Map of South Korea

South Korea is located in Eastern Asia, on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula jutting out from the far east of the Asian land mass. Being on a peninsula, the only bordering country is North Korea to the north with 238 km of border running along the DMZ. South Korea is mostly surrounded by water and has 2,413 km of coast line along three seas. To the west, is the Yellow Sea, to the south is the South China Sea, and to the east is the Sea of Japan (East Sea). Download high resolution version (591x679, 42 KB)This is a map of South Korea showing major settlements. ... Download high resolution version (591x679, 42 KB)This is a map of South Korea showing major settlements. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ... The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. ... Peninsula A peninsula (from Latin paene insula, almost island) is a geographical formation consisting of an extension of land from a larger body, surrounded by water on three sides. ... Map of the Korean DMZ. The DMZ is given in red. ... ... The South China Sea, showing surrounding countries and neighbouring seas and oceans The South China Sea is a marginal sea south of China. ... The Sea of Japan (East Sea) is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean. ...

At 98,480 square kilometres, South Korea is slightly larger than the American state of Indiana. Two hundred and ninety square kilometres of South Korea are occupied by water. The approximate coordinates are 37° North, 127° 30 East. Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Land area and borders

Satellite image of South Korea.

The Korean Peninsula extends for about 1,000 kilometers southward from the northeast part of the Asian continental landmass. The Japanese islands of Honshū and Kyūshū are located some 200 kilometers to the southeast across the Korea Strait; the Shandong Peninsula of China lies 190 kilometers to the west. The west coast of the peninsula is bordered by the Korea Bay to the north and the Yellow Sea to the south; the east coast is bordered by the Sea of Japan(East Sea). The 8,640- kilometer coastline is highly indented. Some 3,579 islands lie adjacent to the peninsula. Most of them are found along the south and west coasts. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2041x2500, 794 KB) Satellite image of South Korea in January 2004. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2041x2500, 794 KB) Satellite image of South Korea in January 2004. ... HonshÅ« (本州 Literally Main State) is the largest island of Japan, called the Mainland; it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait. ... Kyushu region, Japan Kyushu (九州) is the third largest island of Japan and most southerly and westerly of the four main islands. ... The Korea Strait is a sea passage between South Korea and Japan, connecting the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan (East Sea) in northwest Pacific Ocean. ... Location of the Shandong Peninsula. ... The Korea Bay is located at the north of the Yellow Sea, between Liaoning Province of China and North Pyŏngan Province of North Korea. ... ... The Sea of Japan (East Sea) is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean. ...

The northern land border of the Korean Peninsula is formed by the Yalu and Tumen rivers, which separate Korea from the provinces of Jilin and Liaoning in China. The original border between the two Korean states was the thirty-eighth parallel of latitude. After the Korean War, the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) formed the boundary between the two. The DMZ is a heavily guarded, 4,000-meter-wide strip of land that runs along the line of cease-fire, the Demarcation Line, from the east to the west coasts for a distance of 241 kilometers (238 kilometers of that line form the land boundary with North Korea). The Yalu (Amnok) River is a river on the border between China and North Korea. ... Combatants United Nations: Republic of Korea United States United Kingdom Canada Australia The Netherlands France Philippines Communist states: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea People’s Republic of China Soviet Union Commanders Syngman Rhee Chung Il Kwon Douglas MacArthur Mark W. Clark Matthew Ridgway Kim Il-sung Choi Yong-kun... Map of the Korean DMZ. The DMZ is given in red. ...

The total land area of the peninsula, including the islands, is 220,847 square kilometers. Some 44.6 percent (98,477 square kilometers) of this total, excluding the area within the DMZ, constitutes the territory of the Republic of Korea. The combined territories of North Korea and South Korea are about the same size as the state of Minnesota. South Korea alone is about the size of Portugal or Hungary.

The largest island, Jeju, lies off the southwest corner of the peninsula and has a land area of 1,825 square kilometers. Other important islands include Ulleung in the Sea of Japan(East Sea) and Ganghwa Island at the mouth of the Han River. Although the eastern coastline of South Korea is generally unindented, the southern and western coasts are jagged and irregular. The difference is caused by the fact that the eastern coast is gradually rising, while the southern and western coasts are subsiding. Jeju is the smallest province of South Korea, situated on its largest island. ... Ulleung-do is a Korean island in the Sea of Japan (East Sea). ... The Sea of Japan (East Sea) is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean. ... -1...

