GEOGRAPHY OF SOUTH KOREA
Located at the far eastern side of Asia, the Korean peninsula is surrounded by water on three sides: the Sea of Japan (or East Sea as South Koreans like to call it) to the east; the Yellow Sea (between Korea and China) to the west; and the South China Sea to the south. To the north of the peninsula is China and Russia. Korea itself is divided by a 237-kilometers 148-mile-long demilitarized zone, or no man's land, that runs roughly along the 38th parallel (the latitude of 38̊ North), with North Korea on the to the north, and South Korea to the south. South Korea occupies 45 percent of Korea; North Korea, 55 percent.
South Korea (Republic of Korea, ROK) covers 99,720 square kilometers (38,502 square miles), which is slightly larger than Indiana and slightly smaller than Pennsylvania. About 18 percent of the country is good for agriculture (compared to 44 percent in the United States) and most of this arable land is in the river valleys between the mountains and along the wide coastal plain between the mountains and the Yellow Sea in the west. South Korea is divided into nine provinces and seven independent metropolitan cities.About 70 percent of South Korea is covered by hills and rugged, low granite and limestone mountains (very few are more than 1,500 meters high), which endows the country with beautiful scenery. The Koreans love their mountains and one of their favorite pastimes is hiking. Along the east coast, mountains drop dramatically into the sea.
The western side of the country is flatter than the eastern side. Low hills, plains, and basins along the rivers are located in the south and the west, whereas the eastern slope is steep with high mountains and without significant rivers and plains. The southern and western coasts are heavily indented, with more than 3,000 small islands, most of them close to the shore. About 160 kilometers (100 miles) to the south of the mainland is Jeju (Cheju) island, South Korea's favorite honeymoon spot. Most Koreans, in both the north and south, live in the western lowlands, one of the most densely populated places on earth.
Three fourths of Korea once covered in forests. Most of what was left of the country's trees at the turn of the 20th century were chopped down by the Japanese before World War II. After the Korean War, South Korea launched an aggressive reforestation program and much of the formerly deforested land now have trees again
A new phonetic system, proclaimed by the South Korean government in 2000, resultied in spelling changes of a number of places. Cheju became Jeju, Pusan became Busan and Taegu became Daegu, to name a few. South Koreans ininsist the name of the sea to the east of Korea is the East Sea, not the Japan Sea as it appears on most maps. In the early 1990s both the U.N.'s conference on Geographical Names and the U.S. Board of Geographic names rejected suggestions by Koreans to the change the name of the aforementioned to the East Sea despite strong appeals by South Koreans for them to do so.
Korean Peninsula
The Korean Peninsula extends for about 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) southward from the northeast part of the Asian continental landmass. The Japanese islands of Honshu and Kyushu 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 (known in Korea as the 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. [Source: Andrea Matles Savada and William Shaw, Library of Congress, 1990 *]
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 atitude. After the Korean War, the 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 Korean peninsula is roughly 1,030 kilometers (612 miles) long and 175 kilometers (105 miles) wide at its narrowest point. The total land area of the peninsula, including the islands, is 220,847 square kilometers (85,269 square miles). 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, and is slightly larger than the state of Indiana.*
The land border of Korean peninsula is 636 miles long (1,025 kilometers), most of it with China but the last eight kilometers (11 miles) of it at the eastern end, with Russia. The border follows two rivers, the westward-flowing Yalu (Korean Amnok) and the east-flowing Tumen (Korean Duman or Tuman), both of which originate from springs on the slopes of Mount Paektu. Other important rivers, are the Han, the Geum, the Taedong (Daedong), the Nakdong, and the Seomjin.Off the heavily indented 8,690 -kilometers (5,400-mile) -long coast are some 3,420 islands, most of them rocky and uninhabited. The main island group is in the Korean Archipelago in the Yellow Sea. Of the inhabited islands, only about half have a population of more than 100. [Source: “Columbia Encyclopedia”, 6th ed., The Columbia University Press]
The Korean Peninsula and its associated islands lie between 33°06 and 43°01 N and between 124°11 and 131°53 E. It is situated on the Eurasian Tectonic Plate with the Russian Far East (sometimes considered) Siberia in the northeast and Chinese Manchuria to the north. 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 Koryo Dynasty (918-1392 A.D.).*
Topography and History of the Korean Peninsula
