of regions in Japan

External links

References


- - [http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/jptoc.html Japan]
- Category:Ainu ko:도호쿠 지방 ja:東北地方

Tokyo

Tokyo (Japanese: 東京, , "eastern capital") is the home to the Japanese government and emperor, and so the Capital of Japan. It is also the nation's most populous urban area (12 million people, or about 10 percent of the country's population, live in Tokyo) and one of the 47 prefectures of Japan.

Structure of Tokyo

Under Japanese law, Tokyo is designated as a to (都, often translated "metropolis"), not a city (although it is often mistaken for one), and its administrative structure is similar to that of Japan's other prefectures. Within Tokyo lie dozens of cities, towns, and villages. It includes 23 special wards (特別区 -ku) which until 1943 comprised the city of Tokyo but are now separate, self-governing municipalities, each with a mayor and a council, and having the status of a city. In addition to these 23 municipalities, Tokyo also encompasses 26 more cities (市 -shi), 5 towns (町 -chō or machi), and 8 villages (村 -son or mura), each of which has a local government. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is headed by a publicly-elected governor and metropolitan assembly. Its headquarters are located in the ward of Shinjuku. Tokyo includes lakes, rivers, dams, farms, remote islands, and national parks, in addition to its famous neon jungle, skyscrapers and crowded subways.

Location

Tokyo is located in the Kanto region on the island of Honshu. Its center is at 35°41' North, 139°46' East (35.68333, 139.7667) [http://earth-info.nga.mil/gns/html/cntry_files.html], but its borders extend to outlying islands in the Pacific Ocean, some as far as 1,000 km south of the mainland.

Influence

As the nation's center of politics, business, finance, education, mass media, and pop culture, Tokyo has Japan's highest concentration of corporate headquarters, financial institutions, universities and colleges, museums, theaters, and shopping and entertainment establishments. It boasts a highly-developed public transportation system with numerous train and subway lines. This extreme concentration is both boon and bane, prompting an ongoing debate over moving the nation's capital to another region. There is also great fear of a catastrophic earthquake striking Tokyo, which may in effect cripple the entire nation. Nevertheless, Tokyo continues to draw people from across Japan and other countries; a substantial portion of the population is not native to the region, and Tokyo is still a place to meet people from all over the country and the world.

History

outlying islands Tokyo's rise to prominence can be largely attributed to two men: Tokugawa Ieyasu and Emperor Meiji. In 1603, after unifying the warring states of Japan, Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu made Edo (now Tokyo) his base of operations. As a result, the city developed rapidly and grew to become one of the largest cities in the world with a population topping 1 million by the 18th century. It became the de facto capital of Japan even while the emperor resided in Kyoto, the imperial capital. Since the city's early beginnings and even now, Edo/Tokyo has always had a large non-native population. Ieyasu himself was an outsider who brought many outsiders to help build the city and government. The sankin kotai system also required provincial warlords to periodically parade to Edo and keep a residence in the city along with key family members and samurai retainers. The term "Edokko" (child of Edo) was even coined (and still used today) to distinguish the natives from the non-natives. After 250 years, the shogunate was overthrown under the banner of restoring imperial rule. In 1869, the figurehead 17-year-old Emperor Meiji moved to Edo, which was renamed "Tokyo". Tokyo was already the nation's political, economic, and cultural center, and the emperor's residence made it a de facto imperial capital as well with the former Edo Castle becoming the Imperial Palace. Imperial Palace shows the old German name for Tokyo, Jedo.]] Tokyo went on to suffer two major catastrophes and has remarkably recovered from both of them. One was the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923, and the other was World War II. The firebombings in 1945 were almost as devastating as the atomic bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined. Large areas of the city were flattened. Today, hardly a trace of the war is evident to visitors to the city, but many people still carry its emotional scars. After the war, Tokyo was rebuilt with excellent train and subway systems, which were showcased to the world during the city's 1964 Summer Olympics. The 1970s brought new high-rise developments, a new and controversial airport at Narita (1978), and a population increase to about 11 million (in the metropolitan area). In the 1980s, real estate prices skyrocketed during an economic bubble: many got rich quick, but the bubble burst in the early 1990s and many companies, banks, and individuals were caught with real estate shrinking in value. A major recession followed, making the 1990s Japan's "lost decade" which still continues today. Tokyo still sees new or renewed urban centers being developed on large lots of idle land. Recent projects include Ebisu Garden Place, Tennozu Isle, Shiodome, Roppongi Hills, Shinagawa (now also a shinkansen station), and Tokyo Station (Marunouchi side). Land reclamation projects in Tokyo have also been going on for centuries. The most prominent is the Odaiba area, now a major shopping and entertainment center.

Geography and administrative divisions

Odaiba (such as Odaiba) has been omitted for clarity. The islands cannot be shown at this scale. Click on the map to enlarge it.]] Tokyo is northwest of Tokyo Bay, and is about 90 km east-to-west and 25 km north-to-south. It borders Chiba Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the west, Kanagawa Prefecture to the south, and Saitama Prefecture to the north. It also consists of islands in the Pacific Ocean directly south -- the Izu Islands are closest, while the Ogasawara Islands stretch over 1,000 km away from mainland Japan. Toyko has been hit by powerful earthquakes in 1703, 1782, 1812, 1855 and 1923. The 1923 earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 8.3 killed 142,000 people. Tokyo is also part of the Greater Tokyo Area, by far the world's most populous metropolitan region, which includes the surrounding prefectures of Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba. Tokyo consists of the following 23 special wards, 26 cities, 5 towns, and 8 villages:

The 23 special wards

Each of the 23 special wards (tokubetsu-ku) of Tokyo is a local municipality with its own elected mayor and assembly. It differs from an ordinary city in that certain governmental functions are handled by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. As of September 1, 2003, the official total population of the 23 wards combined was about 8.34 million, with a population density of 13,416 persons per square kilometer.

Cities

municipality.]] West of the 23 wards, Tokyo consists of cities (shi), which enjoy a similar legal status to cities elsewhere in Japan. While serving a role as "bed towns" for those working in central Tokyo, some of these cities also have a local commercial and industrial base. Collectively, these cities are often known as "West Tokyo."

