Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea
37 00 N, 127 30 E
Asia
total: 99,720 sq km
land: 96,920 sq km
water: 2,800 sq km
slightly smaller than Pennsylvania; slightly larger than Indiana
total: 237 km
border countries (1): North Korea 237 km
2,413 km
territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the Korea Strait
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: not specified
temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter; cold winters
mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south
highest point: Halla-san 1,950 m
lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m
mean elevation: 282 m
coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower potential
agricultural land: 18.1% (2018 est.)
arable land: 15.3% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 2.2% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 0.6% (2018 est.)
forest: 63.9% (2018 est.)
other: 18% (2018 est.)
7,780 sq km (2012)
69.7 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
with approximately 70% of the country considered mountainous, the country's population is primarily concentrated in the lowland areas, where density is quite high; Gyeonggi Province in the northwest, which surrounds the capital of Seoul and contains the port of Incheon, is the most densely populated province; Gangwon in the northeast is the least populated
occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; low-level seismic activity common in southwest
volcanism: Halla (1,950 m) is considered historically active although it has not erupted in many centuries
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
strategic location on Korea Strait; about 3,000 mostly small and uninhabited islands lie off the western and southern coasts
NOTE: The information regarding Korea South on this page is re-published from the 2021 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Korea South 2021 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Korea South 2021 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.
This page was last modified 16 Dec 23, Copyright © 2023 ITA all rights reserved.