Geography of Korea

Last updated

Topographic maps
North Korea Topography.png
North Korea
South Korea Topography.png
South Korea
Daedongyeojido, a map of Korea Daedongyeojido 1860.jpg
Daedongyeojido, a map of Korea

Korea comprises the Korean Peninsula (the mainland) and 3,960 nearby islands. The peninsula is located in Northeast Asia, between China and Japan. To the northwest, the Amnok River (Yalu River) separates Korea from China and to the northeast, the Duman River (Tumen River) separates Korea from China and Russia. The Yellow Sea lies to the west, the East China Sea and Korea Strait to the south, and the Korean East Sea to the east. [1] Notable islands include Jeju Island (Jejudo), Ulleung Island (Ulleungdo), and the Liancourt Rocks.

Contents

At 223,179 km2, the area of Korea is similar to the area of the United Kingdom (244,100 km2) or the U.S. state of Minnesota (225,171 km2). Excluding the islands, the area of the Korean Peninsula is 220,847 km2. The peninsula measures approx. 1,100 km from north to south and 300 km from east to west. [2]

The southern and western parts of the peninsula have well-developed plains, while the eastern and northern parts are mountainous. The highest mountain in Korea, Mount Paektu or Paektusan (2,744 m or 9,003 ft), stands on the border with China. The southern extension of Mount Paektu, a highland called Gaema Heights, was mainly raised during the Cenozoic orogeny and partly covered by volcanic matter. To the south of Gaema Gowon (the Gaema Plateau), successive high mountains are located along the eastern coast of the peninsula. This mountain range is named Baekdu-daegan. Some significant mountains include Mount Sobaek or Sobaeksan (1,439 m or 4,721 ft), Mount Kumgang or Kumgangsan (1,638 m or 5,374 ft), Mount Seorak or Seoraksan (1,708 m or 5,604 ft), Mount Taebaek or Taebaeksan (1,567 m or 5,141 ft), and Mount Jiri or Jirisan (1,915 m or 6,283 ft). There are several lower, secondary mountain ranges whose direction is almost perpendicular to that of Baekdu-daegan. They developed along the tectonic line of Mesozoic orogeny and their directions are basically northwest.

Unlike most ancient mountains on the mainland, many important islands in Korea were formed by volcanic activity in the Cenozoic orogeny. Jeju Island, situated off the southern coast, is a large volcanic island whose main mountain, Mount Halla or Hallasan (1,950 m or 6,398 ft), is the highest in South Korea. Ulleung Island is a volcanic island in the Sea of Japan whose composition is more felsic than Jeju-do. The volcanic islands tend to be younger, the more westward.

Because the mountainous region is mostly on the eastern part of the peninsula, the main rivers tend to flow westwards. Two exceptions are the southward-flowing Nakdong River (Nakdonggang) and Seomjin River (Seomjingang). Important rivers running westward include the Amnok River, the Chongchon River (Chongchongang), the Taedong River (Taedonggang), the Han River (Hangang), the Geum River (Geumgang), and the Yeongsan River (Yeongsangang). These rivers have vast flood plains and provide an ideal environment for wet-rice cultivation.

The southern and southwestern coastlines of Korea form a well-developed ria coastline, known as Dadohae-jin in Korean. This convoluted coastline results in mild seas, and this calm environment allows for safe navigation, fishing, and seaweed farming. In addition to the complex coastline, the western coast of the Korean Peninsula has an extremely high tidal amplitude (at Incheon, around the middle of the western coast, it can get as high as 9 m or 30 ft). Vast tidal flats have been developing on the south and west coastlines.

Physical geography

A view of Mount Seorak Korean.Seoraksan-Ulsanbawi-01.jpg
A view of Mount Seorak

Mountains cover 70 percent of Korea and arable plains are generally small and fall between the successive mountain ranges. The peninsula becomes more mountainous towards the north and the east, with the highest mountains (including Baekdu Mountain which stands at 2,744 m or 9,003 ft) found in the north.

