Japan

Japan is a land of striking scenic beauty. First time visitors are impressed by its greenness and its mountains, which cover nearly three-quarters of the country. Gentle plains and intermountain basins account for only about 25% of Japanese territory. Here, the flat lands are geologically young and the soil runoff from the surrounding mountains is shallow.

The rugged peaks, snow-fed lakes, turbulent rivers, rocky gorges and waterfalls and dense forests are breathtaking, but they put severe limits on livable land. With seventy-five percent of the nation unsuitable for either habitation or cultivation due to mountains and rocky sea coasts, and with only 16 per cent of the land cultivated, the entire Japanese population actually lives in an area roughly the size of the state of Maine, about 85,470 sq km (33,000 sq mi). This makes Japan the most populated country in the world in terms of population per liveable square mile..