How Geography "Mapped" , Part Two: and By Craig Benjamin, Big History Project, adapted by Newsela staff on 01.26.17 Word Count 1,203 Level 840L

Viewed from Tateish, Mount Fuji, or Fuji-san as it is called in Japan, is the highest mountain in Japan. Although Mount Fuji has not erupted in more than 300 years, it is still not considered to be extinct. Mount Fuji was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015. Photo by John S Lander/LightRocket via Getty Images

The second in a two-part series

What role did climate and geography play in enabling powerful states, and eventually agrarian civilizations, to appear in some areas while other locations remained better suited for foraging? Here we consider both the island nation of Japan and the Korean Peninsula.

The societies that emerged in Korea and Japan were influenced by 's identity. Still, Korean and Japanese civilizations never became exact copies of China.

First settlers find it difficult

The Korean Peninsula sticks out from northeastern China. It is surrounded by the to the west and the to the east. The Korea Strait connects the two seas. The peninsula is

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. about 85,000 square miles. It is about the same size as England or Utah. Most of the land is extremely rugged, mountainous and heavily forested.

This tough geography presented many challenges to the first migrants to Korea. Yet Korea also presented many possible sites in which to settle. It had a long, curvy coastline with many resources from the ocean. Wooded areas area lay in the interior of the country. Mountain valleys offered access to forest foods, timber, fresh water and caves.

Geologically, Korea consists mostly of a block of ancient granite that was laid down before the Cambrian era of the Earth's development. On top of this are younger rocks. The limestone has produced large caves. The ancient granite contains important metals – gold, copper, tin and iron. Korea has been a major gold producer for a very long time.

Cultures grew up around volcanoes and mountains

Although Japan is very close, Korea has almost none of the volcanic activity of its eastern neighbor. The only volcano is Mount Baekdu in the far north. At 9,000 feet (2,743 meters), it is also the highest mountain in Korea. Today the mountain contains an extinct crater filled with Heaven Lake. According to ancient legend, this was home to the gods.

Seventy percent of Korea’s land consists of steep mountains. They are so rugged that it is difficult to cross from east to west. Cultures and kingdoms developed completely separate from each other.

One of these cultures, the Silla Kingdom, grew strong despite its isolated location. Eventually, it crossed the mountains and conquered the other kingdoms. Silla first unified Korea.

Cities thrived along rivers

As with China, rivers played a critical role in Korean culture. All the great capitals of Korean history have been located along major rivers.

During the last ice age, sea levels were about 400 feet (122 meters) lower than they are today. At the time, much of the Yellow Sea was dry land. Korea was still connected to Japan. Ancient peoples were able to walk from China across the Yellow Sea Plain to Korea. From there, they could continue on to Japan. When temperatures rose about 11,000 years ago, sea levels also rose. This sealed off the inhabitants of Japan. Korea separated from China, except along the northern border.

Early Korean culture reflected its geography. One Korean origin story dates to 2333 B.C. In this story, mythical King Tangun established the first kingdom of Choson. It means the “Land of the Morning Calm.” The name reflected the quiet forest camps, seaside villages, and river terraces of the Choson Kingdom.

Islands of Japan

Japanese culture was perhaps even more powerfully influenced by the environment where it formed. Modern Japan consists of four large islands — Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. But it also has thousands of smaller islands. Their combined area is roughly 145,000 square miles. This makes Japan a little larger than Italy, and a little smaller than California. Altogether, it's a 1,500-mile-long (2,414-kilometer-long) chain of islands. It stretches from cool northern latitudes to warmer southern zones.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. The Japanese islands are separated from the Asian mainland by several hundred miles of water. Because of this, a distinct Japanese culture has emerged. But Japan has never been completely isolated from the cultural influences of neighbors like Korea and China.

Japan sits on the spot where at least four tectonic plates join. It is part of the Pacific region’s “Ring of Fire.” Throughout history, it has undergone violent shaping and changes. The devastating earthquake of 2011 generated a massive tsunami wave. Amazingly, it was just one of about 1,000 earthquakes that rattle Japan every year.

When tectonic plates crash together

Japan’s tectonic location means that most of the country consists of young mountains. When the tectonic plates collided, these mountains were driven up. The mountains are steep and jagged. They produce fast-moving rivers and frequent landslides.

The tectonic plate boundaries have also created volcanoes. The highest and most famous is Mount Fuji at 12,388 feet (3,776 meters). These rugged and unstable mountain ranges are difficult to cross. They are not suitable for farming. They also are not ideal for settlement. Since early Japanese history, they have been serious barriers to transportation and communication. This led to regional independent states in early Japan. It also caused early Japan to rely on water transportation.

Sediment washed down from Japan's mountains. At the bottom, it joined with rich volcanic soil to create fertile coastal plains. The plains make up only 13 percent of Japan’s area. However, they are important to Japanese civilization. Because of their fertility, the plains are where the first rice farmers settled. They are where the first towns, cities, and states appeared. One of the most important of these plains is the Tsukushi Plain in northern Kyushu. It was influenced by nearby civilizations in Korea and China. It became an early center of Japanese culture.

People settled where the weather was best

Japan’s location between Asia and the wide Pacific also creates difficult weather patterns. In the winter, cold winds blow out of Asia. They dump snow on the mountains of Japan. In the summer, warm moist air blows in from the south. The warm air brings high temperatures, heavy rains, and . These weather systems have strongly influenced where people settle. The strong hurricane-like storms have had huge historical consequences. Two attempted invasions of Japan by the were stopped by powerful storms and strong winds. The Japanese considered these storms to be divine. They called them "kamikaze."

Japan stretches a long way from north to south. Its terrain has great variety. Because of this, Japan also contains a wide variety of plants and animals. It is lucky to have both plentiful fresh water and a long growing season. The combination created a paradise for plants, and for the animals that feed off them. Land bridges once connected Japan to the Asian mainland. About 35,000 years ago, humans first crossed the bridges into Japan. There, they found a rich variety of food choices. There was forest and sea food, along with plentiful boar, deer and smaller animals.

Land and climate shape civilization

The flooding rivers, towering mountains, deserts, and rich plains of China; the narrow coasts, rugged mountains and fast-flowing rivers of Korea; and the violent storms, earthquakes,

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. volcanoes, and plains of the island nation of Japan have all been fundamental in shaping East Asian civilization. They have been just as important to its culture as anything created by human intelligence or will.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. Quiz

1 Which selection from the article helps you understand WHY there are a lot of plants and animals in Japan?

(A) Wooded areas area lay in the interior of the country. Mountain valleys offered access to forest foods, timber, fresh water and caves.

(B) Altogether, it's a 1,500-mile-long (2,414-kilometer-long) chain of islands. It stretches from cool northern latitudes to warmer southern zones.

(C) Because of their fertility, the plains are where the first rice farmers settled.

(D) It is lucky to have both plentiful fresh water and a long growing season.

2 Select the paragraph from the section "Cultures grew up around volcanoes and mountains" that helps explain why Korea's civilizations were far apart.

3 According to the article, how has weather helped keep people in Japan safe?

(A) High temperatures kept people warm and healthy.

(B) "Kamikaze" storms and typhoons brought rain for the rice farmers.

(C) Storms stopped invaders that were coming to Japan.

(D) Snow prevented ancient people from reaching Japan.

4 Based on the article, why was Korea a difficult place for early settlers?

(A) There were rugged mountains.

(B) There were many volcanoes.

(C) There were metals in the granite.

(D) There was a curvy coastline.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.