Lacking formidable land or sea barriers along its borders and occupying a central position among East Asian nations, the Korean Peninsula has served as a cultural bridge between the China and the Japanese archipelago. Korea contributed greatly to the development of Japan by transmitting both Chinese Confucian and Buddhist culture, art, and religion. At the same time, Korea's exposed geographical position left it vulnerable to invasion by its stronger neighbors. When, in the late nineteenth century, British statesman Lord George Curzon described Korea as a "sort of political Tom Tiddler's ground between China, Russia, and Japan," he was describing a situation that had prevailed for several millennia, as would be tragically apparent during the twentieth century. Confucianism (儒家 Pinyin: rújiā The School of the Scholars), sometimes translated as the School of Literati, is an East Asian ethical, religious and philosophical system originally developed from the teachings of Confucius. ...

Topography and drainage

Early European visitors to Korea remarked that the land resembled "a sea in a heavy gale" because of the large number of successive mountain ranges that crisscross the peninsula. The tallest mountains are in North Korea. The tallest mountain in South Korea is Hallasan (1,950 meters), which is the cone of a volcanic formation constituting Jeju Island. There are three major mountain ranges within South Korea: the Taebaek Mountains, and Sobaek ranges, and the Jiri Massif. Hallasan (한라산) is a dormant volcano on Jeju Island of South Korea. ... Jeju is the largest island and smallest province in South Korea, and the name of islands largest city and provincial capital (see Jeju City). ... The Taebaek Mountains are a mountain range in both North and South Korea. ... The Sobaek Mountains are a mountain range cutting across the southern Korean peninsula. ...

Unlike Japan or the northern provinces of China, the Korean Peninsula is geologically stable. There are no active volcanoes and there have been no strong earthquakes. Historical records, however, describe volcanic activity on Mount Halla during the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392 A.D.). The state of Goryeo ruled Korea from the fall of Silla in 935 until the founding of Joseon in 1392. ...

Over the centuries, Korea's inhabitants have cut down most of the ancient Korean forests, with the exception of a few remote, mountainous areas. The disappearance of the forests has been a major cause of soil erosion and flooding. Because of successful reforestation programs and the declining use of firewood as a source of energy since the 1960s, most of South Korea's hills in the 1980s were amply covered with foliage. South Korea has no extensive plains; its lowlands are the product of mountain erosion. Approximately 30 percent of the area of South Korea consists of lowlands, with the rest consisting of uplands and mountains. The great majority of the lowland area lies along the coasts, particularly the west coast, and along the major rivers. The most important lowlands are the Han River plain around Seoul, the Byeongtaek coastal plain southwest of Seoul, the Geum River basin, the Nakdong River basin, and the Yeongsan and the Honam plains in the southwest. A narrow littoral plain extends along the east coast. The Han River located in South Korea, is the confluence of the South Han River, which originates in Mount Daedeok-san, and the North Han, which originates in Mount Geumgang-san. ... Seoul (Sŏul[1] 서울)   is the capital and largest city of South Korea (Republic of Korea). ... The Nakdong River (Rakdong in North Korean) is the longest river in South Korea, and passes through major cities such as Daegu and Busan. ... Honam is a region coinciding with the former Jeolla Province in what is now South Korea. ...

The Nakdong is South Korea's longest river (521 kilometers). The Han River, which flows through Seoul, is 514 kilometers long, and the Geum River is 401 kilometers long. Other major rivers include the Imjin, which flows through both North Korea and South Korea and forms an estuary with the Han River; the Bukhan, a tributary of the Han that also flows out of North Korea; and the Somjin. The major rivers flow north to south or east to west and empty into the Yellow Sea or the Korea Strait. They tend to be broad and shallow and to have wide seasonal variations in water flow. The Nakdong River (Rakdong in North Korean) is the longest river in South Korea, and passes through major cities such as Daegu and Busan. ... A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer) (symbol: km) is a unit of length equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words khilia = thousand and metro = count/measure). ... The Han River located in South Korea, is the confluence of the South Han River, which originates in Mount Daedeok-san, and the North Han, which originates in Mount Geumgang-san. ... The Geum River is a river in South Korea. ... U.S. Army Corps of Engineers establish a floating bridge across the Imjin River. ... The Bukhan River flowing through Gapyeong The Bukhan River (North Han River) is a tributary of the Han River that flows through both North and South Korea. ... ... The Korea Strait is a sea passage between South Korea and Japan, connecting the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan (East Sea) in northwest Pacific Ocean. ...

News that North Korea was constructing a huge multipurpose dam at the base of Geumgangsan (1,638 meters) north of the DMZ caused considerable consternation in South Korea during the mid-1980s . South Korean authorities feared that once completed, a sudden release of the dam's waters into the Pukhan River during north-south hostilities could flood Seoul and paralyze the capital region. During 1987 the Geumgangsan Dam was a major issue that Seoul sought to raise in talks with Pyongyang. Though Seoul completed a "Peace Dam" on the Pukhan River to counteract the potential threat of Pyongyang's dam project before the 1988 Olympics, the North Korean project apparently still was in its initial stages of construction in 1990. KÅ­mgangsan (Diamond Mountain) is the second-tallest mountain in North Korea, with a height of 1638 metres. ... Pyongyang is the capital city of North Korea, located on the Taedong River, at (39. ...

Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: not specified
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the Korea Strait The Korea Strait is a sea passage between South Korea and Japan, connecting the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan (East Sea) in northwest Pacific Ocean. ...

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Sea level 0 m
highest point: Hallasan 1,950 m Hallasan (한라산) is a dormant volcano on Jeju Island of South Korea. ...

Climate

Record snowfall in South Korea on March 6, 2004

Part of the East Asian monsoonal region, South Korea has a temperate climate with four distinct seasons. The movement of air masses from the Asian continent exerts greater influence on South Korea's weather than does air movement from the Pacific Ocean. Winters are usually long, cold, and dry, whereas summers are short, hot, and humid. Spring and autumn are pleasant but short in duration. Seoul's mean temperature in January is -5° C to - 2.5° C; in July the mean temperature is about 22.5° C to 25° C. Because of its southern and seagirt location, Jeju Island has warmer and milder weather than other parts of South Korea. Mean temperatures on Jeju range from 2.5° C in January to 25° C in July. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1125x1500, 918 KB) South Korea Receives Record Snowfall The central provinces of South Korea were crippled when heavy snow closed roads throughout the region, including many in the country’s capital, Seoul. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1125x1500, 918 KB) South Korea Receives Record Snowfall The central provinces of South Korea were crippled when heavy snow closed roads throughout the region, including many in the country’s capital, Seoul. ... Monsoon in the Vindhya mountain range, central India A monsoon is a wind pattern that reverses direction with the seasons. ...

The country generally has sufficient rainfall to sustain its agriculture. Rarely does less than 75 centimeters of rain fall in any given year; for the most part, rainfall is over 100 centimeters. Amounts of precipitation, however, can vary from year to year. Serious droughts occur about once every eight years, especially in the rice-producing southwestern part of the country. About two-thirds of the annual precipitation occurs between June and September.

South Korea is less vulnerable to typhoons than Japan, Taiwan, the east coast of China, or the Philippines. From one to three typhoons can be expected per year. Typhoons usually pass over South Korea in late summer, especially in August, and bring torrential rains. Flooding occasionally causes considerable damage. In September 1984, record floods caused the deaths of 190 people and left 200,000 homeless. This disaster prompted the North Korean government to make an unprecedented offer of humanitarian aid in the form of rice, medicine, clothes, and building materials. South Korea accepted these items and distributed them to flood victims. This article is about weather phenomena. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Resources and land use

Natural resources: South Korea produces coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, and has potential for hydropower. Coal Coal (IPA: ) is a fossil fuel extracted from the ground by underground mining or open-pit mining (surface mining). ... General Name, Symbol, Number tungsten, W, 74 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 6, 6, d Appearance grayish white, lustrous Atomic mass 183. ... Graphite (named by Abraham Gottlob Werner in 1789 from the Greek γραφειν: to draw/write, for its use in pencils) is one of the allotropes of carbon. ... General Name, Symbol, Number molybdenum, Mo, 42 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 6, 5, d Appearance gray metallic Atomic mass 95. ... General Name, Symbol, Number lead, Pb, 82 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 14, 6, p Appearance bluish white Atomic mass 207. ...

Land use:
arable land: 19%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 1%
forests and woodland: 65%
other: 13% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 13,350 km² (1993 est.)

Environmental concerns

Natural hazards: There are occasional typhoons that bring high winds and floods. This is also low-level seismic activity which is common in the southwest.

Environment - current issues: There are problems air pollution in large cities; as well as water pollution from the discharge of sewage and industrial effluents. Drift net fishing is another issue. Before flue gas desulfurization was installed, the emissions from this power plant in New Mexico contained excessive amounts of sulfur dioxide. ... Water pollution Water pollution is a large set of adverse effects upon water bodies (lakes, rivers, oceans, groundwater) caused by human activities. ... Sewage is the liquid water produced by human society which typically contains washing water, laundry waste, faeces, urine and other liquid or semi-liquid wastes. ... A drift net is a type of fishing net used in oceans. ...

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution (MARPOL 73/78), Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Ship Pollution is an abbreviated form of the Protocol of 1978 Relating to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships, 1973. ... Kyoto Protocol Opened for signature December 11, 1997 in Kyoto, Japan Entered into force February 16, 2005. ...

References

• This article contains material from the Library of Congress Country Studies, which are United States government publications in the public domain.
• This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain.}

The Country Studies are works published by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress ( USA), freely available for use by researchers. ... The U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1789 by a constitutional convention, sets down the basic framework of American government in its seven articles. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... The World Factbook 2006 cover The World Factbook is an annual publication by the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States with basic almanac-style information about the various countries of the world. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...

See also

• List of Korea-related topics
• Geography of North Korea