Districts, towns, and villages

The far west is occupied by the district (gun) of Nishitama. Much of this area is mountainous and unsuitable for urbanization. The highest mountain in Tokyo, Mount Kumotori, is 2,017 m high; other mountains in Tokyo include Mount Takasu (1737 m), Mount Odake (1266 m), and Mount Mitake (929 m). Lake Okutama, on the Tama River near Yamanashi Prefecture, is Tokyo's largest lake.
- Hinode
- Mizuho
- Okutama
- Hinohara Village

Islands

Hinohara Tokyo's outlying islands extend as far as 1,850 km from central Tokyo. Because of the islands' distance from the city, they are locally run by branches of the metropolitan government. Most of the islands are classified as villages. Izu Islands
- Oshima—Islands of Kozushima, Niijima, Oshima, and Toshima.
- Miyake—Islands of Mikurajima and Miyakejima (main town: Miyake).
- Hachijo—Islands of Aogashima and Hachijojima (main town: Hachijo). Ogasawara Islands
- Ogasawara—Ogasawara includes, from north to south, Chichi-jima, Nishinoshima, Haha-jima, Kita Iwo Jima, Iwo Jima, and Minami Iwo Jima. Also includes two tiny outlying islands: Minami Torishima, the easternmost point in Japan and at 1 850 km the most distant island from central Tokyo, and Okino Torishima, the southernmost point in Japan. The Iwo chain and the outlying islands are mostly uninhabited, but there are small local populations on the three islands closer to Honshu.

National Parks

There are two national parks in West Tokyo: Chichibu-Tama National Park, located in Nishitama and spilling over into Yamanashi and Saitama Prefectures, and Meiji no Mori Takao Quasi-National Park, located around Mount Takao to the south of Hachioji. South of Tokyo is the Ogasawara National Park.

Major Districts

Ogasawara National Park Ogasawara National Park in front of the Hachikō exit of Shibuya station.]] The center of Tokyo is Kokyo, or the Imperial Palace, the former site of Edo Castle. The term "central Tokyo" today may refer to either the area within the looping Yamanote train line or to Tokyo's 23 special wards (ku) covering about 621 square kilometers, the most densely-populated area of Tokyo. There are a number of major urban centers where business, shopping, and entertainment are concentrated. They are each centered at a major train station where multiple train lines operate.
- Shinjuku — Tokyo's capital where the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building is located. It is best known for Tokyo's early skyscrapers since the early 1970s. Major department stores, camera and computer stores, and hotels can be found. On the east side of Shinjuku Station, Kabuki-cho is notorious for its many bars and nightclubs.
- Marunouchi and Otemachi — The main financial and business district of Tokyo has many headquarters of banks, trading companies, and other major businesses. The area is seeing a major redevelopment with new buildings for shopping and entertainment constructed in front of Tokyo Station's Marunouchi side.
- Ginza and Yurakucho — Major shopping and entertainment district with department stores, upscale shops selling brand-name goods, and movie theaters.
- Shinbashi—By being the gateway to Odaiba and having the new Shiodome Shiosite complex of high-rise buildings, this area has been effectively revitalized.
- Shinagawa — In addition to the major hotels on the west side of Shinagawa Station, the former sleepy east side of the station has been redeveloped as a major center for business.
- Shibuya — A longtime center of shopping, fashion, and entertainment, especially for the younger set.
- Ikebukuro — Anchored by the Sunshine City (which was once Tokyo's tallest building) hotel and shopping complex, this is another area where people gather due to the various train lines shooting out of Ikebukuro Station.
- Ueno — Ueno Station serves areas north of Tokyo from where many people commute. Besides department stores and shops in Ameyoko, Ueno boasts Ueno Park, Ueno Zoo, and major national museums. In spring, Ueno Park and adjacent Shinobazu Pond are prime places to view cherry blossoms.
- Odaiba — A large, reclaimed, waterfront area that has become one of Tokyo's most popular shopping and entertainment districts.
- Kinshicho — Major shopping and entertainment area in eastern Tokyo.
- Kichijoji — Major shopping and entertainment area in western Tokyo.
- Nagatacho - The political heart of Tokyo and the nation. It is the location of the Diet, government ministries, and party headquarters.
- Akasaka - Upscale commercial district next to Roppongi, Nagatacho, and Aoyama.
- Aoyama - An upscale neighborhood of Tokyo with parks, an enormous cemetery, expensive housing, trendy cafes, and international restaurants (includes the subway station Omotesando).

Economy

Omotesando] Tokyo has the largest metropolitan economy in the world: its nominal GDP of around $1.315 trillion is greater than the 8th largest national economy in the world. It is a major international finance center, headquarters to several of the world's largest investment banks and insurance companies, and serves as a hub for Japan's transportation, publishing, and broadcasting industries. During the centralized growth of Japan's economy following World War II, many large firms moved their headquarters from cities such as Osaka (the historical commercial capital) to Tokyo, in an attempt to take advantage of better access to the government. This trend has begun to slow due to ongoing population growth in Tokyo and the high cost of living there.

Demographics

As one of the major cities of the world, Tokyo has over 8 million people living within its 23 wards, and during the daytime, the population swells by over 2.5 million as workers and students commute from adjacent areas. This effect is even more pronounced in the three central wards of Chiyoda, Chuo, and Minato, whose collective population is less than 300,000 at night, but over 2 million during the day. Population By area (as of Oct. 1, 2003)
- All of Tokyo: 12.36 million
- 23 special wards: 8.34 million
- Tama area: 4 million
- Islands: 27,000 By age (As of Jan. 1, 2003):
- Juveniles (0-14): 1.433 million (12%)
- Working population (15-64): 8.507 million (71.4%)
- Aged population (65+): 2.057 million (16.6%) By time (As of 2000)
- Nighttime: 12.017 million
- Daytime: 14.667 million By nationality
- Foreign residents: 353,826 (as of Jan. 1, 2005)
- Top 5 Nationalities of Foreign Residents: Chinese (120,331), Korean (103,191), Philippine (31,505), American (18, 043), British (7,585)

Transportation

Tokyo is Japan's largest domestic and international hub for rail, ground, and air transportation. Public transportation within Tokyo is dominated by an extensive network of clean and efficient, if occasionally very crowded trains and subways run by a variety of operators, with buses, monorails and trams playing a secondary role.

Airports


- Tokyo International Airport in Ota Ward (Haneda) — Mainly for domestic flights.
- Narita International Airport in Narita, Chiba Prefecture — Major gateway for international travelers.
- Chofu Airport in Chofu City — Handles commuter flights to the Izu islands.
- Oshima Airport— Oshima Island
- Hachijojima Airport— Hachijo Island
- Miyakejima Airport— Miyake Island
- Tokyo Heliport— Koto Ward

