The Korean peninsula extends southward from the eastern end of the Asian continent. The peninsula is roughly 1,030 km (612 miles) long and 175 km (105 miles) wide at its narrowest point.
Mountains cover 70% of Korea's land mass, making it one of the most mountainous regions in the world.
The lifting and folding of Korea's granite and limestone base has created breathtaking landscapes of scenic hills and valleys. The mountain range that stretches the length of the east coast plunges steeply into the East Sea, while along the southern and western coasts, the mountains descend gradually to the coastal plains that produce the bulk of Korea's agricultural crops, especially rice.
The Korean peninsula is divided just slightly north of the 38th parallel. The democratic Republic of Korea in the south and communist North Korea are separated by a demilitarized zone.
South Korea's 99,500sq.km is populated by 47.9 million people (2003).
Administratively, the Republic of Korea consists of nine provinces ; the capital Seoul; and the six metropolitan cities of Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Gwangju, Daejeon and Ulsan. In total, there are 77 cities and 88 counties.




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Geographic position - Between 33˚ and 43˚ north latitude, and 124˚ and 131˚ east longitude (including Noth Korea)

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Highest mountains in S. Korea - Hallasan on Jeju Island, 1,950 meters (6400 ft); Jirisan, 1,915 meters (6,283 ft); and Seoraksan, 1,708 meters (5,604 ft)

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Rivers - Nakdonggang, 522 km (324 miles); Hangang, 494 km (307 miles); Geumgang, 396 km (246 miles)

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Economic status (2002) - GNI US $ 477 billion; GNI per capita US $ 10,013