Why does Japan have limited natural resources?

Why does Japan have limited natural resources?

• A. It is a volcanic archipelago
• B. It has abundant mineral deposits
• C. It is located near large oceans
• D. It has heavy rainfall

Answer: (A)

Geography drives resource availability. Japan sits in a volcanic archipelago formed by shifting tectonic plates, which creates very rugged terrain with lots of mountains and only small areas of flat land. That limited land area means less space for large-scale mining, farming, or extracting mineral resources. The island setting also means Japan doesn’t have many fossil fuels of its own and must rely on imports for energy and many raw materials. The surrounding seas do supply abundant fishing resources, but that’s a different kind of resource than mineral or energy ones. So, the fact that Japan is a volcanic archipelago helps explain why its domestic natural resources are limited.

Geography drives resource availability. Japan sits in a volcanic archipelago formed by shifting tectonic plates, which creates very rugged terrain with lots of mountains and only small areas of flat land. That limited land area means less space for large-scale mining, farming, or extracting mineral resources. The island setting also means Japan doesn’t have many fossil fuels of its own and must rely on imports for energy and many raw materials. The surrounding seas do supply abundant fishing resources, but that’s a different kind of resource than mineral or energy ones. So, the fact that Japan is a volcanic archipelago helps explain why its domestic natural resources are limited.