The Korean peninsula is mostly hills and mountains with wide coastal plains in southwest and south. Mount Paektu (Baekdu) — the sacred peak and part of the "Ever-white Mountains" — lies on the northeastern border of China and North Korea. It is 2,744 meters (9,003 feet) high and is the highest peak in Korea. Southward from this mountain mass are the T'aebaek Mountain ranges. This range runs the length of the Korean peninsula, roughly dividing it into a well-defined coastal area on the east and a series of broad valleys to the west. The principal series of ranges runs along the east coast and rises in the northeast. Most rivers are relatively short and many are unnavigable, filled with rapids and waterfalls. [Source: “Columbia Encyclopedia”, 6th ed., The Columbia University Press]
Korea's mountainous terrain has traditionally hindered communication between different parts of the country and created more or less distinct regions within it. Until railroads, highways, air travel, and mass communications began breaking down regional divisions. the mountain barriers were a defining feature of Korean civilization. [Source: “Culture and Customs of Korea” by Donald N. Clark, Greenwood Press, 2000]
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 mainland and the Japanese archipelago. Korea contributed greatly to the development of Japan by transmitting both Indian Buddhist and Chinese Confucian 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. [Source: Andrea Matles Savada and William Shaw, Library of Congress, 1990 *]
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 Mount Halla (1,950 meters, 6,398 feet), which is the cone of a volcanic formation constituting Cheju Island. There are three major mountain ranges within South Korea: the T'aebaek, and Sobaek ranges, and the Jiri (Chiri) Massif. *
Location, Size and and Land Boundaries of South Korea
South Korea (The Republic of Korea covers 99,720 square kilometers (38,502 square miles), which is slightly larger than Indiana, Hungary or Portugal and slightly smaller than Pennsylvania. Iceland or Guatemala. In terms of size South Korea ranks 107th of 196 countries and territories in the world. Of its total areas, 96,920 square kilometers is land and 2,800 square kilometers is water. South Korea Korea occupies the southern 45 percent of the Korean Peninsula on the northeastern corner of the Asian continent. North Korea lies to the north, and Japan is located to the southeast, across the Korea Strait and Japan Sea (East Sea). The Yellow Sea separates South Korean from the Chinese mainland. Geographic coordinates: 37 00 N, 127 30 E [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2020]
The 1953 armistice agreement concluding the Korean War defined the borders of North and South Korea. The demarcation line serves as the border. It divides the four-kilometers (2.5 mile) -wide Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which is a largely uninhabited no man’s land between the two Koreas, which are still technically at war. The DMZ covers about 1,262 square kilometers (487 square miles) and extends 238 kilometers over land and three kilometers over the sea.. The DMZ runs roughly along the 38th parallel (the latitude of 38̊ North). Seoul lies just 48 kilometers (30 miles) south of the DMZ. On the North Korean side are huge batteries of artillery capable of reaching Seoul.
Boundaries and borders. The 237-kilometer border with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea, DPRK) is South Korea’s only land boundary. South Korean has 2,413 kilometers (1,508 miles) of coastline. South Korea claims an exclusive economic zone of 200 nautical miles and a 12-nautical-mile territorial sea, between three nautical miles and 12 nautical miles in the Korea Strait; exclusive economic zone: 200 nautical miles; contiguous zone: 24 nautical miles; continental shelf: not specified. As an extension of the concept of the land-bound Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between South and North Korea, the Northern Limit Line serves as a maritime boundary established by the United Nations Command in 1954 to ensure access to islands controlled by South Korea north of the thirty-eighth parallel and to maintain a separation between naval forces. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2020] [Source: Library of Congress, May 2005]
South Korea extends 642 kilometers (399 miles) north-northeast to south–southwest and 436 kilometers (271 miles) east-southeast to west-northwest. It is bounded on the north by North Korea, to the east by the Sea of Japan (known in Korea as the East Sea), to the south by the Korea Strait, and to the west by the Yellow Sea. South Korea’s capital city, Seoul, is located in the northwestern part of the country. [Source: Worldmark Encyclopedia of Nations, Thomson Gale, 2007]
A long-standing dispute with Japan continues concerning which nation exercises sovereignty over a group of tiny islands located off the east coast of South Korea. The South Korean government refers to these islands as Tokto (or Dokdo), but other sources refer to them variously as the Liancourt Rocks, the Hornet Rocks. Takeshima is the name used in Japan and was the name the Japanese colonial government used. [Source: Library of Congress, May 2005]