Railways and subways

Tokyo Heliport Tokyo Heliport Rail is the primary mode of transportation in Tokyo, which has the most extensive underground network in the world and an equally extensive network of surface lines. Most lines in Tokyo are privately owned and operated, with the exception of Toei Subway (run directly by the metropolitan government). Railway and subway lines are highly integrated; commuter trains from the suburbs continue directly into the subway network on many lines, often emerging on the other side of the city to serve another company's surface line. It is estimated some 20 million people take the 70 plus train lines and go through 1000 stations in the metropolitan area daily. Some of the larger stations, like Shinjuku Station and Tokyo station, are miles long and are the busiest in the world. Tokyo station
- JR East—The largest passenger railway company in the world. In addition to the Shinkansen ("bullet train" lines), JR operates Tokyo's largest railway network, including the Yamanote Line loop, the Keihin-Tohoku Line between Saitama and Yokohama, the Chuo Line to West Tokyo, and the Sobu Line to Chiba. It is also the majority stockholder in the Tokyo Monorail, one of the world's most commercially successful monorail lines.
- Keihin Kyuko Electric Railway (Keikyū)—Operates out of Shinagawa Station to Kanagawa and Haneda Airport.
- Keisei Electric Railway—Operates out of Ueno Station to Chiba (including Narita International Airport).
- Keio Electric Railway—Operates out of Shinjuku Station to West Tokyo. Shinjuku Station
- Odakyu Electric Railway—Operates out of Shinjuku Station to Kanagawa, most notably Odawara and Hakone.
- Seibu Railway—Operates out of Shinjuku Station and Ikebukuro Station to West Tokyo.
- Tobu Railway—Operates out of Ikebukuro Station and Asakusa Station to Saitama, Gunma, and Tochigi.
- Tokyo Kyuko Electric Railway (Tokyu)—Operates out of Shibuya Station to West Tokyo and Kanagawa.
- Tokyo Metro (formerly Eidan)—Operates Japan's largest subway network.
- Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation—Operates the Toei subway lines and the Arakawa streetcar line, Tokyo's sole streetcar line.
- Tsukuba Express, linking Akihabara Station with Tsukuba since its opening in August 2005.

Buses

Tsukuba The metropolitan government operates Toei buses mainly within the 23 special wards while private bus companies operate other bus routes. Bus transportation is convenient for places far from the train or subway stations. Most bus routes stop or terminate at a train or subway station, and they can be quite complicated with no signs in English. The Toei buses charge 200 yen per ride which the customer pays while boarding. Buses run by other companies may charge according to distance, and the customer pays when leaving the bus.

Others


- Taxis—Available along most major streets. Starting fare is about 650 yen.
- Streetcars—Once a common sight before subways and buses came to fore, streetcar lines have shrunk to only one route called the Toden Arakawa Line plying the route between Waseda and Minowabashi.
- Ferries/Boats—Long-distance ferries operated by Tokai Kisen go to outlying islands such as the Ogasawara Islands and Izu Islands. River boats on the Sumida River operate between Asakusa and Kasai Rinkai Park, mainly for tourists.
- Expressways—Many expressways converge at Tokyo including the Tomei Expressway, Chuo Expressway, Kan'etsu National Expressway, Ken-ō Expressway, Tokyo Gaikan Expressway, Daisan Keihin Highway, and Keiyo Highway. The Shuto Expressway network covers central Tokyo, linking the intercity expressways together.

Tourism

Chuo Expressway) and Tokyo Tower.]] Tokyo has many tourist attractions. It would take weeks to see all the major ones. Thanks to a very convenient train and subway system (with signs in English), it is easy to visit most of these attractions. Here are only some of them (random order).

Shrines, temples, and castles

Tokyo Tower] The Imperial Palace, Meiji Shrine, and Sensoji Temple are the three most popular ones in Tokyo.
- Kokyo, or the Imperial Palace — Home of the Emperor and Crown Prince and their families.
- Sensoji — Asakusa
- Meiji Shrine — Dedicated to Emperor Meiji
- State Guest-House
- Yasukuni Shrine
- Zojoji — Main headquarters of the Pure Land Buddhism (浄土宗）sect.
- Tsukiji Honganji Temple — Tokyo headquarters of the Jodo Shinshu Nishi Honganji Buddhist sect.
- Gokokuji Temple Gokokuji Temple in Asakusa]]

Festivals and events

Tokyo holds many festivals large and small throughout the year.

Spring (March-May)

Gokokuji Temple.]]
- Bunkyo Tsutsuji Matsuri (azalea festival) at Nezu Shrine in Bunkyo-ku.
- Fuji Matsuri (wisteria festival) at Kameido Tenjin Shrine in Koto-ku.
- Hinode Matsuri (sunrise festival) at Mitake Shrine in Ome.
- Kachiya Festival at Katori Shrine in Koto-ku.
- Kanda Myojin Omikoshi Togyo at Kanda Myojin Shrine in Chiyoda-ku.
- Kappa Matsuri at Ebara Shrine in Shinagawa-ku.
- Kifune Matsuri at Kifune Shrine in Ota-ku.
- Kurayami Matsuri (black night festival) at Okunitama Shrine in Fuchu.
- Meiji Shrine Spring Festival at Meiji Shrine in Shibuya-ku.
- Osunafumi Taisai (walking-on-sand ritual) at Tamagawa Daishi Temple in Setagaya-ku.
- Sanja Matsuri at Asakusa Shrine in Taito-ku.
- Shishi Matsuri (lion dance festival) at Nagasaki Shrine in Toshima-ku.
- Takigi Noh (open-air torchlight Noh performance) at Zojoji Temple in Minato-ku.
- Yayoi Matsuri ceremony by the Edo Shobo Kinen-kai (Edo Civilian Fire Fighters' Association) in the vicinity of Sensoji Temple in Taito-ku.

Summer (June-Aug.)


- Koenji Awa Odori
- Asakusa Samba Matsuri
- Sumida Fireworks in Asakusa and Sumida Ward
- Tokyo Bay Fireworks
- Jingu Fireworks
- Fukagawa Hachiman Matsuri

Fall (Sept.-Nov.)


- Tokyo Jidai Matsuri in Asakusa

Winter (Dec.-Feb.)


- Hatsumode New Year's Prayers at Meiji Shrine, Sensoji, and other major shrines and temples
- Dezome-shiki Fireman's Parade at Tokyo Big Sight
- Setsubun at Sensoji and other major temples

Others


- Grand Sumo Tournaments in Jan., May, and Sept. at the Ryogoku Kokugikan
- Tsukiji fish market

Parks and gardens

Tsukiji fish market.]]

