Page 66 - Japan’s Cultural Treasures

and Fukushima were particularly hard-hit, which put the nuclear power plants Fukushima
Daiichi and Fukushima Daini at risk. By deliberately venting some radioactive isotopes from
the Daiichi plant, the authorities averted a meltdown, but the emergency measure still raises
concerns about the impact to the region immediately surrounding the plant. (This is why an
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world, under the slogan “Pray for Japan”. Inside Japan, many citizens felt the government
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result Prime Minister Naoto Kan stepped down in 2011; he was succeeded by Yoshihiko Noda,
who in turn was defeated by Shinzo Abe. In 2016, Emperor Akihito surprised his subjects by
announcing he was ready to step down from the Chrysanthemum Throne; his abdication will
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Vietnam

Facts & Figures

• Area: 127,800 square miles

• Capital: Hanoi

• Languages: ATP_YLXP^P ZʯNTLW 0YRWT^S TYN]PL^TYRWd QLaZ]PO L^ L ^PNZYO WLYR`LRP
some French, Chinese, and Khmer; mountain area languages (Mon-Khmer and
Malayo-Polynesian)

• Ethnicities: Kinh (Viet) 85.7%, Tay 1.9%, Thai 1.8%, Muong 1.5%, Khmer 1.5%, Mong
1.2%, Nung 1.1%, other 5.3%

• Location: Vietnam is bordered by the South China Sea (“the East Sea”), China, Laos,
and Cambodia.

• Geography: It is about a thousand miles long and ranges in width from 30 miles in
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There are two mountainous areas, covered largely by forests or jungles: the Northern
Highlands, located in the northwest, and the Annamite Range that extends from it
down the western portion of the country towards Ho Chi Minh City. The two delta
areas—the Red River Delta in the north and the Mekong Delta in the south—hold most
of the country’s population and also provide the majority of the country’s farmland. The
Coastal Lowlands, which lie between the delta areas, are also heavily populated.

• Population: 93,421,835

• Religions: Buddhist 9.3%, Catholic 6.7%, Hoa Hao 1.5%, Cao Dai 1.1%, Protestant 0.5%,
Muslim 0.1%, none 80.8%. (Although Communists have discouraged the practice of
religion, those who do practice are generally Buddhists.)

• Time zone: Vietnam is twelve hours ahead of U.S. EST. When it is 6am in Washington
D.C., it is 6pm in Hanoi.

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