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Location of Korea
Korea lies adjacent to China and Japan. The Korean Bay bound the west coast of the Korean Peninsula to the north and the West Sea to the south; the east coast faces the East Sea.
Two hundred kilometers separate the peninsula from eastern China. The shortest distance between Korean and Chinese coasts is 200 kilometers and from the southeastern tip of the peninsula, the nearest point on the Japanese coast is also about 200 kilometers away.
Because of its unique geographical location, Chinese culture filtered into Japan through Korea; a common cultural sphere of Buddhism and Confucianism was thus established between the three countries.
Location of Korea
Korea lies adjacent to China and Japan. The Korean Bay bound the west coast of the Korean Peninsula to the north and the West Sea to the south; the east coast faces the East Sea.
Two hundred kilometers separate the peninsula from eastern China. The shortest distance between Korean and Chinese coasts is 200 kilometers and from the southeastern tip of the peninsula, the nearest point on the Japanese coast is also about 200 kilometers away.
Because of its unique geographical location, Chinese culture filtered into Japan through Korea; a common cultural sphere of Buddhism and Confucianism was thus established between the three countries.
The Korean Peninsula extends about 1,000 kilometers southward from the northeast Asian continental landmass. Roughly 300 kilometers in width, climate variations are more pronounced along the south-north axis. Differences in plant vegetation can be seen between the colder north and the warmer south.
The latitudinal location of Korea is similar to that of the Iberian Peninsula and Greece. The entire peninsula corresponds approximately to the north-south span of the state of California.
Longitudinally, Korea lies straight north of the Philippines and central Australia. The meridian of 127 30'E passes through the middle of the Korean Peninsula. Korea, however, shares the same standard meridian of 135 E with Japan. Seoul and Tokyo local time is nine hours earlier than Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
The Korean Peninsula extends about 1,000 kilometers southward from the northeast Asian continental landmass. Roughly 300 kilometers in width, climate variations are more pronounced along the south-north axis. Differences in plant vegetation can be seen between the colder north and the warmer south.
The latitudinal location of Korea is similar to that of the Iberian Peninsula and Greece. The entire peninsula corresponds approximately to the north-south span of the state of California.
Longitudinally, Korea lies straight north of the Philippines and central Australia. The meridian of 127 30'E passes through the middle of the Korean Peninsula. Korea, however, shares the same standard meridian of 135E with Japan. Seoul and Tokyo local time is nine hours earlier than Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
Climate and Weather
In East Asia, interaction between the rapidly mixing atmosphere and the slowly changing oceans are largely responsible for the monsoon, which affects Korea, China and Japan as elsewhere in the region. In order to better understand these patterns and to better prepare for their outcome, their top meteorologists have launched joint collaborative projects among these countries. The climate of Korea is characterized by four distinct seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. The contrast between winter and summer is striking. Winter is bitterly cold and is influenced primarily
by cold Siberian fronts. Summer is hot and humid due to the maritime pacific high.
The transitional seasons, spring and autumn are sunny and generally dry. Temperatures in all seasons are somewhat lower than those at the corresponding latitudes in other continents, such as North America or Western Europe. The temperatures in Seoul, which is in the latitude of Richmond, Va., are closer to those in New York which is located 500 kilometers (300 miles) farther north from the latitude of Seoul. The variation of annual mean temperature ranges from 10oC to 16oC except for the mountainous areas. August is the hottest month with the mean temperature ranging from 19oC to 27oC. January is the coldest month with the mean temperature ranging from -8oC to 7oC. Annual precipitation is about 1,300mm in the central region. More than a half of the total rainfall is concentrated in summer, while precipitation in winter is less than 10 percent of the annual total.
Four Seasons
Spring: Spring begins during the middle of March in the central part of the country, and toward the end of April in the northern region. Spring is rather short in the north. As the Siberian high-pressure front weakens, the temperature rises gradually. Yellow sand, which originates in the desert or arid areas of Mongolia and China, known as hwangsa, occasionally blows into Korea during early spring. The hwangsa often causes low visibility and eye irritation.
Summer: The summer can be divided into two periods; jangma, a rainy period which occurs during the early summer months, and a hot and humid period which occurs in August.
