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Turkey in Asia: Hito

Emperor.-Mutsu Hito, b. Nov. 3, 1852; succeeded Feb. 13, 1867; married, 1869, Haruko. Heir-Prince Yoshi Hito, b. Aug. 31, 1879. The Empire of Japan consists of a group of islands (four large and over 3800 small) lying off the E. coast of Asia, between lat. 31° and 46° N., and long. 129º and 149° E. from Greenwich. The main island, Hondo, incorrectly called Niphon, contains 95,000 sq. m., and its configuration somewhat resembles Great Britain. Yezo has an area of about 30,000, Shikoku 10,000, and Kiushiu about 16,000 sq. m. All the islands are mountainous, the rivers are short and shallow, and the coast line is indented by bays and inlets, many of which have good anchorage. There are several volcanoes, a few being still active, the chief being Fusiyama, the sacred mountain of Japan, near Yokohama, which is 14,170 ft. high. Earthquakes are of frequent occurrence and sometimes very destructive. The climate nearly corresponds to that of the Atlantic coast states from Georgia to New England. There is an ample rainfall, and heavy snows occur in the N., while cyclones are not infrequent, and cause great damage to property. The total area is estimated at 147,697 sq. m., and the population last census, at 37,868,997.