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Japan
Even though it is only the size of Montana, Japan has hosted the Olympic Games three times. Most recently, Japan hosted the1998 Winter Games in Nagano. Prior to the Games in Nagano, Japan hosted the 1972 Winter Games in Sapporo and 1964 Summer Games in Tokyo, the country's capital city.

Country Background
Japan is an archipelago, made up of many small islands and four main islands: Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku. Much of Japan's land is covered with mountains, some of which contain active volcanoes. The most famous of Japan's many mountains is Mount Fuji. Measuring over 12,000 miles high, Mount Fuji boasts the highest peak in Japan.

The first records of Japanese history date back as far as A.D. 400, but it wasn't until 1542 that the first Europeans, from Portugal, reached the islands. Through the 19th century, Japan continued to grow and modernize, and it established itself as an influential nation in the late 1800s. Today, Japan's economy is one of the largest the world.

Related Links
There is a lot more to learn about Japan!
More Countries (past hosts of Olympic Games)
Not every participating country has had the honor of hosting the Olympic Games. To learn more about countries represented at the Olympics, browse the following sites.

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