Land Use and Cover and Population Distribution in South Korea
Land use: use: agricultural land: A) 18.1 percent (15.3 percent is arable land; 2.2 percent is permanent crops and 0.6 percent is permanent pasture); forest: 63.9 percent; other: 18 percent (2011 est.). Arable land is land cultivated for crops like wheat, maize, and rice that are replanted after each harvest. Permanent crops is land cultivated for crops like fruit trees oranges that are not replanted after each harvest. Irrigated land: 7,780 square kilometers (2012). [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2020 =]
Only 19 percent of the country is flat enough to be easily used for agriculture and that land is farmed intensively. In 2001 about 17 percent of South Korea’s land was classified as arable, and some 2 percent was planted to permanent crops. In recent decades there has been a steady migration from rural areas to urban areas. Around two-thirds of Korea's population now live in its cities. [Source: Library of Congress, May 2005; Cities of the World, The Gale Group Inc., 2002]
Korea is one of the world's most densely populated countries. Population density: 527 people square kilometer, 1366 people per square mile (compared to 2 per square kilometer in Mongolia, 35 per square kilometer in the United States and 5 per square mile in Mongolia, 93 per square mile in the United States, and 2,890 per square mile in Bangladesh) Other densely populated countries include Singapore, Belgium, and the Netherlands. [Source: World Population Review]
Population distribution: with approximately 70 percent of the country considered mountainous, the country's population is primarily concentrated in the lowland areas, where density is quite high; Gyeonggi Province in the northwest, which surrounds the capital of Seoul and contains the port of Incheon, is the most densely populated province; Gangwon in the northeast is the least populated. The populations of North Gyeongsang Province, Gangwon Province, North Jeolla Province, and South Jeolla Province are declining.
About 70 percent of South Korea is covered by hills and rugged, low granite and limestone mountains (very few are more than 1,500 meters high). 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 Pyongt'aek coastal plain southwest of Seoul, the Kum River basin, the Naktong River basin, and the Yongsan and the Honam plains in the southwest. A narrow littoral plain extends along the east coast. [Source: Andrea Matles Savada and William Shaw, Library of Congress, 1990]
Topography of South Korea
The topography and terrain of South Korea is mostly hills and mountains with wide coastal plains in the west and south. The mean elevation is 282 meters. The lowest point 0 meters is at the coast along the seas that surround South Korea on the three sides. The highest point is 1,950- meter (6,398-foot)-high Halla-san, a volcanic cone located on Jeju (Cheju) Island off the southeastern coast of the Korean peninsula.
Approximately 70 percent of the land area of South Korea is composed of mountains and hills. Low hills in the south and west lead to increasingly higher mountains in the north and east. The T’aebaek (“Spine of Korea”) range runs north-to-south along the east coast, while the other major range, the Sobaek in the southwest of the country, runs northeast-to- southwest. There are limestone caves, with impressive stalagmites and stalactites, in the central and southern part of South Korea. Perhaps the best known, Kosudonggul, is called the "Underground Palace."[Source: Library of Congress, May 2005; Geo-Data: The World Geographical Encyclopedia, The Gale Group Inc., 2003]
Elevations in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula are generally lower than those in the north. The main lowlands are on the west coast along the Yellow Sea. These include the Han River Plain, near Seoul; the Pyongtaek and Honam plains, south of Seoul; and the Yongsan Plain in the southwest. In plains and southern coastal regions are fertile and exploited for agricultural. The area around Chinan in west-central South Korea has traditionally been a bamboo-growing area. [Source: Worldmark Encyclopedia of Nations, Thomson Gale, 2007; Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of Physical Geography, The Gale Group, Inc.. 2003]
Mountains in South Korea
Approximately 70 percent of the land area of South Korea is composed of mountains and hills. Low hills in the south and west lead to increasingly higher mountains in the north and east. The T’aebaek (“Spine of Korea”) range runs north-to-south along the east coast, while the other major range, the Sobaek in the southwest of the country, runs northeast-to- southwest. [Source: Library of Congress, May 2005]
The T'aebaek Mountain ranges range runs the length of the Korean peninsula, roughly dividing it into a well-defined coastal area on the east and a series of broad valleys to the west. The principal series of ranges runs along the east coast and rises in the northeast. Hills separate the Sobaek mountain range from the coastal plains in the south.