The peninsula has 8,460 km (5,260 mi) of coastline, and the south and west coasts are particularly irregular. Most of the 3,579 islands off the peninsula are found along the south and the west coasts.

Climate

Heavy snow fell on eastern Korea in February 2011 Feb 2011 Heavy Snow on the Korean Peninsula.jpg
Heavy snow fell on eastern Korea in February 2011

The climate of Korea differs dramatically from north to south. The southern regions experience a relatively warm and wet climate similar to that of Japan, affected by warm ocean waters including the East Korea Warm Current. The northern regions experience a colder and to some extent more inland climate, in common with Manchuria. For example, the annual precipitation of the Yalu River valley (600 mm or 24 in) is less than half of that on the south coast (1,500 mm or 59 in). [3] Likewise, there is a 20 °C (36 °F) difference in January temperature between the peninsula's southern and northern tips.

The entire peninsula, however, is affected by similar climatic patterns, including the East Asian Monsoon in midsummer and frequent typhoons in autumn. The majority of rainfall takes place during the summer months, with nearly half during the monsoon alone. Winters are cold, with January temperatures typically below freezing outside of Jeju Island. Winter precipitation is minimal, with little snow accumulation outside of mountainous areas.

Biology

Surveys of Korean flora have identified more than 3,000 species on the peninsula, of which more than 500 are endemic. The peninsula's floristic provinces are commonly divided between warm-temperate, temperate, and cold-temperate zones. The warm-temperate zone prevails over the southern coast and islands, including Jeju-do. It is largely typified by broad-leaved evergreens.

The temperate zone covers the great majority of the peninsula, away from the southern coast and high mountains. It is dominated by the Korean pine and various broad-leaved deciduous trees. Cold-temperate vegetation is found along the peninsula's northern fringe and in the high mountains, including the upper reaches of Hallasan on Jeju. Evergreens in this area include larch and juniper. Much of this vegetation is shared with Manchuria.

According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, Korea consists of several ecoregions. The Southern Korea evergreen forests occupy the southernmost portion of the peninsula, as well as the island of Jeju. The Central Korean deciduous forests occupy the more temperate central portion of the peninsula. Manchurian mixed forests occupy the northern lowlands and low hills of the peninsula, and extend north into Manchuria as far as the Amur River on the Russia-China border. The Changbai Mountains mixed forests include the higher elevation mountain region along the North Korea-China border, where forests are dominated by conifers, with alpine meadows and rock slopes on the highest peaks. [4]

Geology

Jeju Island seashore Korea-Jejudo-Coast-03.jpg
Jeju Island seashore

The terrain of Korea is rumpled, covered with low mountains. Most rocks are of Precambrian origin, although isolated pockets of Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic rock can also be found.

There are no active volcanoes on the peninsula. However, Baekdu Mountain in the north and Hallasan in the south have crater lakes, indicating that they were active not long ago. Furthermore, hot springs indicative of low-level volcanic activity are widespread throughout the peninsula. Roughly two earthquakes are recorded per year, but few have any major impact.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Canada</span>

Canada has a vast geography that occupies much of the continent of North America, sharing a land border with the contiguous United States to the south and the U.S. state of Alaska to the northwest. Canada stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west; to the north lies the Arctic Ocean. Greenland is to the northeast with a shared border on Hans Island. To the southeast Canada shares a maritime boundary with France's overseas collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, the last vestige of New France. By total area, Canada is the second-largest country in the world, after Russia. By land area alone, however, Canada ranks fourth, the difference being due to it having the world's largest proportion of fresh water lakes. Of Canada's thirteen provinces and territories, only two are landlocked while the other eleven all directly border one of three oceans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Russia</span>

Russia is the largest country in the world, covering over 17,125,192 km2 (6,612,074 sq mi), and encompassing more than one-eighth of Earth's inhabited land area. Russia extends across eleven time zones, and has the most borders of any country in the world, with sixteen sovereign nations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of South Korea</span>

