Country name:

Korea

Conventional long form: Republic of Korea
Conventional short form: South Korea
Local short form: none
Note: the South Koreans generally use the term "Han'guk" to refer to their country
Local long form: Taehan-min'guk
Abbreviation: ROK

Government type:

Republic

Capital:

Seoul

Administrative divisions:

9 Provinces (do, singular and plural) and 7 metropolitan cities* (gwangyoksi, singular and plural); Cheju-do, Cholla-bukto, Cholla-namdo, Ch'ungch'ong-bukto, Ch'ungch'ong-namdo, Inch'on-gwangyoksi*, Kangwon-do, Kwangju-gwangyoksi*, Kyonggi-do, Kyongsang-bukto, Kyongsang-namdo, Pusan-gwangyoksi*, Soul-t'ukpyolsi*, Taegu-gwangyoksi*, Taejon-gwangyoksi*, Ulsan-gwangyoksi*

Independence:

15 August 1945 (from Japan)

National holiday:

Liberation Day, 15 August (1945)

Constitution:

25 February 1948

Population:

48.324 million (July 2002 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 21.4% (male 5,488,808; female 4,875,379)
15-64 years: 71% (male 17,404,645; female 16,894,361)
65 years and over: 7.6% (male 1,434,873; female 2,225,934) (2002 est.)

Location:

Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea

Geographic coordinates:

37 00 N, 127 30 E

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Area:

Total: 98,480 sq km
Land: 98,190 sq km
Water: 290 sq km

Area - comparative:

Slightly larger than Indiana

Land boundaries:

Total: 238 km
Border countries: North Korea 238 km

Coastline:

2,413 km

Climate:

Temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter

Terrain:

Mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south

Elevation extremes:

Lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m
Highest point: Halla-san 1,950 m

Natural resources:

Coal, Tungsten, Graphite, Molybdenum, Lead, Hydropower potential

Land use:

Arable land: 17.44%
Permanent crops: 2.05%
Other: 80.51% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:

11,590 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:

Occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; low-level seismic activity common in southwest

Environment - current issues:

Air pollution in large cities; acid rain; water pollution from the discharge of sewage and industrial effluents; drift net fishing

Environment - international agreements:

Party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
Signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography - note:

Strategic location on Korea Strait