Flowers

Tsukiji fish market
- Plum blossoms (Feb.-March)—Yoshino Baigo in Ome, Mukojima Hyakkaen Garden, Hanegi Park in Umegaoka
- Cherry blossoms (Late March-early April)—Ueno Park and Shinobazu Pond, Yoyogi Park, Shinjuku Gyoen, Inokashira Park in Kichijoji, Chidorigafuchi Imperial Palace moat near the Budokan, Aoyama Cemetery, Sumida Park and River near Asakusa, International Christian University
- Wisteria (Late April-early May)—Kameido Tenjin Shrine in Koto Ward
- Azaleas (Late April-early May)—Nezu Shrine, East Garden of the Imperial Palace, Shiofune Kannon Temple in Ome
- Roses (mid-late May)—Jindai Botanical Garden in Chofu
- Irises (early-mid June)—Meiji Shrine, Horikiri Iris Garden
- Hydrangeas (June-July)—Takahata Fudo Temple, Hino

Scenic views

Horikiri Iris Garden]
- Tokyo Tower
- Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building Observatory
- Rainbow Bridge walkway
- Sunshine City Observatory in Ikebukuro
- Fuji TV Headquarters Observatory in Odaiba

Shopping and entertainment

Tokyo has various shopping districts famous for specific products. Akihabara is well-known for electronics stores, Shinjuku for camera and book shops, Ginza for department stores and luxury goods, Shibuya and Harajuku for teenage fashion, and Jinbocho for used (and new) books. :See also: Tourism in Japan

Prefectural symbols

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government uses a gingko leaf design in iron fences along streets, Toei metropolitan buses, and other facilities they own or operate. Traditional symbols of Tokyo include Nijubashi (a bridge at the Imperial Palace), the National Diet Building, the Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate) housing the big red paper lantern at Sensoji in Asakusa, the State Guest-House in the Akasaka Imperial Palace, and the Meiji-era facade of Tokyo Station. More contemporary symbols include the skyscrapers of Shinjuku, the neon signs at night in Ginza, Tokyo Tower, the Rainbow Bridge, and the Mori Tower at Roppongi Hills, among many others.

Culture

Museums

Tokyo has numerous museums and art galleries. This list is by no means exhaustive. Roppongi Hills.]]
- Tokyo National Museum
- National Museum of Western Art
- Edo-Tokyo Museum
- Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum
- Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum
- Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo in Kiba
- Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum
- Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography in Ebisu Garden Place
- Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space
- Tokyo Bunka Kaikan
- Kokugikan Sumo Museum
- Fukagawa-Edo Museum in Koto Ward
- Japanese Sword Museum
- Tokyo Opera City
- Mori Art Museum in Roppongi Hills

Theaters

Roppongi Hills
- Kabuki-za
- National Noh Theater (Kokuritsu Nohgaku-do)
- National Theatre (Kokuritsu Gekijo)

Modern architecture

National Theatre Rafael Vinoly between Tokyo Station and Yurakucho Station.]]
- Tokyo Tower
- Rainbow Bridge
- National Diet Building
- Yoyogi Olympic Pool
- Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
- Tokyo Big Sight
- Tokyo Station red brick building
- Tokyo International Forum
- Roppongi Hills

Fashion


- Omotesando—Fashion capital of Japan.
- Harajuku—Street fashion capital of Japan.
- Shibuya—Teen fashion capital of Japan.

Tokyo in popular media

As the largest city in Japan and the location of the country's largest broadcasters and studios, Tokyo is frequently the setting for many Japanese movies, television shows, animated series (anime), and comic books (manga). The most well-known outside Japan may be the kaiju (monster movie) genre, in which landmarks of Tokyo are routinely destroyed. Many comic books and animated series set in Tokyo, such as Sailor Moon, Ranma ½, and Yu-Gi-Oh!, have become popular across the world as well. Some Hollywood directors have turned to Tokyo as a filming location. Well-known examples from the postwar era include Tokyo Joe, My Geisha, and the James Bond film You Only Live Twice; well-known contemporary examples include Kill Bill and Lost in Translation. For a more complete list, see: List of movies, manga, anime, and television shows that take place in Tokyo

Education

Being the nation's center of education, Tokyo boasts many universities, junior colleges, and vocational schools. Many of Japan's most prestigious universities are in Tokyo. The most prestigious is the University of Tokyo. Other schools include Keio University, Hitotsubashi University, and Waseda University. Tokyo also has a few universities well-known for classes instructed in English. They include International Christian University, Sophia University, and Temple University Japan.

Universities in Tokyo

Temple University Japan.]]

National Universities


- Ochanomizu University
- University of Electro-Communications
- Tokyo Medical and Dental University
- Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
- Tokyo Gakugei University
- Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology
- Tokyo Geijutsu Daigaku
- Tokyo Institute of Technology
- University of Tokyo
- Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
- Hitotsubashi University

Public University


- Tokyo Metropolitan University

Private Universities

Public schools

The kindergartens, elementary schools (years 1 through 6), and junior high schools (7 through 9) are operated by local wards or municipal offices. Public high schools in Tokyo are run by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education and are called "Metropolitan High Schools". [http://www.metro.tokyo.jp/ENGLISH/RESIDENT/LIVINGIN/contents5_3.htm]. For a list of high schools in Japanese, see [http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E9%AB%98%E7%AD%89%E5%AD%A6%E6%A0%A1%E4%B8%80%E8%A6%A7].

Private schools

In addition to public schools, Tokyo has many private schools. Private secondary schools include:
- Azabu High School (Grades 7 through 12)
- Musashi Junior & Senior High School (Grades 7 through 12)

Professional sports

Musashi Junior & Senior High School.]] Tokyo is home to two professional baseball clubs, the Yakult Swallows (Meiji Jingu Stadium) and Yomiuri Giants (Tokyo Dome). The Japan Sumo Association is also headquartered in Tokyo at the Ryogoku Kokugikan sumo arena where three official sumo tournaments are held annually (in January, May, and September). Football (soccer) clubs in Tokyo include FC Tokyo and Tokyo Verdy 1969, both of which play at Ajinomoto Stadium in Chofu. With a number of world-class sports venues, Tokyo often hosts national and international sporting events such as tennis tournaments, swim meets, marathons, American football exhibition games, judo, karate, etc.

Miscellaneous topics

Sister relationships

Tokyo has sister relationships with several places worldwide:
- Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Berlin, Germany
- Cairo, Egypt
- Jakarta, Indonesia
- Moscow, Russia
- New South Wales, Australia (sister state)
- New York City, New York, United States
- Paris, France
- Rome, Italy
- São Paulo, Brazil
- Seoul, South Korea In addition, many of the wards and cities within Tokyo maintain sister-city relationships with other foreign cities

External links


- [http://www.japantimes.co.jp/festivals.htm Festivals around Tokyo] The Japan Times
- [http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Tokyo&spn=0.168623,0.234180&t=k&hl=en Interactive satellite view of the area]
- [http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2164.html Japan-guide to Tokyo]
- [http://www.metro.tokyo.jp/ENGLISH/ Official Tokyo Metropolitan Government homepage]
- [http://www.tokyodiary.com/ Tokyo Diary] Tokyo business/professional events calendar
- [http://www.tokyometro.jp/e/index.html Tokyo Metro] Subway lines
- [http://web-jpn.org/tokyo/top.html Tokyo Past and Present] Web Japan

References

List of countries by GDP (Nominal) Category:Kanto region Category:Capitals in Asia Category:Host cities of the Summer Olympic Games Category:Coastal cities Category:Destroyed cities zh-min-nan:Tang-kiaⁿ ko:도쿄 ja:東京都 ja:東京 simple:Tokyo th:โตเกียว

