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 Official Name: Republic of Korea
Population: 46,852,300
Capital City: Seoul (9.6 mil)
Language: Korean
Official Currency: Won
Religions: Christian, Buddhist, Confucianism
Land Area: 98,730 sq km
Time Zone: UTC +10
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South Korea is a country swathed in green, prodding its stony fingers skyward, and the Koreans are a people obsessed with nature, and with mountains in particular. Wherever you travel, you'll see Koreans out in the open air, clad in the latest adventure fashions, pushing ever onward and upward.
It's a miracle that South Korea still exists. With China looming to its west and Japan nudging it from the east, it's no wonder the country has played unwilling host to centuries of war games. But no matter how many times its neighbours try to swallow it, South Korea manages to survive intact.
South Koreans attribute their indefatigable culture to the binding agents of Confucianism, language and pride. The stunning landscape has also played a big part in creating a cohesive Korean identity.
Korea lies adjacent to China and Japan. The northern border of Korea is formed
by the Amnokgang (Yalu) and Dumangang (Tumen) rivers, which separate it from
Manchuria. A 16-kilometer segment of the Dumangang 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
faces the East Sea. Two hundred kilometers separate the peninsula from eastern
China. The shortest distance between Korean and Chinese coasts is 200 kilometers
and from the southeastern tip of the peninsula, the nearest point on the
Japanese coast is also about 200 kilometers away. Because of its unique
geographical location, Chinese culture filtered into Japan through Korea; a
common cultural sphere of Buddhism and Confucianism was thus established between
the three countries. |
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