South Korea is located in East Asia, on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula located out from the far east of the Asian landmass. The only country with a land border to South Korea is North Korea, lying to the north with 238 kilometres (148 mi) of the border running along the Korean Demilitarized Zone. South Korea is mostly surrounded by water and has 2,413 kilometres (1,499 mi) of coast line along three seas; to the west is the Yellow Sea, to the south is the East China Sea, and to the east is the Sea of Japan. Geographically, South Korea's landmass is approximately 100,032 square kilometres (38,623 sq mi). 290 square kilometres (110 sq mi) of South Korea are occupied by water. The approximate coordinates are 37° North, 128° East.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Subarctic climate</span> Climate characterised by long, usually very cold winters, and short, cool summers

The subarctic climate is a continental climate with long, cold winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, generally at latitudes from 50°N to 70°N, poleward of the humid continental climates. Subarctic or boreal climates are the source regions for the cold air that affects temperate latitudes to the south in winter. These climates represent Köppen climate classification Dfc, Dwc, Dsc, Dfd, Dwd and Dsd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Martinique</span>

The French Overseas Department of Martinique is a Caribbean island belonging to the Lesser Antilles group in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Cuba and north of Trinidad and Tobago. It is part of the French West Indies. It lies near the Tropic of Cancer between 14° 26' and 14°53' latitude north and 63° 9' and 63° 34' longitude west. At most some 50 miles long and 22 miles wide, Martinique covers an area of 425 square miles. Its coastline is so indented that no part of the island is more than seven miles from the sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Iceland</span> Geographical features of Iceland

Iceland is an island country at the confluence of the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans, east of Greenland and immediately south of the Arctic Circle, atop the constructive boundary of the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The island country is the world's 18th largest in area and one of the most sparsely populated. It is the westernmost European country when not including Greenland and has more land covered by glaciers than continental Europe. Its total size is 103,125 km2 (39,817 sq mi) and possesses an exclusive economic zone of 751,345 km2 (290,096 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coast Mountains</span> Mountain range in Canada and the United States

The Coast Mountains are a major mountain range in the Pacific Coast Ranges of western North America, extending from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the Coast of British Columbia south to the Fraser River. The mountain range's name derives from its proximity to the sea coast, and it is often referred to as the Coast Range. The range includes volcanic and non-volcanic mountains and the extensive ice fields of the Pacific and Boundary Ranges, and the northern end of the volcanic system known as the Cascade Volcanoes. The Coast Mountains are part of a larger mountain system called the Pacific Coast Ranges or the Pacific Mountain System, which includes the Cascade Range, the Insular Mountains, the Olympic Mountains, the Oregon Coast Range, the California Coast Ranges, the Saint Elias Mountains and the Chugach Mountains. The Coast Mountains are also part of the American Cordillera—a Spanish term for an extensive chain of mountain ranges—that consists of an almost continuous sequence of mountain ranges that form the western backbone of North America, Central America, South America and Antarctica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Changbai Mountains</span> Mountain range in China and North Korea

The Changbai Mountains are a major mountain range in Northeast Asia that extends from the Northeast Chinese provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning, across the China-North Korea border, to the North Korean provinces of Ryanggang and Chagang. They are also referred to as the Šanggiyan Mountains in the Manchu language, or the Great Paekdu in Korean. Most of its peaks exceed 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in height, with the tallest summit being Paektu Mountain at 2,744 m (9,003 ft), which contains the Heaven Lake, the highest volcanic crater lake in the world at an surface elevation of 2,189.1 m (7,182 ft). The protected area Longwanqun National Forest Park is located within the vicinity of the mountain range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temperate rainforest</span> Forests in the temperate zone

Temperate rainforests are rainforests with coniferous or broadleaf forests that occur in the temperate zone and receive heavy rain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hallasan</span> Volcano on Jeju Island, South Korea

Hallasan (Korean: 한라산) is a shield volcano on Jeju Island in South Korea. Its summit, at 1,947 m (6,388 ft), is the highest point in the country. The area around the mountain is a designated national park, named Hallasan National Park. Hallasan is commonly considered to be one of the three main mountains of South Korea, along with Jirisan and Seoraksan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kii Peninsula</span> Largest peninsula on the island of Honshū in Japan.