Pacific

:For other meanings of Pacific, see Pacific (disambiguation). The Pacific Ocean (from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan) is the world's largest body of water. It encompasses a third of the Earth's surface, having an area of 179.7 million km² (69.4 million sq miles). Extending approximately 15,500 km (9,600 miles) from the Bering Sea in the Arctic to the icy margins of Antarctica's Ross Sea in the south (although the Antarctic regions of the Pacific are sometimes described as part of the circumpolar Southern Ocean)the Pacific reaches its greatest east-west width at about 5°N latitude, where it stretches approximately 19,800 km (12,300 miles) from Indonesia to the coast of Colombia. The western limit of the ocean is often placed at the Strait of Malacca. The lowest point on earth—the Mariana Trench—lies some 10,911 m (35,797 ft) below sea level. The Pacific contains about 25,000 islands (more than the total number in the rest of the world's oceans combined), the majority of which are found south of the equator. (See: Pacific Islands.) Along the Pacific Ocean's irregular western margins lie many seas, the largest of which are the Celebes Sea, Coral Sea, East China Sea, Sea of Japan, South China Sea, Sulu Sea, Tasman Sea, and Yellow Sea. The Straits of Malacca joins the Pacific and the Indian Oceans on the west, and the Straits of Magellan links the Pacific with the Atlantic Ocean on the east. As the Pacific straddles the ±180° longitude where East becomes West, the Asian side of the ocean (where latitudes are E) is correctly referred to as East Pacific and the opposite side (eastwards) where latitudes are W is the West Pacific. To retain the popular "left is western" and "right is eastern" means of reference, the Western Pacific is thus the East Pacific and the Eastern Pacific the West Pacific. The International Date Line follows the ±180° longitude to the greater part of its North-South demarcation but veers far eastwards around Kiribati (Caroline Island, which, not coincidentally, was renamed Millennium Island) and westwards round the Aleutian Islands as can be seen on the map at International Date Line. For most of Ferdinand Magellan's voyage from the Straits of Magellan to the Philippines, the Portuguese explorer indeed found the ocean peaceful. However, the Pacific is not always peaceful. Many typhoons and hurricanes batter the islands of the Pacific and the lands around the Pacific rim are full of volcanoes and often rocked by earthquakes. Tsunamis, caused by underwater earthquakes, have devastated many islands and wiped out whole towns. Tsunami

Ocean bottom

The ocean floor of the central Pacific basin is relatively uniform, an abyssal plain with a mean depth of about 4270 m (14,000 ft). The major irregularities in the basin are the extremely steep-sided, flat-topped submarine peaks known as seamounts. The western part of the floor consists of mountain arcs that rise above the sea as island groups, such as the Solomon Islands and New Zealand, and deep oceanic trenches, such as the Mariana Trench, the Philippine Trench, and the Tonga Trench. Most of the trenches lie adjacent to the outer margins of the wide western Pacific continental shelf. Along the eastern margin of the Pacific Basin is the East Pacific Rise, which is a part of the worldwide mid-oceanic ridge. About 3000 km (1800 miles) across, the rise stands about 3 km (2 miles) above the adjacent ocean floor. Because a relatively small land area drains into the Pacific, and because of the ocean's immense size, most sediments are authigenic or pelagic in origin. Authigenic sediments include montmorillonite and phillipsite. Pelagic sediments derived from seawater include pelagic red clays and the skeletal remains of sea life. Terrigenous sediments eroded from land masses are confined to narrow marginal bands close to land.

Elevation extremes


- lowest point: -10,924 m (-35,840 ft). at the bottom of the Mariana Trench
- highest point: 0 m (0 ft), sea level.

Water characteristics

Water temperatures in the Pacific vary from freezing in the poleward areas to about 29°C (84°F) near the equator. Salinity also varies latitudinally. Water near the equator is less salty than that found in the mid-latitudes because of abundant equatorial precipitation throughout the year. Poleward of the temperate latitudes salinity is also low, because little evaporation of seawater takes place in these frigid areas. The surface circulation of Pacific waters is generally clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere (the North Pacific Gyre) and anti-clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. The North Equatorial Current, driven westward along latitude 15°N by the trade winds, turns north near the Philippines to become the warm Japan or Kuroshio Current. Turning eastward at about 45°N, the Kuroshio forks and some waters move northward as the Aleutian Current, while the rest turn southward to rejoin the North Equatorial Current. The Aleutian Current branches as it approaches North America and forms the base of an anti-clockwise circulation in the Bering Sea. Its southern arm becomes the chilled slow, south-flowing California Current. The South Equatorial Current, flowing west along the equator, swings southward east of New Guinea, turns east at about 50°S, and joins the main westerly circulation of the Southern Pacific, which includes the Earth-circling Antarctic Circumpolar Current. As it approaches the Chilean coast, the South Equatorial Current divides; one branch flows around Cape Horn and the other turns north to form the Peru or Humboldt Current.

Climate

Only the interiors of the large land masses of Australia, New Guinea, and New Zealand escape the pervasive climatic influence of the Pacific. Within the area of the Pacific, five distinctively different climatic regions exist: the mid-latitude westerlies, the trades, the monsoon region, the typhoon region, and the doldrums. Mid-latitude westerly air streams occur in both northerly and southerly latitudes, bringing marked seasonal differences in temperature. Closer to the equator, where most of the islands lie, steadily blowing trade winds allow for relatively constant temperatures throughout the year of 21-27°C (70-81°F). The monsoon region lies in the far western Pacific between Japan and Australia. Characteristic of this climatic region are winds that blow from the continental interior to the ocean in winter and in the opposite direction in summer. Consequently, a marked seasonality of cloudiness and rainfall occurs. Typhoons often cause extensive damage in the west and southwest Pacific. The greatest typhoon frequency exists within the triangle from southern Japan to the central Philippines to eastern Micronesia. Although more poorly defined than the other climatic regions, two major doldrum areas lie within the ocean, one located off the western shores of Central America and the other within the equatorial waters of the western Pacific. Both areas are noted for their high humidity, considerable cloudiness, light fluctuating winds, and frequent calms.

Geology

The Andesite Line is the most significant regional distinction in the Pacific. It separates the deeper, basic igneous rock of the Central Pacific Basin from the partially submerged continental areas of acidic igneous rock on its margins. The Andesite Line follows the western edge of the islands off California and passes south of the Aleutian arc, along the eastern edge of the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Kuril Islands, Japan, the Mariana Islands, the Solomon Islands, and New Zealand. The dissimilarity continues northeastward along the western edge of the Albatross Cordillera along South America to Mexico, returning then to the islands off California. Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, New Guinea, and New Zealand—all eastward extensions of the continental blocks of Australia and Asia—lie outside the Andesite Line. Within the closed loop of the Andesite Line are most of the deep troughs, submerged volcanic mountains, and oceanic volcanic islands that characterize the Central Pacific Basin. It is here that basaltic lavas gently flow out of rifts to build huge dome-shaped volcanic mountains whose eroded summits form island arcs, chains, and clusters. Outside the Andesite Line, volcanism is of the explosive type, and the Pacific Ring of Fire is the world's foremost belt of explosive volcanism.

