Geography

Korea is situated on a peninsula between the East Sea and the Yellow Sea spanning 1,100 kilometers north to south. The Korean Peninsula lies on the northeastern section of the Asian continent, in the northwestern corner of the Pacific Ocean. The peninsula shares its northern border with China and Russia. To the east lies the East Sea, and beyond neighboring Japan. To the west is the Yellow Sea. ...

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Location

Korea lies adjacent to China and Japan. Its northern border is formed by the Amnokgang (Yalu) and Dumangang (Tumen) rivers, which separate the peninsula from Manchuria. A 16-kilometer segment of the Dumangang River to the east also serves as a natural border with Russia. The west coast of the Korean Peninsula is bounded by the Korean Bay to the north and the Yellow Sea to the south; the east coast is bounded b...

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Landforms

Mountains and Hills Korea's territory coincides with the Korean Peninsula. Between the peninsula and Manchuria flow, in opposite directions, the two largest rivers of the region, the Amnokgang (Yalu) and Dumangang (Tumen) both originating at Mt. Baekdusan (2,744 meters), the highest mountain throughout Korea and Manchuria. The Yellow Sea, the East Sea and the South Sea surround the other three sides of the penin...

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Climate Weather

Covering about 70% of the Earth's surface, the oceans are a fundamental component of the climatic and seasonal variations in the weather. In East Asia, interactions between the rapidly mixing atmosphere and the slowly changing oceans are largely responsible for the monsoon season, particularly as they affect Korea, China and Japan. In order to better understand these patterns and to better prepare for their ...

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Flora

Due to the Korean Peninsula's long north-south stretch and topographic complexity, there are wide variations in temperature and rainfall. The mean temperature throughout the four seasons ranges from 5oC to 16oC and rainfall from 500 to 1,500 millimeters. Such an environment makes the land a diversified floral region. Lee Woo-tchul's Lineaments Florae Korea (1997) listed 190 families, 1,079 genera, 3,129 species, 8 sub...

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Fauna

Zoogeography Korea belongs to the Palearctic zoogeographical realm. Its geographical history, topography and climate divide the peninsula into highland and lowland districts. Included in the former are the Myohyangsan Range, the Gaema Plateau and the more rugged terrain of the Taebaeksan Range, all areas that are high in altitude and similar in climate to the Amur River region. Most of this area lies about 1,000 kilo...

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Geology

Introduction The first geological map of Korea, with a scale of 1:1,000,000, was published in 1928. In 1974, geological maps with a scale of 1:250,000 covering the whole of the Republic were published. The Geological Survey of Korea started to publish geological quadrangles with a scale of 1:50,000 from 1961, and by 1996, 83% of the landmass was covered. The Geological Society of Korea was established in 1964, the Ko...

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Climate

Korea has four distinct seasons. Spring and autumn are rather short, summer is hot and humid, and winter is cold and dry with abundant snowfall. Recently, global climatic changes have been affecting the Korean Peninsula, causing summers to be rainier and winters to be less snowy. Temperatures differ widely from region to region within Korea, with the average being between 6ºC (43ºF) and 16ºC (61ºF). The average ...

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People & Population

The Koreans are one ethnic family and speak one language. Sharing distinct physical characteristics, they are believed to be descendants of several Mongol tribes that migrated onto the Korean Peninsula from Central Asia. In the seventh century, the various states of the peninsula were unified for the first time under the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.-A.D. 935). Such homogeneity has enabled Koreans to be relatively ...

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