South Korea Essay Research Paper South Korea

South Korea Essay, Research Paper

South Korea is officially known as Taehan Min.guk (Republic of Korea). This

country is in northeastern Asia and occupies the southern part of the Korean

Peninsula. South Korea is bounded on the north by North Korea; on the east by

the East Sea (Sea of Japan); on the south bye the Korea Strait, which also

separates it from Japan; and on the west by the Yellow Sea. It has a total area

of 38,328 square miles, including many offshore islands in the south and west,

and the largest is Cheju. The state of South Korea was established in 1948

succeeding the post-World War II distribution of the penisula between the

occupying forces of the United States in the south and the Union of Soviet

Republics (USSR) in the north. The capital of South Korea is Seoul which is also

the largest city. The current version of the South Korean flag was adopted in

1984, but the basic design has been used since the country.s founding is 1948.

The Buddhist yin-yang symbol represents the unity of opposites, and the white

background represents purity. The black markings symbolize three cycles, with

opposites in each cycle opposing one another(reading clockwise from the upper

left): summer, autumn, winter, spring, south, west, north, east, sky, moon,

earth, and sun. South Korea is mainly a rugged, mountainous terrain. The

principal range is the T.aebaek-sanmaek, which extends in a north-south

direction parallel to the eastern coast. The country.s highest peak, located

on the island of Cheju, is Halla-san. Plains constitute less than one-fifth the

total area and are mostly in the west along the coast the coastal plains in the

east and south are very narrow. South Korea has a highly indented coastline

characterized by high tidal ranges, the country.s tow longest rivers, the

Naktong and Han, rise in the T.aebaek-sanmaek, one flowing south to the Korea

Strait and the other northwest to the Yellow sea. Other major rivers include the

Kom, Yengsan, and Tongjin. South Korea has a continental climate, with cold, dry

winters and hot, rainy summers. In Seoul the average January temperature range

is 16 to 30 degrees F, and the average July temperature range is 70 to 84

degrees F. Winter temperatures are higher along the southern coast and

considerably lower in the mountainous interior. The average precipitation in

Seoul is 49in and in Pusan 54in. Rainfall is mostly in the summer months (June

to September). The southern coast is subject to late summer typhoons that bring

strong winds and heavy rains. Mixed deciduous and coniferous forests cover about

three-quarters of the land, but have been lessened of use as fuel. Predominate

species include pine, maple, elm, poplar, fir and aspen. Bamboo, laurel, and

evergreen oak are found in the southern coastal areas. Large mammals, such as

tigers, leopards, bears, and lynx, used to be common throughout the Korean

Peninsula, but these animals have virtually disappeared form South Korea due to

deforestation and poaching. The population of South Korea (1997 estimate) is

45,948,811. The country.s population density of 1199 people per sq. mi. is one

of the highest in the world. The majority of the population lives in the

southern and western coastal areas. South Korea like North Korea is one of the

most ethnically homogeneous countries in the world. Aside from a resident

foreign population of about 55,000 , mostly Chinese, the country has no racial

or linguistic minorities. Because of the mixed racial character of the

present-day Korean population, it is believed that the ancestors of the Koreans

included immigrants from the northern part of the Asian mainland. The national

language, Korean, is believed by some scholars to be a member of the Altaic

language family. It is similar to Japanese in grammar, but it contains many

borrowed Chinese words. Korean is written in a phonetic script known as

Han.gol from the colonial period and most educated Koreans can read English,

which is taught in all secondary schools. In 1995 nearly one-half of the people

in South Korea did not claim a religion. Buddhism claimed more adherents than

any other religion in South Korea. Confucianism, which is more a moral

philosophy than a religion, is a more prominent element in Korean life than its

somewhat small number of adherents would recommend. Christian missionaries were

first permitted in Korea in 1882 and by 1995 the Christian population

skyrocketed to 11.8 million, three quarters of them were Protestants. Other

important influences include Ch.endogyo, a religion founded in the mid-19th

century that fuses elements of Confucianism and Daoism. Primary education is

free for all children between the ages of 6 and 15. Secondary education consists

of three years of middle school and three years of high school. In the 1995-1996

school year nearly 3.9 million students were enrolle

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