The tallest mountain in South Korea is Mount Halla (1,950 meters), which is the cone of a volcanic formation constituting Cheju Island. There are three major mountain ranges within South Korea: the T'aebaek, and Sobaek ranges, and the Jiri (Chiri) Massif. Mt. Jiri (Chiri), or Chii-san (1,915meters-6,283 feet), is the highest point on the South Korean mainland. [Source: Andrea Matles Savada and William Shaw, Library of Congress, 1990]
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. Korea's mountainous terrain has traditionally hindered communication between different parts of the country and created more or less distinct regions within it. Until railroads, highways, air travel, and mass communications began breaking down regional divisions. the mountain barriers were a defining feature of Korean civilization. [Source: “Culture and Customs of Korea” by Donald N. Clark, Greenwood Press, 2000]
The mountains and hills are often rugged and composed of granite or limestone. Very few are more than 1,500 meters high. The mountains endow the country with beautiful scenery. The Koreans love their mountains and one of their favorite pastimes is hiking. Along the east coast, mountains drop dramatically into the sea.
The elevations of the mountains in South Korea are generally less than those in the north. The T'aebaek Mountain Range in South Korea runs northeast to southwest along the Sea of Japan. The Sobaek Mountain Range generally runs northeast-to-southwest. The highest peak on the South Korean mainland — 1,915-meter (6,283-foot)Jiri (Chiri)-san — is located in the south-central part of the country at the southern end of the Sobaek mountain range. The highest peak in South Korea — 1,950-meters (6,398-foot) Halla San has a small crater lake at its summit. Maisan (Horse Ears Mountain) — a two-peaked mountain that resembles the ears of a horse — is west of Cheongju.. [Source: Geo-Data: The World Geographical Encyclopedia, The Gale Group Inc., 2003]
Rivers of South Korea
There are a relatively large number of rivers and streams in South Korea but because Korea is so mountainous it doesn't really have any navigable rivers except near the seas. There are major rivers: the Han River and the Kŭm River flow west to the Yellow Sea; the Naktong River and the Sŏmjin River flow south to the Korea Strait. South Korea’s longest river is the Naktonggang (the suffix –gang means river in Korean). It is 525 kilometers long. The Han’gang, which runs through Seoul, is 514 kilometers long, and the Kumgang is 401 kilometers long. These rivers are navigable, and they played a major role in the development of port cities like Seoul. Roughly 70 percent of all rice fields in South Korea depend on rivers for irrigation. [Source: Library of Congress, May 2005]
Other major rivers include the Imjin, which flows through both North Korea and South Korea and forms an estuary with the Han River; the Pukhan, 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. [Source: Andrea Matles Savada and William Shaw, Library of Congress, 1990]
The Yŏngsan and Tongjin rivers provide water to South Korea's main rice growing areas. Because of their relatively low gradients, the rivers to the west of the T'aebaek Mountains have traditionally been used for transportation. These west-flowing rivers have created extensive alluvial plains at the points where they flow into the sea. River navigation is no longer as important as it once was. In recent years there has been extensive diversion of water for irrigation, and the construction of dams. [Source: Geo-Data: The World Geographical Encyclopedia, The Gale Group Inc., 2003 ~]
River flow is highly seasonal, with the heaviest flows occurring during the rainy season months in early summer. Floods are common in the major iver basins, particularly in estuary areas along the west coast. During most of the year, the rivers are low and shallow and have wide gravel riverbeds. The Naktong River Basin in the southeast, near Busan (Pusan,) is comprised of structural basins and river floodplains separated by low hills. The Naktong River forms an extensive delta where it reaches the sea. ~
Dams and Lakes in South Korea
Near Chuncheon (Ch'unch'on) in the north are three artificial lakes: Uiam, Ch'unch'on, and Soyang. The lakes are connected by rivers and give the city its nickname: "City of Lakes." The Uiam Dam, built just below the junction of the Bukhan and Soyang Rivers near Chuncheon, created the artificial reservoir Lake Uiam. The largest sand gravel dam in Asia created another large reservoir, Lake Soyang. Lake Chuncheon was created by the Chuncheon Dam, also located on the Bukhan River. [Source: Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of Physical Geography, The Gale Group, Inc.. 2003]
News that North Korea was constructing a huge multipurpose dam at the base of Mount Kumgang (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 Kumgang-san 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. [Source: Andrea Matles Savada and William Shaw, Library of Congress, 1990 *]
Major Cities of South Korea
The capital of South Korea, Seoul lies just 48 kilometers (30 miles south) of the DMZ that divides North and South Korea. Seoul is the largest city and home of the largest metro area in South Korea. It has a population of almost 10 million people, and forms the heart of the Seoul Capital Area with the surrounding Incheon metropolis and Gyeonggi province. Considered to be a global city, Seoul was the world's 4th largest metropolitan economy in 2014 after Tokyo, New York City and Los Angeles. The Seoul Capital Area — the equivalent of the Seoul metro area — has a population of about 25 million, about double waht it was in 2000. It includes Sudogwon or Gyeonggi region and Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi Province.
