... is that 61 of those resulting deaths (and subsequent property damage) occur in far-off Hawaii and 122 more on the even further coast of Japan. What possibly could have linked such distant coasts to this same catastrophe? The answer is the natural wonder known as a tsunami ... it once stood whole may cause a breakdown or clogging of the infrastructure or highway systems that were created a considerable distance away from the coast for the very reason of not being influenced by coastal activity. Not as devastating a consequence as one might think, but nevertheless a contributing ... its ...

• Word Count: 3089
• Approx Pages: 12
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... a year. Most of them are minor tremors that cause little damage, but severe earthqaukes occur every few years. Underseaquakes sometimes cause huge, destructive tidal waves, called tsunami, along Japan's Pacific coast. The Japanese islands have more than 150 major volcanoes. Over 60 of these volcanoes are active. Numerous short, swift rivers cross Japan's rugged surface. most of the rivers are too ... like Tasmania. Two Pacific Ocean currents--the Japan Current and the Oyashio Current--influence Japan's climate. The warm, dark-blue Japan Current flows northward along the country's south ...

• Word Count: 2672
• Approx Pages: 11

... began with the Merchant Marines (Beaglehole 205). Like the Endeavor, James Cook possessed the exact qualities the Admiralty had wanted. For four years, starting in 1763, Cook had navigated the coast of Newfoundland, charting its bays and inlets with precision. More than once he had received praise from the highest levels of the Royal Navy for his superb seamanship, and the ... been on watch at the ships masthead. The boy was subsequently given a different honor; Cook named a promontory near the landfall for him: Young Nick's Head. The Endeavor had reached the coast of the northern islan...

• Word Count: 3282
• Approx Pages: 13
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... land: 6% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 54% forests and woodland: 19% other: 21% (1993 est.) Irrigated land: 21,070 sq km (1993 est.) Natural hazards: cyclones along the coast; severe droughts Environment - current issues: soil erosion from overgrazing, industrial development, urbanization, and poor farming practices; soil salinity rising due to the use of poor quality water; desertification; clearing for ... agricultural purposes threatens the natural habitat of many unique animal and plant species; the Great Barrier Reef off the northeast coast, the largest coral reef in the ...

• Word Count: 2674
• Approx Pages: 11
• Grade Level: High School

... the dispute that continues to be a source of strain and anxiety for the United States, Japan and China. Tension began in 2010 when a Chinese fishing trawler rammed into two Japanese coast guard vessels near the Senkakus, resulting in the first public dispute over the islands. When China's demands for the crew and vessel to be released were not met, they halted ... bring great pride, but would also be beneficial for their maritime goals, in regards to EEZs due to the stipulation that an EEZ stretches out 200 nautical miles from the coast line. Thus allowing China to increase their EEZs d...

• Word Count: 2908
• Approx Pages: 12
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... been any military action until recently. The incident in 2012 nearly caused a war between China and Japan. A fishing boat went into the area controlled by the Japanese and rammed a Japanese Coast Guard Vessel, nearly sinking the boat. Though this was done by a local fisherman, the Japanese still used this as another attempt by China to try and provoke Japan into giving ... hacking American computer systems conflict that China is currently dealing with (Jones). This would make it very easy for the United States to send military ships over to the Chinese coast. Every day, Chinese computer...

• Word Count: 3515
• Approx Pages: 14

... 's no reason why a six-pack ring or a peanut butter jar should be made to last for 400 years. The fact that one piece of plastic caught in a current on the coast, travels through currents for 6 years until it gets to what is now the location of the garbage patch, is saying that this is has been an ongoing problem that is ... international manufacturing of plastic, which was five million tons in the 1950s, is expected to hit 260 million tons this year (Grant, Richard). A soup of plastic litter drifts off the coast of California, proof of our dependence on plastic and the failure to dispos...

• Word Count: 3871
• Approx Pages: 15
• Has Bibliography

... untouched by civilization. This is why we will talk about only one of the many cultures in Indonesia: the one of the Mentawais. Just 60 sea miles of the western coast of Sumatra there are a group of islands called Mentwai. The largest one is called Pulau Siberut. Looking south there is Pulau Sipora, Pulau Pagai Utara and Pulau Pagai Selatan. The ... were all extremely excited from this living experience. A few days later we took a boat that brought us to the Metawai islands which are approximately 60 nautical miles of the West coast of Sumatra there we had to meet with the nuns of the C...

• Word Count: 3315
• Approx Pages: 13
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... within the soils of the Gulf. One visually alarming effect can be seen from the oil coats on the fur of marine birds and mammals. Another example, on the West Coast there is a section of the North Pacific Ocean that is known as the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch5". Here we cannot see the small particles of plastic until it ... ...

• Word Count: 2631
• Approx Pages: 11
• Grade Level: High School

... been promised for their assistance in fighting the Spanish forces at Manila. Having now become a Pacific power, America needed an easy and reliable route for moving naval vessels from one coast to the other -- or so President Theodore Roosevelt was fervently convinced. And out of this vision of America as a two-ocean power, Panama was born. There had been several attempts ... ...

• Word Count: 2823
• Approx Pages: 11
• Grade Level: High School