MONGABAY.COM
Mongabay.com seeks to raise interest in and appreciation of wild lands and wildlife, while examining the impact of emerging trends in climate, technology, economics, and finance on conservation and development (more)
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
|
|
South Korea
Index
Location and Size: Strategic location in waters of the
Sea of Japan, Korea Strait, and Yellow Sea. Total land area of
Korean Peninsula, including islands, 220,847 square kilometers;
approximately 98,477 square kilometers (44.6 percent) constitutes
territory of South Korea.
Land Boundary: 238 kilometers with North Korea.
Disputes: Demarcation Line with North Korea; Liancourt
Rocks claimed by Japan.
Topography and Drainage: Approximately 70 percent of
land area mountains and uplands. Principal ranges--T'aebaek and
Sobaek range and Chiri Massif. Tallest mountain--Mount Halla at
1,950 meters, a volcanic cone located on Cheju Island. Longest
rivers--Naktong River, 521 kilometers; Han River, which flows
through Seoul, 514 kilometers; and Kom River, 401 kilometers.
Climate: Long, cold, dry winters; short, hot, humid
summers with late monsoon rains, flooding. Seoul's January mean
temperature -5° C to -2.5° C; July, 22.5° C to 25°
C. Cheju Island
warmer, milder weather than other parts of South Korea. Annual
rainfall varies from year to year but usually averages more than
100 centimeters; two-thirds of precipitation falls between June
and September. Droughts, particularly in southwest; approximately
one every eight years.
Data as of June 1990
|
|