The Kii Peninsula is the largest peninsula on the island of Honshū in Japan. It is named after the ancient Kii Province. The peninsula has long been a sacred place in Buddhism, Shinto, and Shugendo, and many people would visit from all over Japan as part of the Kumano religious practices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeju City</span> Administrative city in Jeju, South Korea

Jeju City is the capital of the Jeju Province in South Korea and the largest city on Jeju Island. The city is served by Jeju International Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeju Island</span> Island of South Korea

Jeju Island is South Korea's largest island, covering an area of 1,833.2 km2 (707.8 sq mi), which is 1.83 percent of the total area of the country. Alongside outlying islands, it is part of Jeju Province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baekdu-daegan</span> Traditional Korean conception of its mountains

Baekdu-daegan is a traditional Korean conception of the mountains and consequently the watersheds of the Korean peninsula. The mountain range stretches the length of the Korean peninsula, around 1500 km, from Baekdu Mountain in the north to Jirisan or Hallasan on Jeju Island in the south. The mountain range is often associated with national identity and traditional Korean shamanism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes</span> UNESCO World Heritage Site in South Korea

The Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes is a World Heritage Site in South Korea. It was inscribed as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2007 because of the Geomunoreum Lava Tube System and the exhibition of diverse and accessible volcanic features which are considered to demonstrate a distinctive and valuable contribution to the understanding of global volcanism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geology of England</span> Overview of the geology of England

The geology of England is mainly sedimentary. The youngest rocks are in the south east around London, progressing in age in a north westerly direction. The Tees–Exe line marks the division between younger, softer and low-lying rocks in the south east and the generally older and harder rocks of the north and west which give rise to higher relief in those regions. The geology of England is recognisable in the landscape of its counties, the building materials of its towns and its regional extractive industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Greece</span>

Greece is a country in Southeastern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. It is bordered to the north by Albania, North Macedonia and Bulgaria; to the east by Turkey, and is surrounded to the east by the Aegean Sea, to the south by the Cretan and the Libyan seas, and to the west by the Ionian Sea which separates Greece from Italy.

Mulyeongari-oreum is a lake and wetland located on Jeju island. It is the only wetland in Korea which is located within a volcanic crater in a parasitic cone, called an oreum in the Jeju dialect of Korean. The oreum is one of the secondary volcanoes around the Hallasan volcano, which is the highest mountain in South Korea. Through continuing scientific research, it is thought that Mulyeongari-oreum was formed by volcanic activity continuing for 2,500 years at the end of the third Cenozoic Era on Jeju Island. On top of the oreum, there is a shallow crater lake which displays a unique example of a wetland. The level of water changes with the seasons due to rainfall and the particular geology. Some 370 parasitic cones are located around Hallasan. Only about 30% of them have mountain craters. The geology is mostly composed of water-permeable basalt, so it is unusual to have a lake on top of such volcanic cones. During the dry season, most of wetland becomes dries out, except the deepest part in the south. During the rainy season, most of it is submerged.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Korea evergreen forests</span> Ecoregion in Korea

The Southern Korea evergreen forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion at the southern end of the Korean Peninsula.

The wildlife of South Korea comprises many animals, fungi and plants. Wildlife refers to animal and plant species that live in the wild or natural state such as mountains or rivers. According to the South Korean Ministry of Environment, the rich diversity of South Korea's wildlife includes 8,271 species of plants, 18,117 species of animals and 3,528 species of others. 30,000 species are known to exist in South Korea, but it is expected that there are more than 100,000 species.

References

  1. Korean Map Archived 2013-07-23 at the Wayback Machine , The People's Korea, 1998.
  2. Jo, Yeong-seok; Baccus, John T.; Koprowski, John L. (20 December 2018). "Chapter I: Introduction to the Korean Peninsula". Mammals of Korea. Incheon, South Korea: National Institute of Biological Resources. ISBN   978-89-6811-369-7.
  3. KOIS 2003, p. 17.
  4. "Changbai mountains mixed forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 8 April 2011.