Which of the following factors explains Japan's relative isolation?

a. It is surrounded by huge mountains

b. It is a series of islands

c. Japan is far from the center of civilization

d. All of the above factors

B. It is a series of islands. Japan is an island nation located northeastern Asia just off the coast of the Korean peninsula. It is a highly mountainous region, with around 80% of the Japanese landscape being made up of mountain terrain, creating small areas of settlement which result in them being densely populated. Geographically speaking, being an island nation creates a strong sense of isolation from that of the continental mainland. One example includes Great Britain, whose island location being off the coast of northwestern Europe allowed it culturally and politically develop on its own during certain periods of time. The same is true with Japan, which has historically been one of the homogeneous cultures in the world due to its location off the mainland. Eastern Asia has been relatively isolated from the western world due to mountain ranges, large bodies of water, and large deserts that have separated the region from the western world. China has the same tendency of being isolated due to these geographic features, but being an archipelago such as Japan creates an even more profound cultural, social, and political sense of isolation.