South Korean Cultural Ecology - 1905 to 1990 - Part 1 "The Old Days" - Page 2

B. Geography

Total land area of the Korean peninsula, including adjacent islands is 220,847 square kilometers, of which 44.6% or 98,477 square kilometers comprises the territory of South Korea. For comparison purposes the State of Oregon is 251,419 square kilometers. About 70% of the land area consists of mountains and uplands. Korea is a tilted country, with the higher regions in the northeast and the lowest in the southwest. A mountain range on the eastern coast meets the sea abruptly. Few peaks on the peninsula exceed 1200 meters. The western and southern coasts are extremely irregular with some 3400 islands the largest is Cheju Island.

Arable land is about 20% and most of this is in South Korea. Minerals, on the other hand, are more abundant in North Korea. The population of South Korea in 1993 is about 44 million, making it one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Before World War II Koreans migrated to two major regions, Manchuria and Japan. About 600,000 Koreans still remain in Japan. About 2 million Koreans have migrated from North Korea between 1945 and 1953, mostly as a result of the Korean War. There are no significant racial minorities in Korea.

South Korea has a population density of 438 per square kilometer (see Appendix page 9 for the most populated countries in the world), with an urbanization of 71%. The US in relation has a population density of 27 per square kilometer and an urbanization of 74%. The physiologic density for South Korea is 750 persons per square kilometer of arable land. South Korea is denser than both India and Japan. North Korea has a population of about 20 million. Complete statistics on South Korea and also comparative statistics for all of Asia and with the US for relation purposes can be found in the Appendix pages 2 through 5.

Korea is a peninsula situated in the path of tropical cyclonic storms or typhoons originated in the southern Pacific in the summer season. It is also influenced by low-pressure systems that develop in the Chinese mainland bringing heavy rainstorms in the summer. Annual rainfall averages from 40 to 55 inches (slightly more than local conditions in Oregon), but is heavier along the southern coast (about 60 inches). In the western part where the rice is grown, the rainfall averages about 45 inches. The heaviest rain falls from June to September and the lightest from November to February.