Chungcheongbuk-do

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Chungcheongbuk-do
Korean name
Revised Romanization Chungcheongbuk-do
McCune-Reischauer Ch'ungch'ŏng-pukto
Hangul 충청 북도
Hanja 忠清北道
Short name Chungbuk (Ch'ungbuk; 충북)
Statistics
Population 1,462,621 (2000 census)
Area 7,436 km²
Government Province
Capital Cheongju
Administrative divisions 3 cities (Si), 9 counties (Gun)
Region Hoseo
Dialect Chungcheong
Location map
Map of South Korea highlighting the province

Chungcheongbuk-do (North Chungcheong) is a province in the centre of South Korea. It was formed in 1896 from the northeastern half of the former Chungcheong province, was a province of Korea until the country's division in 1945, then became part of South Korea. The provincial capital is Cheongju.

Contents

[edit] Geography

The province is part of the Hoseo region, and is bounded on the west by Chungcheongnam-do province, on the north by Gyeonggi-do and Gangwon-do provinces, on the south by Jeollabuk-do province, and on the east by Gyeongsangbuk-do. Chungcheongbuk-do is the only province in South Korea with no access to the sea. The province is mostly mountainous, dominated by the Noryeong Mountains to the north and the Sobaek Mountains to the east.

[edit] Resources

Agricultural products includes rice, barley, beans, and sweet potatoes, but the province specializes in ginseng and tobacco. The tobacco was introduced from the US in 1912, transplanted from Virginia.

There are mineral reserves of gold, iron, coal, steatite, fluorite, and molybdenum, as well as marble and limestone in the northern part of the province. Silk weaving plays an important role.

[edit] Attractions

The main attractions in the province are Mount Songni (1,058 metres) in the Sobaek mountains and its national park. Beopjusa, the site of one of the oldest temples of Korea is located in this national park, as in Guinsa, the headquarters of the Cheontae sect. There is another national park around Mount Worak.

[edit] Administrative divisions

Chungcheongbuk-do is divided into 3 cities (si) and 9 counties (gun). Each entity is listed below in English, hangul, and hanja.

[edit] Cities

  • Cheongju (청주시, 淸州市, capital}

[edit] Counties

[edit] See also

[edit] External links