In addition, there are the regional capitals for various provinces in the country. The following are the largest cities after Seoul in South Korea with their population: 2) Busan (Pusan) (3,678,555); 3) Incheon (2,628,000); 4) Daegu (Taegu) (2,566,540); 5) Daejeon (Taejon (1,475,221); 6) Gwangju (Kwangju) (1,416,938); 7) Suwon (1,242,724); 8) Goyang-si (1,073,069); 9) Seongnam-si (1,031,935). Estimated population in 1990: Seoul — 10.7 million; Busan — 3.8 million; Daegu — 2.2 million; Inchon — 1.6 million; Gwangju — 1.2 million and Taejon – 1 million. Large urban areas and their estimated populations in the early 2000s: Pusan — 3,527,000; Inch'on — 2,642,000; Daegu — 2,510,000; Daejeon — 1,464,000; Gwangju — 1,448,000; Suwŏn — 1,168,000; Ulsan — 1,060,000; and Pun'chon — 745,000.
There are also several important seaports in Korea. Busan (Pusan), about 480 kilometers (300) miles southeast of Seoul, on the southeast coast, is Korea's main seaport. Busan, the second largest city, has an excellent natural harbor near the delta of the Nakdong River. Inchon, about 64 kilometers (40 miles) west of Seoul, is the second most active port. The cities of Pohang, Ulsan, and Chinhae also have ports and have key industries and are important sites of commerce.
Seas and Coastline of South Korea
The total coastline of South Korea measures 2,413 kilometers (1,508 miles). The west coast is on Korea Bay and the Yellow Sea (sometimes referred to as the West Sea). The east coast is on what Koreans call the East Sea but which is recognized by the United Nations and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names as the Sea of Japan. All of the seas around Korea are extensions of the Pacific Ocean. [Source: Library of Congress, May 2005]
Korea separates the Sea of Japan and (called the East Sea by Koreans) on the east from the Yellow Sea and Korea Bay (or West Korea Bay), a northern arm of the Yellow Sea. To the south is the Korea Strait, which connects the Sea of Japan to the Yellow Sea. The East China Sea lies to the southwest. The Yellow Sea is relatively shallow and has an extremely large tidal range. At low tide, large mud flats are exposed. The Sea of Japan is a large open body of water. Its waters are deep and the tidal range is small. [Source: “Columbia Encyclopedia”, 6th ed., The Columbia University Press]
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. [Source: Andrea Matles Savada and William Shaw, Library of Congress, 1990 *]
On the western coast of South Korea, small Asan Bay stretches inland towards Seoul. It is paart of the coastline of the larger Kyonggi Bay shared by North and South Korea. The southeast coastline can be divided in two sections at the Naktong River mouth near Pusan. To the north the coast consist of alternating bays and headlands. There are not many offshore islands and bays in this area. The main inlet is Yongil Bay. To the west of the Naktong River delta, the coast is much more complex and embraces many islands, both large and small. The central and western sections of coastline here are divided by arms of the Sobaek Mountains that reach the sea, creating basins and irregular peninsulas, including the Kohung and Haenam Peninsulas. Nearby are abruptly rising islands. Between peninsulas are irregular bays that penetrate far inland. [Source: Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of Physical Geography, The Gale Group, Inc.. 2003]
Islands of South Korea
Over 3,000 islands lie off of South Korea, most of them off the southern and western coasts. They add another 8,600 kilometers (5,350 miles) of coastline to South Korea’s total. Off the heavily indented 8,690 -kilometers (5,400-mile) -long coast of the Korean Peninsula as a whole there are 3,420 islands, most of them rocky and uninhabited. The main island group is in the Korean Archipelago in the Yellow Sea. Of the inhabited islands, only about half have a population of more than 100. [Source: Worldmark Encyclopedia of Nations, Thomson Gale, 2007]
The largest island, Jeju (Cheju), lies off the southwest corner of the peninsula and has a land area of 1,825 square kilometers (704 square miles). The island was created by a volcanic eruption and features unusual lava formations on the coast near the city of Jeju. The tallest mountain in South Korea — s Mount Halla (1,950 meters, 6,398 feet) — is on Jeju.
