Korea and Nature
General Geography People Government Economy National Symbol Climate and Weather Topography Coasts Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
한국과 자연
People
Population: 50.95 million (South Korea) (2012)
* Foreign residents (including short-term sojourners): 1.4 million Median age: 38.9 years (2012)
Economically active population: 25.5 million (2012) Population increase rate: 0.45% (2012)
Life expectancy: Male, 77.7 years; female, 84.5 years (2011)
Religion: A 2005 census showed one half of the population practice religion.
Among them, 10,726,463 Buddhists, 8,616,438 Protestants and 5,146,147 Catholics comprise the three dominant religions.
Government
Political System: Republic with a president elected to a single 5-year term by direct popular vote. Division of power among the executive, legislature (unicameral National Assembly) and judiciary branches
President: Park Geun-hye since 2013 Suffrage: Universal at 19 years of age Elections: Presidential_every 5 years National Assembly_every 4 years Local Government_every 4 years
Economy
Gross Domestic Product: US$ 1,129 billion (2012) Per Capita GNI: US$ 22,708 (2012)
GDP Growth Rate: 2.0% (2012)
Foreign Exchange Reserves: US$ 317 billion (2012) Exports: US$548 billion (2012)
Imports: US$520 billion (2012)
Major Industrial Products: Semiconductors, automobiles, ships, consumer General
Country Name: Republic of Korea (South Korea) Capital City: Seoul (10.20 million) (2012) National flag: Taegeukgi
National flower: Mugunghwa (Rose of Sharon) Currency: won (US$1 = 1,127 won) (2012) Language: Korean (Writing system: Hangeul)
Geography
Location: Strategically located at the center of Northeast Asia, Korea lies between Japan, the Russian Far East and China
Territory: Korean Peninsula_223,405 km2 South Korea_100,267 km2
Highest mountains: Baekdusan Mountain (N. Korea) 2,744 m, Hallasan Mountain 1,950 m
Longest rivers: Amnokgang River (N. Korea) 790 km, Nakdonggang River 521.5 km, Dumangang River 521 km (N. Korea) , Hangang River 481.7 km Major cities: Seoul (10.20 million), Busan (3.5 million), Incheon (2.8 million), Daegu (2.5 million), Daejeon (1.5 million), Gwangju (1.5 million),
Ulsan (1.1 million) (2012)
Climate: Temperate with four distinct seasons
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Korea and Nature
한국과 자연
National Symbol National Flag
The Korean flag is called Taegeukgi. Its design symbolizes the principles of the yin and yang in Asian philosophy. The circle in the center of the flag is divided into two equal parts. The upper red section represents the proactive cosmic forces of the yang. Conversely, the lower blue section represents the responsive cosmic forces of the yin. The two forces embody the concepts of continual movement, balance, and harmony that characterize the sphere of infinity. The circle is surrounded by four trigrams, one in each corner. Each trigram symbolizes one of the four universal elements: heaven, earth, fire, and water.
National flag Taegeukgi National flower Mugunghwa (Rose of Sharon)
Language
All Koreans speak and write the same language, which has been a decisive factor in forging their strong national identity. The words and accent spoken by the people of the Seoul area are regarded as the standard Korean. Among regional dialects, that of the people of Jejudo Island off the South Coast is most distinct.
Hangeul, which consists of 10 vowels and 14 consonants, can be combined to form numerous, syllabic groupings. It is simple yet systematic and comprehensive, and is considered one of the most scientific writing systems in the world. Hangeul is easy to learn and write, which has greatly contributed to Korea’s high literacy rate and advanced publication industry.
Hangeul consists of ten vowels and fourteen consonants.
Consonants
Vowels
Depending on the vowel, syllables in Hangeul are written either from left to right (하) or from top to bottom (구) with the possibility of one or two additional letters below (한, 국).
Ex)
Useful Korean Phrases The Korean Alphabet
g, k n d, t r, l m b, p s ng j c h k t p h
a ya eo yeo o yo u yu eu i
Thanks to Hangeul, Korea has achieved a nearly 100% literacy rate. The scientific and easy-to-write alphabet has also given the country an edge in the computer age.
an nyeong ha se yo
gam sa ham ni da
Topography
South Korea faces Japan across the East Sea and China across the Yellow Sea. To the north, across the DMZ, is North Korea.
The Taebaek Range, referred to as the backbone of the Korean Peninsula, stretches along the east coast and slopes steeply into the East Sea. Along the western and southern coasts, the mountains descend gradually onto the coastal plains, and large rivers wind through the area. The relatively wide plains stretch far from the mid-and downstream sections of the rivers. Many of Korea’s highest mountains are part of the Taebaek Range. The most famous and picturesque is Seoraksan Mountain. The Taebaek Range has a branch trending southwest and culminating at the Jirisan Mountain massif. This is the Sobaek Range. The highest mountain in the Republic of Korea is Hallasan Mountain, a dormant volcano at the Climate and Weather
The Republic of Korea lies between 38°N. and 33°N. latitude and 126°E. to 132°E.
longitude. The country has a continental climate of very cold, dry winters and very hot, humid summers. Winters are influenced by westerly winds from Siberia and the Mongolian plateau, while summers are generally characterized by oceanic climate due to moist, warm winds from the Pacific Ocean. Korea has four distinct seasons, though spring and autumn tend to be short. Spring comes in early April and lasts throughout May. The hot and humid summer begins in June and lasts about four months. The summer rainy season lasts from the end of June to mid July. Summer ends in late September, giving way to crisp, clear autumn days that last until the end of October. It becomes colder in November, and a very cold, bleak winter sets in during December and lasts until the end of February.
Spring on Bonghwasan Mountain (above) Summer on Seoraksan Mountain (below)
Fall on Gayasan Mountain (above) Winter on Jirisan Mountain (below)
center of Jejudo Island.
The largest rivers in South Korea are the Hangang River, Geumgang River, Yeongsangang River, Seomjingang River, and Nakdonggang River. The annual precipitation of Korea is 1,245mm, which is 1.4 times the global average, but the per capita precipitation is only one-eighth of the world average. Water management in Korea is difficult, especially because more than 60% of annual precipitation is lost as runoff during floods and torrential rains, while rivers dry up in the dry season. Exacerbating matters, water consumption has been increasing sharply due to population growth, economic development, and changes in lifestyles.
Coasts
Korea is a peninsula. The Yellow Sea is to the west, the East Sea to the east and the South Sea to the south. To the south of Korea’s largest island is the East China Sea.
The west and south coasts have heavily indented rias coastlines where the tidal range is enormous, and the relative flatness of land means that the tideland is very wide. Dotted with so many islands, it is called Dadohae, meaning ‘sea of many islands.’ The east coast, in contrast, is very straight; the water is deep; and the tidal range is narrow. Along the coast are sand dunes and lagoons, and the volcanic islands of Ulleungdo and Dokdo are far to the east on the East Sea.
Source: Korea Meteorological Administration <www.kma.go.kr>
Monthly Mean Temperature and Precipitation in Seoul
Precipitation (mm) Mean Temperature ( )
Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr . M ay Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.
Extreme points Places Coordinates
Northernmost Pungseo-ri (Yuwonjin), Hamgyeongbuk-do Province 43°00’42”N Southernmost Marado Island, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province 33°06’43”N Easternmost Dokdo Island, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province 131°52’22”E Westernmost Bidanseom Island, Pyeonganbuk-do Province 124°10’51”E Source: National Geographic Information Institute