Japan is comprised of several thousand islands, of which Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku are the four largest. The country stretches 1850 miles (2977 kilometers) from Russia in the north to Taiwan in the south.

LOCATION:   Japan is located in Eastern Asia between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan just east of the Korean peninsula. Its geographic coordinates are 36 00 N, 138 00 E. Japan's northern most islands are in the same latitude zone as Milan and Portland while her southern most islands are in the same latitudinal parallel as Florida and the Bahamas.

The South-West Islands, or Nansei-shoto, span 650 miles (1046 km) from the southern tip of Kyushu to the east coast of Taiwan. The northern half is part of Kagoshima Prefecture, which includes the Osumi and Amami Islands.

The southern half falls into Okinawa Prefecture and is comprised of 4 main groups: Okinawa Islands to the north, Daito Islands 220 miles (354 km) to the east, Miyako Islands to the south and the Yaeyama Islands further southwest.

AREA:   Japan's area is comparable to California and Italy. More than 50% of Japan is mountainous and covered by forests.

Total: 145,882 sq miles (377,835 sq km)

Land: 144,688 sq miles (374,744 sq km)

Water: 1,193 sq miles (3,091 sq km)

DIVING:   The South West Islands is an archipelago comprised of 160 islands, 110 of which are uninhabited. The best diving in Japan is found in this region. Nestled in the East China Sea, the islands experience mild winters and sizzling summers that make this a year-round warm water diving destination.