| South Chungcheong Province 충청남도 Chungnam |
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| 忠清南道 Chungcheongnam-do |
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Emblem of South Chungcheong |
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| Map of South Korea with South Chungcheong highlighted | |
| Government | Province |
| Capital | Daejeon |
| Governor | Ahn Hee-jung |
| Dialect | Chungcheong |
| Region | Hoseo |
| Area | 8,598 km²(6th) |
| Population (2005) | |
| - Population | 1,889,495 (4th) |
| - Density | 219 /km² |
| Cities | 7 |
| Counties | 9 |
| Website | chungnam.net (English) |
| Metropolitan Symbols | |
| - Flower | Chrysanthemum |
| - Tree | Weeping Willows |
| - Bird | Mandarin Duck |
South Chungcheong Province, or Chungcheongnam-do (abbreviated Chungnam), is a province in the west of South Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the south-western half of the former Chungcheong Province and remained a province of Korea until the country's division in 1945, thereafter becoming part of South Korea. The provincial capital is Daejeon, which is separately administered as a provincial-level metropolitan city.
Chungnam is by far South Korea's fastest growing region, with an average GDP growth of 9.7% in 2001-2007,[1] a figure comparable to China's accelerated growth in the same period. Such rapid growth transformed it from a mostly agricultural to a highly industrialized economy in the 21st century, which has become the wealthiest province in South Korea today, having a GDP per capita of $39,393 in 2008,[2] a level of living standard comparable to wealthy developed countries such as Canada.
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The province is part of the Hoseo region, and is bounded to the west by the Yellow Sea, to the north by Gyeonggi-do province, to the south by Jeollabuk-do province, and to the east by Chungcheongbuk-do province.
One third of the province's area is under cultivation. Aside from agriculture, marine products are of importance. There are 220 square kilometres (85 sq mi) of exposed beach which is used to produce salt by solar evaporation. There is coal mining, but gold and silver mines are also found in Chungcheongnam-do, as is Monazite (a rare thorium bearing mineral) and zircon.
At 845 metres, Mount Gyeryong is the most notable elevation. It is located in a national park which is noted for its unique rock features. Apart from the stone formations there are a number of old temples. These include Gwanchok-sa, a temple which is home to the largest stone Buddha in Korea.[3] In 1978 the Taean Marine National Park was opened. It includes some of the country's best bathing beaches.
In early 2007, the Republic of Korea government decided to create a special administrative district out of part of the present Chungcheongnam-do Province, near what is presently Daejeon. The new district will be named Sejong Special Autonomous City, and is to replace Seoul as the future capital of the Republic of Korea.
Chungcheongnam-do is divided into 7 cities (si) and 9 counties (gun). The city and county names below are given in English, hangul, and hanja.
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