The Korean peninsula is 1,030 km (612 miles) long and 175 km (105 miles) wide at its narrowest point. The land area is 99,200 sq / km (38,301 square miles), and it has a population of about 50 million people.
Mountains cover 70% of the land mass making it one of the most mountainous regions in the world. The lifting and folding of a granite and limestone base creates breathtaking landscapes of scenic hills and valleys.
The mountain range that stretches the length of the east coast falls steeply into the East Sea. Along the southern and western coasts the mountains descend gradually to the coastal plains that produce the bulk of the 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 the communist government of North Korea are separated by a demilitarized zone.
Administratively, the Republic of Korea consists of nine provinces. The capital is Seoul and the other six metropolitan cities are Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Gwangju, Daejeon and Ulsan. In total, there are 77 cities and 88 counties in Korea.
In the 20th century Christianity has been competing with Buddhism in South Korea, while, in North Korea, religion has been suppressed.
Food in Korea is taken very seriously. Specialities are "kimchi" (fermentation process of preserving vegetables) and chili peppers, fish, (grilled or stewed), bibimbap (mixed rice), naengmyeon (cold noodles), galbitang (stewed ribs), and dwenjang jjigae (bean paste soup).
Popular meat dishes include bulgogi (roasted marinated beef, chicken, or pork), galbi (ribs), and samgyeopsal (pork fatback).
Koreans are very proud of
"Cheomseongdae" (meaning star-gazing tower).It was built in 633 and is considered to be one of the oldest scientific installations
in the world.
In Korea, literature
is divided in two categories."Classical" and "Modern". The Joseon Dynasty lasted
for five centuries and is one of the world's longest running monarchies. Classical literature was written before the dynasty and the "Modern" later.
The world's first metal movable type was developed in Korea in 1232 and was modeled after the Chinese clay (Bi Sheng) and wood (Wang Zhen) movable type then in widespread use.
Though the block printing
was used much earlier, metal movable type marked a significant development
in printing allowing the same tools to be used for more diverse printings.
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