Landmasses

The largest landmass entirely within the Pacific Ocean is the island of New Guinea— the second largest in the world. Almost all of the smaller islands of the Pacific lie between 30°N and 30°S, extending from South-east Asia to Easter Island; the rest of the Pacific Basin is almost entirely submerged. The great triangle of Polynesia, connecting Hawaii, Easter Island, and New Zealand, encompasses the island arcs and clusters of the Cook, Marquesas, Samoa, Society, Tokelau, Tonga, and Tuamotu islands. North of the equator and west of the international date line are the numerous small islands of Micronesia, including the Caroline Islands, the Marshall Islands, and the Mariana Islands. In the southwestern corner of the Pacific lie the islands of Melanesia, dominated by New Guinea. Other important island groups of Melanesia include the Bismarck Archipelago, Fiji, New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. Islands in the Pacific Ocean are of four basic types: continental islands, high islands, coral reefs, and uplifted coral platforms. Continental islands lie outside the Andesite Line and include New Guinea, the islands of New Zealand, and the Philippines. These islands are structurally associated with the nearby continents. High islands are of volcanic origin, and many contain active volcanoes. Among these are Bougainville, Hawaii, and the Solomon Islands. The third and fourth types of islands are both the result of coralline island building. Coral reefs are low-lying structures that have built up on basaltic lava flows under the ocean's surface. One of the most dramatic is the Great Barrier Reef off northeastern Australia. A second island type formed of coral is the uplifted coral platform, which is usually slightly larger than the low coral islands. Examples include Banaba (formerly Ocean Island) and Makatea in the Tuamotu group of French Polynesia.

History and economy

See the Oceania article for information on one set of the Pacific Island states listed below here. Important human migrations occurred in the Pacific in prehistoric times, most notably those of Polynesians from Tahiti to Hawaii and New Zealand. The ocean was sighted by Europeans early in the 16th century, first by Vasco Núñez de Balboa (1513) and then by Ferdinand Magellan, who crossed the Pacific during his circumnavigation (1519-1522). In 1564 conquistadors crossed the ocean from Mexico led by Miguel López de Legazpi who sailed to the Philippines and Mariana Islands. For the remainder of the 16th century Spanish influence was paramount, with ships sailing from Spain to the Philippines, New Guinea, and the Solomons. The Manila Galleons linked Manila and Acapulco. During the 17th century the Dutch, sailing around southern Africa, dominated discovery and trade; Abel Janszoon Tasman discovered (1642) Tasmania and New Zealand. The 18th century marked a burst of exploration by the Russians in Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, the French in Polynesia, and the British in the three voyages of James Cook (to the South Pacific and Australia, Hawaii, and the North American Pacific Northwest). Growing imperialism during the 19th century resulted in the occupation of much of Oceania by Great Britain and France, followed by the United States. Significant contributions to oceanographic knowledge were made by the voyages of the HMS Beagle in the 1830s, with Charles Darwin aboard; the HMS Challenger during the 1870s; the U.S.S. Tuscarora (1873-76); and the German Gazelle (1874-1876). Although the United States took the Philippines in 1898, Japan controlled the western Pacific by 1914, and occupied many other islands during World War II. By the end of that war the U.S. Pacific Fleet was the virtual master of the ocean. Seventeen independent states are located in the Pacific: Australia, Fiji, Japan, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Republic of China (Taiwan), Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. Eleven of these nations have achieved full independence since 1960. The Northern Mariana Islands are self-governing with external affairs handled by the United States, and Cook Islands and Niue are in similar relationships with New Zealand. Also within the Pacific are the U.S. state of Hawaii and several island territories and possessions of Australia, Chile, Ecuador, France, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The exploitation of the Pacific's mineral wealth is hampered by the ocean's great depths. In shallow waters of the continental shelves off the coasts of Australia and New Zealand, petroleum and natural gas are extracted, and pearls are harvested along the coasts of Australia, Japan, Papua New Guinea, Nicaragua, Panama, and the Philippines, although in sharply declining volume. The Pacific's greatest asset is its fish. The shoreline waters of the continents and the more temperate islands yield herring, salmon, sardines, snapper, swordfish, and tuna, as well as shellfish. In 1986, the member nations of the South Pacific Forum declared the area a nuclear-free zone in an effort to halt nuclear testing and prevent the dumping of nuclear waste there.

Ports and harbours


- Acapulco (Mexico)
- Anchorage (United States)
- Auckland (New Zealand)
- Brisbane (Australia)
- Callao (Peru)
- Hong Kong (Hong Kong (China (PRC)))
- Honolulu (United States)
- Kobe (Japan)
- Long Beach (United States)
- Los Angeles (United States)
- Panama City (Panama)
- Portland (Oregon) (United States)
- Prince Rupert (Canada)
- San Diego (United States)
- San Francisco (United States)
- Sapporo (Japan)
- Seattle (United States)
- Shanghai (China (PRC))
- Sydney (Australia)
- Taipei (China (ROC))
- Vancouver (Canada)
- Victoria (Canada)
- Vladivostok (Russia)
- Yokohama (Japan)

Bibliography


- Barkley, R.A., Oceanographic Atlas of the Pacific Ocean (1969)
- Cameron, I., Lost Paradise (1987)
- Couper, A., Development in the Pacific Islands (1988)
- Crump, D.J., ed., Blue Horizons (1980)
- Gilbert, John, Charting the Vast Pacific (1971)
- Lower, J. Arthur, Ocean of Destiny: A Concise History of the North Pacific, 1500-1978 (1978)
- Oliver, D.L., The Pacific Islands, 3nd ed. (1989)
- Ridgell, R., Pacific Nations and Territories, 2nd ed. (1988)
- Soule, Gardner, The Greatest Depths (1970)
- Spate, O.H., Paradise Found and Lost (1988)
- Terrell, J.E., Prehistory in the Pacific Islands (1986). :Based on public domain text from US Naval Oceanographer

External links


- [http://www.epic.noaa.gov/epic/ewb/ EPIC Pacific Ocean Data Collection] Viewable on-line collection of observational data
- [http://dapper.pmel.noaa.gov/dchart/ NOAA In-situ Ocean Data Viewer] Plot and download ocean observations
- [http://www.mapsouthpacific.com/ Map South Pacific]
- [http://www.oscar.noaa.gov/datadisplay/ NOAA Ocean Surface Current Analyses - Realtime (OSCAR)] Near-realtime Pacific Ocean Surface Currents derived from satellite altimeter and scatterometer data
- [http://floats.pmel.noaa.gov/floats/ NOAA PMEL Argo profiling floats] Realtime Pacific Ocean data
- [http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/tao/jsdisplay/ NOAA TAO El Nino data] Realtime Pacific Ocean El NIno buoy data
- [http://www.southpacific.org/ South Pacific Organizer] Category:Oceans
- zh-min-nan:Thài-pêng-iûⁿ ko:태평양 ja:太平洋 simple:Pacific Ocean th:มหาสมุทรแปซิฟิก

