Korean Peninsula

Korean Peninsula
Chosŏn Pando (Korean: 조선반도; Hanja: 朝鮮半島; in North Korea), Han Bando (Korean: 한반도; Hanja: 韓半島; in South Korea)
Peninsulas of Asia
Countries	North Korea, South Korea
Borders on	China, Russia, Sea of Japan (East Sea), East China Sea, Yellow Sea, Korea Strait
Highest point	Paektu Mountain
- elevation	2,744 m (9,003 ft)
Lowest point	sea level
Length	1,100 km (684 mi), north to south
Area	220,847 km2 (85,270 sq mi)
Population	74,461,933 (2012[1])
Density	337 / km2 (873 / sq mi)

The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles (1,100 km) from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan (East Sea) to the east, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water.

Until the end of World War II, Korea was a single political entity whose territory roughly coincided with the Korean Peninsula. Since the Armistice Agreement ended the Korean War in 1953, the northern division of the peninsula has been governed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, while the southern portion has been governed by the Republic of Korea.

The northern boundaries for the Korean Peninsula are commonly (and tacitly) taken to coincide with today's political borders between North Korea and its northern neighbors, China (1,416 km (880 mi) along the provinces of Jilin and Liaoning) and Russia (19 km (12 mi)). These borders are formed naturally by the rivers Yalu/Amnok and Tumen/Tuman/Duman. Taking this definition, the Korean Peninsula (including its islands) has an area of 220,847 km² (85,270 sq mi).

The peninsula is called Chosŏn Pando (Korean: 조선반도; Hanja: 朝鮮半島) in North Korea and Han Bando (Korean: 한반도; Hanja: 韓半島) in South Korea based on the respective names of the two countries. They both use "Korea" as part of their official English names, which is a name that comes from the Goryeo Dynasty or Koryŏ (Korean: 고려; Hanja: 高麗; 918–1392).

See also

• List of Korea-related topics
• Geography of North Korea
• Geography of South Korea
• Maps of Korea at the American Geographical Society Library Digital Map Collection

Notes

References

• KOIS (Korea Overseas Information Service) (2003). Handbook of Korea, 11th ed. Seoul: Hollym. ISBN 1-56591-212-8. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Korean Peninsula.

• Location of The Korean Peninsula—The Official Korea Tourism Guide Site

v t e Territorial disputes in East, South, and Southeast Asia Land Islands and waters Aksai Chin ( ) Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island1 ( ) Indo-Bangladesh enclaves2 ( ) Kachin State ( ) Kashmir2 ( ) Korean Peninsula ( ) Mainland China1 ( ) North Borneo (Sabah)1 ( ) Pamir Mountains2 ( ) Sixty-Four Villages East of the River1 ( ) South Tibet / Arunachal Pradesh ( ) Trans-Karakoram Tract ( ) Sir Creek1 ( ) Liancourt Rocks ( ) Macclesfield Bank ( ) Paracel Islands ( ) Pedra Branca ( ) Pratas Islands ( ) Scarborough Shoal ( ) Senkaku / Diaoyu Islands ( ) Socotra Rock ( ) Southern Kuril Islands ( ) Spratly Islands2 ( ) Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu1 ( ) Tsushima Island ( ) 1: Inactive dispute • 2: Divided among multiple claimants •  People's Republic of China •  Republic of China (Taiwan)

Coordinates: 37°30′N 127°00′E / 37.500°N 127.000°E / 37.500; 127.000