Other important islands include Ullung-do (Ullung Island). — directly east of South Korea in the Sea of Japan and Kanghwa Island at the mouth of the Han River. The Korea Strait separates South Korea from Japan. The Japanese island, Tsushima, lies in the Korea Strait, almost closer ro Korea than it is to Japan. [Source: Andrea Matles Savada and William Shaw, Library of Congress, 1990; Geo-Data: The World Geographical Encyclopedia, The Gale Group Inc., 2003]
A long-standing dispute with Japan continues concerning which nation exercises sovereignty over a group of tiny islands located off the east coast of South Korea. The South Korean government refers to these islands as Tokto (or Dokdo), but other sources refer to them variously as the Liancourt Rocks, the Hornet Rocks. Takeshima is the name used in Japan and was the name the Japanese colonial government used. [Source: Library of Congress, May 2005]
Land Reclamation and the World Longest Seawall at Saemangeum
Saemangeum is an estuarine tidal flat on the coast of the Yellow Sea in South Korea. It was dammed by the 33.9-kilometer (21-mile) -long Saemangeum Seawall Project, completed in April 2010 and recognized by Guinness World Records as the longest man-made sea barrier in the world. The project, carried out by the South Korean government, was delayed by long fight between the government and environmental activists, and is earmarked to be converted into agricultural and industrial land, with a golf course. [Source: Wikipedia, Reuters]
Saemangeum is the name of an Gunsan, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) south of Seoul, Prior to 2010, it had played an important role as a habitat for migratory birds — including the two endangered waders Nordmann's greenshank and spoon-billed sandpiper (each species has fewer than a thousand surviving birds). The completion of this seawall is expected to lead to the decline of many species. Around 400,000 shorebirds depended on the Saemangeum estuarine as an important feeding ground on migration routes between Asia and Alaska and Siberia. Russia,.
The Saemangeum Project is located at the mouths of the Dongjin and Mangyeong Rivers, on the coast of Jeollabuk-do. It is just south of the estuary of the Geum River. The project of filling in the estuary began in 1991, but was slowed by a series of court actions by environmentalists. The completed seawall and replaces a coastline that was once more than 100 kilometers long. After the estuary was completely filled, about 400 square kilometers (155 square miles, seven times the size of Manhattan) of reclaimed land was created and added to the Korean peninsula, making it one of the biggest land reclamation projects in history. Saemanguem replaced the Zuiderzee Works, completed in the Netherlands in 1932, as the longest seawall ever built.
Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons.
Text Sources: South Korean government websites, Korea Tourism Organization, Cultural Heritage Administration, Republic of Korea, UNESCO, Wikipedia, Library of Congress, CIA World Factbook, World Bank, Lonely Planet guides, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, “Culture and Customs of Korea” by Donald N. Clark, Chunghee Sarah Soh in “Countries and Their Cultures”, “Columbia Encyclopedia”, Korea Times, Korea Herald, The Hankyoreh, JoongAng Daily, Radio Free Asia, Bloomberg, Reuters, Associated Press, BBC, AFP, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Yomiuri Shimbun and various books and other publications.
Updated in July 2021