North and South Korea -- Page 3

Land and Resources {All of Korea}

Korea occupies a predominantly mountainous peninsula, about 320 km (200 mi.) wide, that extends southward from the Asian mainland for about 965 km (600 mi.). The peninsula is bordered by the Yellow Sea on the west and the Sea of Japan on the east. More than 3,000 islands, most of them small and uninhabited, border the irregular, 8,700-km-long (5,400-mi) coastline; the largest of these is Cheju Island, located about 120 km (75 mi.) off the southwest coast. Only about 20% of the Korean peninsula is occupied by lowlands suitable for settlement and cultivation, and most of the population is concentrated in small, discontinuous coastal plains and inland valleys that open onto the western coast. The remaining 80% is too rugged for cultivation.

The mountains drop steeply along the east coast, forming a narrow plain with few good harbors except in the northeast. To the west, the descent is gentlier and the land opens to the largest and richest agricultural lands. The highest mountains are the Paektu-san, which extend from northeast to southwest along the Chinese border, reaching 2,744 km (9,003 ft) at Mount Paektu, Korea's highest point.

To the east of the lowlands are the T'aebaek Mountains, the backbone of the peninsula, which extend southward from Wonsan to form the main watershed. These mountains rise steeply from a narrow coastal plain along the Sea of Japan and reach 1,709 m (5,604 ft) at Diamond Mountain. To the south, separating the western lowlands from the south coast and Pusan's Naktong Valley, is the Sobaek Range, which extends from northeast to southwest across the southern end of the peninsula.