Population

] :For the use of the word population in statistics, see statistical population. In sociology and biology, a population is the collection of people, or organisms of a particular species, living in a given geographic area. In biology, plant and animal populations are studied, in particular, in a branch of ecology known as population biology, and in population genetics. In population dynamics, size, age and sex structure, mortality, reproductive behaviour, and growth of a population are studied. In biology, an isolated population denotes a breeding group whose members breed mostly or solely among themselves, usually as a result of physical isolation, although biologically they could breed with any members of the species. Meta-population is a group of sub-populations in a given area, where the individuals of the various sub-populations are able to cross uninhabitable areas of the region. Biological dispersal is one of the key elements affecting in such populations. Demography is the study of human populations. Various aspects of human behavior in populations are studied in sociology, economics, and geography. Study of populations is almost always governed by the laws of probability, and the conclusions of the studies may thus not always be applicable to some individuals. This odd factor may be reduced by statistical means, but such a generalization may be too vague to imply anything. Demography is used extensively in marketing, which relates to economic units, such as retailers, to potential customers. For example, Starbucks, a coffee shop company that wants to sell to a younger audience, looks at the demographics of an area to be able to appeal to this younger audience.

Population density

coffee Population density is measured by dividing the number of individuals by the area of the region in which they live. Some observers of human societies believe that the concept of carrying capacity also applies to the human population of the Earth, and that unchecked population growth can result in a "Malthusian catastrophe." Others dispute this view. The graph to the right depicts logistic growth of population. Populate, as a verb, means the process of populating a geographic area, as by procreation or immigration. The countries with the highest population density are microstates: Monaco, Singapore, the Vatican City, and Malta. Among larger-sized countries, Japan has one of the highest population densities.

Population pyramid

Japan The age and gender distribution of a population within a given nation or region is commonly represented by means of a population pyramid. This is a triangular distribution with the portion of the population along the horizontal X-axis and the 5-year age grouping along the vertical Y-axis. Male population is shown to the left of the vertical axis and female to the right. This type of chart displays the development of a population over a period of time. Nations with low infant mortality and high longevity will display a more rectangular shape as a majority of the population living to old age. The converse will have a more pyramidal shape with a wide base, reflecting higher infant mortality and greater risk of early death.

Underpopulation

In biology, a rarely occurring situation in which a group of individuals of a species appear in a new, inhabitable area suitable for more individuals, and begin to populate it. This may also happen if individuals of a species have been transferred to new areas on purpose or by accident. Ecological niches are usually populated, but evolution of a species may enable it to overcome the difficulties encountered in an initially hostile environment.

Overpopulation

evolution The world's human population is currently growing by more than 75 million people per year. About half the world lives in nations with sub-replacement fertility, and population growth in those countries is due to immigration. Overpopulation can result from increases in births and survival rates, or from an unsustainable use and depletion of resources. Advances in technology can reduce the threat of overpopulation by making new resources available, or by increasing the productivity of existing resources. In biology, a classic example of an overpopulation are the lemmings in Lapland, which procreate over the years to such densities, that a great part of the population is forced to wander to inhospitable areas. Nowadays, this happens usually in less dramatic ways than in the past, one reason probably being that the food supply of lemmings is shared with an increased number of reindeer in Lapland.

Population control

Population control is the practice of curtailing population increase, usually by reducing the birth rate. Surviving records from Ancient Greece document the first known examples of population control. These include the colonization movement, which saw Greek outposts being built across the Mediterranean and Black Sea basins to accommodate the excess population of individual states. An important example of mandated population control is China's one-child policy, in which having more than one child is made extremely unattractive. This has led to allegations that practices like infanticide, forced abortions, and forced sterilization are used as a result of the policy. In ecology, population control is on occasions considered to be done solely by predators, diseases, parasites, and environmental factors, though at many times human effects on animal and plant populations are also considered. Migrations of animals may be seen as a natural way of population control, for the food on land is more abundant on some seasons. The area of the migrations' start is left to reproduce the food supply for large mass of animals next time around. See also immigration.

Population decline

Population decline is a fall in a region's population. It can be caused by sub-replacement fertility or heavy emigration, or more dramatically disease, famine, or war. Or most often by a combination of the factors. In the past population decline was mostly observed due to disease. In recent years, the population of Russia and seventeen other ex-Communist countries has begun to decline (1995-2005). The Black Death in Europe, the arrival of Old World diseases to the Americas, or the Irish Potato Famine (1845-1849), all caused massive population declines. In biology, population decline of a species is usually described as a result of gradually worsening environmental factors, such as prolonged drought or loss of inhabitable areas for the studied species.

Population ageing

Population ageing occurs when the fertility rate declines. This means that, for a period of time, the ratio of old to young will be higher than average. It also occurs due to increasing life expectancy. Japan and Western Europe are the two regions which are most confronted by severe population ageing in the near future. The second largest expenditure of most governments is education and these expenses will fall with an ageing population. However older people tend to be the section of the population most concerned about crime and most insistent on more (and more expensive) law and order.

Population transfer

biological aspects, see introduced species Population transfer is a term referring to a policy by which a state forces the movement of a large group of people out of a region, most frequently on the basis of their ethnicity or religion. This has occured in India and Pakistan, between Turkey and Greece, and in Eastern Europe after the Second World War. Other movements in population are caused by immigration, such as the immigration from Europe to European colonies in the Americas, Africa, Australia and other places.

Population bomb

A best-selling work, The Population Bomb (1968) by Paul R. Ehrlich predicted disaster for humanity due to overpopulation and the "population explosion". A "population bomb," as defined in the book, requires three things: a rapid rate of change; a limit of some sort; and delays in perceiving the limit. The book's specific prediction that "in the 1970s and 1980s hundreds of millions of people will starve to death" did not come to pass, however, due for the most part to the efforts of Norman Borlaug's "Green Revolution" of the 1960s. It was later shown by Keith Greiner (1994) that Ehrlich's projections could not possibly have held the scrutiny of time, because Ehrlich applied the financial compound interest formula to population growth. Using two sets of assumptions based on Ehrlich's hypothesis, it was shown that the theorized wild growth in population and subsequent scarcity of resources could not have occurred on Ehrlich's time schedule.