Heavy showers characterize rainfall during the summer time. Daily precipitation often exceeds 100mm (4 inches), with extremes topping 300mm (12 inches). Occasional storms caused by typhoons that pass through the peninsula sometimes cause a great deal of damage, although the loss of life is rare.
Regional temperature contrasts are not very striking during the summer season although the northern interior and the littoral are cooler than the southern region. In August, the temperature rises abruptly as the jangma front moves north toward Manchuria. During this period, the weather becomes extremely hot and humid, particularly in the western plains and the Nakdonggang river basin area. The daily high temperature often rises to over 37oC (100oF). Nights are also hot and humid.
Autumn: Autumn is known for crisp weather, much sunlight and the changing colors of tree leaves. Beginning in October, the continental air mass brings dry, clear weather. Traditionally, Koreans enjoy the season of harvest with festivities of chuseok, which is one of the most important national holidays in Korea. It is often referred to as the Korean version of the American Thanksgiving. Autumn in Korea can be summed up with the simple words of an old Korean saying "The sky is high and the horses get fat."
Winter: The arctic air from the interior of the Asian continent brings bitter cold and dry weather and occasional snowfall, while also adding warmth to the cold and dry winter weather periodically. Significant regional climate variations are caused by differences in elevation and proximity to the seas as well as by differences in latitudinal location. The monthly mean temperature during the month of January differs by about 20 degrees centigrade between the northern and the southern peninsula. Snow remains longer on the ground in the north. The frost-free period varies from about 130 days in the northern interior to about 180 days in the central region. On the southern coast, it lasts roughly 225 days of the year.
Korea has four distinct seasons. Spring and autumn are rather short, summer is hot and humid, and winter is cold and dry with abundant snowfall, especially in the mountainous regions, but not along the southern coast.
Temperatures differ widely from region to region within Korea, with the average being between 6oC (43oF) and 16oC (61oF). The average temperature in August, the hottest period of the year, ranges from 19oC (66oF) to 27oC (81oF), while in January, the coldest month, temperatures range from -8oC (17oF) to 7oC (43oF).
In early spring the Korean Peninsula experiences "yellow sand/dust" carried by wind from the deserts in northern China. But in mid-April, the country enjoys balmy weather with the mountains and fields garbed in brilliant wild flowers. Farmers prepare seedbeds for the annual rice crop at this time.
Autumn, with its crisp air and crystal blue sky, is the season most widely loved by Koreans. The countryside is particularly beautiful, colored in a diversity of rustic hues. Autumn, the harvest season, features various folk festivals rooted in ancient agrarian customs. People
Koreans are primarily one ethnic family and speak one language. Sharing distinct physical characteristics, they are believed to be descendants of several Mongol tribes that migrated onto the Korean Peninsula from Central Asia.
In the seventh century, the various states of the peninsula were unified for the first time under the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.-A.D. 935). Such homogeneity has enabled Koreans to be relatively free from ethnic problems and to maintain a firm solidarity with one another.
As of the end of 2005, Korea's total population was estimated at 48,294,000 with a density of 474 people per square kilometer. The population of North Korea is estimated to be 22,928,040.
Korea saw its population grow by an annual rate of 3 percent during the 1960s, but growth slowed to 2 percent over the next decade. In 2005, the rate stood at 0.44 percent and is expected to further decline to 0.01 percent by 2020.
A notable trend in Korea's demographics is that it is growing older with each passing year. Statistics show that 6.9 percent of the total population of Korea was 65 years or older in 1999, and 9.1 percent was in 2005.
In the 1960s, Korea's population distribution formed a pyramid shape, with a high birth rate and relatively short life expectancy. However, age-group distribution is now shaped more like a bell because of the low birth rate and extended life expectancy. Youths (15 and younger) will make up a decreasing portion of the total, while senior citizens (65 and older) will account for some 15.7 percent of the total by the year 2020.
The nation's rapid industrialization and urbanization in the 1960s and 1970s has been accompanied by continuing migration of rural residents into the cities, particularly Seoul, resulting in heavily populated metropolitan areas. However, in recent years, an increasing number of seoulites have begun moving to suburban areas
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