South Korea Geography

According to South Korea geography, the country covers an area of 98,480 square kilometers, around 44 percent of the total Korean peninsula. Located in Eastern Asia, South Korea lies on the southern half of the Korean peninsula sharing a land border only with North Korea. It is a 238 kilometers border along the Korean Demilitarized Zone which is a 4,000 meter wide strip of land running along the Demarcation Line.
A study of the geography of South Korea shows that the land is covered by three water bodies. To the east is the Sea of Japan or the East Sea, to the west is the Yellow Sea, and to the south is the South China Sea. These three seas together share a border of 2,413 kilometers with South Korea. The south and the west have an irregular coastline.


One of the important features of the South Korea geography is the large number of islands. Situated in the southwestern corner, Jeju is the largest island with a land area of 1,825. The other major islands are Ulleung and Ganghwa. The South Korean geography holds a very important position as a bridge between China and the Japanese archipelago.

The topography of South Korea is covered with a large number of mountains. The highest mountain in South Korea is the 1,950 meters high Hallasan in Jeju Island. The Taebaek Mountains, the Sobaek Mountains, and the Jiri Massif are the three other important mountain ranges in South Korea. The Korean peninsula is stable with no active volcanoes and no strong earthquakes. According to the history of South Korea there was a volcanic activity on Mount Halla between 918 AD and 1392 AD.

Another important feature of South Korea geography is the South Korea climate. South Korea has a temperate climate. There are four seasons- winter, spring, summer, and autumn. There is enough rainfall for the development of agriculture. Rainfall is usually over 100 cm. It experiences more typhoons than the other neighboring countries.

The South Korean geography helps in the production of coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum and lead. It has enough resources for the production of hydropower.