World population

According to estimates published by the United States Census Bureau, the world population at the beginning of December 2005 was about 6,483,600,000. The United Nations Population Fund designated October 12, 1999 as the approximate day on which world population reached six billion. This was about 12 years after world population reached five billion, in 1987.

Countries by population

About 4 billion of the world's nearly 6.5 billion people live in Asia. Seven of the world's ten largest countries by population are in Asia(although Russia is also located in Europe). However, a large population is not the same thing as economic size, and the United States, which has a much smaller population than India or China, has a much larger economy.

See also


- Stellar population
- 1907 populations
- Population coding
- Optimum population
- Small population size
- Idealised population
- Population genetics
- Founder population
- List of religious populations
- Population momentum
- Population bottleneck
- Population pyramid
- Population health
- List of selected cities by population density
- Biological dispersal

External links


- Phishare.org (2005). [http://www.phishare.org Population and Health InfoShare]. Retrieved February 13, 2005.
- [http://www.prb.org Population Reference Bureau] (2005). Retrieved February 13, 2005.
- Populationworld.com (2005). [http://www.populationworld.com/ Population World: Population of World]. Retrieved February 13, 2004.
- United Nations (2004). [http://www.un.org/esa/population/ Population Division], Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Retrieved February 13, 2004.
- United States Census Bureau (2005). [http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/ipc/idbrank.pl Census Bureau - Countries Ranked by Population]. Retrieved February 13, 2005.
- PopulationData.net (2005). [http://www.populationdata.net PopulationData.net - Informations and maps about populations around the world]. Retrieved March 4, 2005.
- World Population Clock (French) [http://www.worldpopclock.com WorldPopClock.com - World population clock].
- [http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/popclockworld.html World Population Clock (English) - US Census] Category:Ecology Category:Sociology Category:Population zh-min-nan:Jîn-kháu ko:인구 ja:人口 simple:Population th:ประชากร

Square kilometre

A square metre (US spelling: square meter) is by definition the area enclosed by a square with sides each 1 metre long. It is the SI unit of area. It is abbreviated m². A square metre is equal to:
- 0.000 001 square kilometre (km²)
- 10 000 square centimetres (cm²)
- 0.000 1 hectares
- 0.01 ares
- 0.000 247 105 381 acres
- 1.195 990 square yards
- 10.763 911 square feet
- 1,550.003 1 square inches

Square kilometre

1 km² is equal to:
- the area of a square measuring 1 kilometre on each side
- 1,000,000 m²
- 100 hectares
- 0.386 102 square miles (statute)
- 247.105 381 acres Conversely:
- 1 m² = 0.000 001 km²
- 1 hectare = 0.01 km²
- 1 square mile = 2.589 988 km²
- 1 acre = 0.004 047 km² Note: "km²" means square kilometre and not kilo–square metre. For example, 3 km² is equal to 3 000 000 m² and not to 3 000 m².

Square megametre

Square megametres are not widely used; however, there are a number of "megametre fans" who think that this unit is very convenient for measuring oceans and continents. 1 Mm² is equal to:
- the area of a square measuring 1 megametre on each side
- 1,000,000,000,000 m²
- 100,000,000 hectares
- 1,000,000 km²

See also


- SI
- SI prefix
- metre
- 1 E0 m²
- Conversion of units
- orders of magnitude Category:Units of area Category:SI derived units zh-min-nan:Pêng-hong-kong-chhioh ko:제곱미터 ja:平方メートル

April 1

April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining.

Events


- 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne.
- 1318 - Berwick-upon-Tweed is captured by the Scottish from the English
- 1572 - The Watergeuzen succeeded in capturing Den Briel, effectively sealing off the Meuse from the Spaniards.
- 1789 - In New York City, the United States House of Representatives holds its first quorum and elects Frederick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania as its first House Speaker.
- 1826 - Samuel Morey patents the internal combustion engine.
- 1854 - Hard Times begins serialisation in Charles Dickens magazine, Household Words.
- 1857 - Herman Melville publishes The Confidence-Man.
- 1865 - American Civil War: Battle of Five Forks - In Petersburg, Virginia, Confederate General Robert E. Lee begins his final offensive.
- 1867 - Singapore becomes British crown colony.
- 1868 - Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute is established in Hampton, Virginia
- 1873 - The British steamer SS Atlantic sinks off Nova Scotia killing 547.
- 1891 - The Wrigley Company is founded in Chicago, Illinois.
- 1918 - The Royal Flying Corps is replaced by the Royal Air Force.
- 1924 - Adolf Hitler is sentenced to five years in jail for his participation in the "Beer Hall Putsch." However, he spends only nine months in jail, during which he writes the book Mein Kampf.
- 1924 - First revenue flight for Belgium's Sabena Airlines
- 1933 - The recently elected Nazis under Julius Streicher organize a one-day boycott of all Jewish-owned businesses in Germany, ushering in the series of anti-Semitic acts that will be known as the Holocaust.
- 1934 - Bonnie and Clyde kill two young highway patrolmen near Grapevine, Texas.
- 1937 - Aden becomes a British crown colony.
- 1941 - The Blockade Runner Badge for German navy is instituted.
- 1945 - World War II: Operation Iceberg - United States troops land on Okinawa in the last campaign of the war.
- 1946 - Aleutian Island earthquake: A 7.8 magnitude earthquake near the Aleutian Islands creates a tsunami that strikes the Hawaiian Islands killing 159 (mostly in Hilo, Hawaii).
- 1946 - Formation of the Malayan Union.
- 1948 - Cold War: Berlin Airlift - Military forces, under direction of the Soviet-controlled government in East Germany, set-up a land blockade of West Berlin.
- 1948 - Faroe Islands receive autonomy from Denmark
- 1949 - Newfoundland becomes the tenth Province of Canada
- 1949 - Chinese Civil War: Communist Party of China hold unsuccessful peace talks with the Kuomintang in Beijing, after three years of fighting.
- 1949 - The twenty-six counties of the Irish Free State become the Republic of Ireland.
- 1954 - President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorizes the creation of the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado.
- 1960 - The United States launches the first weather satellite, TIROS-1.
- 1967 - The United States Department of Transportation begins operation.
- 1969 - The Hawker Siddeley Harrier enters service with the RAF.
- 1970 - Phil Spector finishes the orchestral overdubs for the upcoming Beatles album, Let It Be, including the songs "Let It Be", "Across the Universe", and "The Long and Winding Road". This causes controversy among Beatles fans who feel that Phil Spector has overproduced the album.
- 1970 - President Richard Nixon signs the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act into law banning cigarette advertisements in the United States starting on January 1, 1971.
- 1970 - American Motors introduces the Gremlin.
- 1973 - Project Tiger, a tiger conservation project, is launched in the Corbett National Park, India.
- 1974 - In the United Kingdom, new administrative counties come into being.
- 1976 - Apple Computer Company is formed by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.
- 1976 - The Central Railr