Examine the pie charts showing land use in figure 6.1 and answer the following questions:

a. In which country is the land under forests more?

b. In which country is the land under agriculture more?

c. Considering the two questions above, how will you relate the physiography and climate of India and Japan with their respective land uses?

a. The land under forests is more in Japan as compared to India according to the land use data of 2011. Japan has 68.5% of its area under forests, while in India it is just 23.1%.

b. The land under cultivation and agriculture is more in India. It accounts for 4.2% in India while the area under cultivation is just 0.8% in Japan. As compared to Japan, the total area that is suitable for agriculture is also more in India. It accounts for 52.8% in India, while in Japan it is just 11.7%.

c. The land use in different countries differs according to their circumstances, situations and needs of the people. Japan has more forest cover, while India has more agricultural land. While comparing the total land area, India is nearly 8 times larger than Japan. Most of the land area in India is also suitable for cultivation. With the growing population in India, the demand for an increase in the area under cultivation is rising. Thus more land has to be brought under cultivation in the case of India. Also, India is well-endowed with the natural resources and the climate that gives the country an edge in increasing its agricultural productivity. But Japan with limited land availability and negligible resources lacks the potential to increase its agricultural productivity. Still, the island country has achieved development in many other fields.