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Korea is called the land of morning calm.
It is a peninsula jutting out southward from the eastern part of the Asian continent with many islands off its coasts.
The northern half of the Korean peninsula has nine provinces, three cities under central authority and approximately 200 counties, and the southern half of peninsula-nine provinces and some 140 counties.
The country borders on China and Russia across the Amnok and Tuman Rivers on the north and faces Japan on the east across the East Sea of Korea. The Korean Peninsula stretches from north to south for a distance of 10 latitudinal degrees. The longitudinal distance between its eastern and western edges is 7 41'42" and the difference in time is about 30 minutes.
The cartographical zone of the Korean peninsula belongs 51 and 52, and sub-zones -to I.J and K. The coastal line of the peninsula is 8,102.97 km in length and the boundary line- 1,369.37km., and their ratio 5.9 to1. The geographical limits of the land, including the islands, are the eastern edge of Dokdo, Ullung County, North Kyungsang province(long. 131 52'42"E), western edge of Maan Island, Pyongchon County, North Phyongan Province, the southern edge of Marado Island, Namjeju County, Jeju Province(Lat. 33 06'43"N ), and the northern edge of Yeopojin, Onsong County, North Hamgyong Province(Lat. 43 00'39"N ).
The total length of the circumference of the Korean peninsula(excluding island) is 9,472.34 km along the curves, and its straight distance 2,327.19 km, the disjunction coefficient being 4.07. The eastern portion of the circumference from the estuary of the Tumen River to the Kanjol Cape is 1,946.03 km along its curves, its straight distance -778.72 km, with the disjunction coefficient of 2.50. The western portion from the estuary of the Amnok River to the Haenamgak is 4,343.97 km along the curves, its straight distance -650.27 km, and its disjunction coefficient 6.68. The southern portion from the Kanjol Cape to the Haenamgak is 1,812.97km, along the curves, and its straight distance 285.47 km with the disjunction coefficient of 6.35. The northern portion from the estuary of the Amnok River to that of the Tumen River is 1,369.37km along its curves, the straight distance 612.73km, and the disjunction coefficient 2.23.
The longest distance between north and south including islands, is about 1,100km (from Yeopojin, Onsong County, North Hamkyong Province to Marado Island on the southwest of Jeju Province), the north-south distance of the peninsula from Junggang County, Jagang Province, to the Haenam Peninsula is about 840km.
distance between Ieodo and Marado
The widest distance Including island between east and west is about 620km from the Jangsan Cape to Dokdo
The total area of the peninsula, including its islands, is 222,209.231 square kilometers of which the area of the main land is 216,234.576 Square kilometers and the area of island 5,974.655 Square kilometers, their ratio being 36.2 to 1. The area ratio between the world and the Korean lands is about 676 to 1(0.15%), the area ratio of the Asian to the Korean lands -200 to 1(0.5%).
At the end of World War II, the peninsula was divided into a northern zone established by the Democratic People Republic of Korea and a southern zone occupied by U.S. forces established by the Republic of Korea. The boundary between the two zones was the 38th parallel. In 1953, at the end of the Fatherland Liberation War, a new border was fixed along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a 4- km-wide strip of land that traces the eventual ceasefire line from the east to the west coast for a distance of about 241 kilometers. About 55 percent (122,841 square kilometers), excluding the area in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), constitutes the territory of DPR Korea. The combined territories of South and North Korea are similar to the size of Great Britain (244,100 square kilometers) and Guyana (215,000 square kilometers).
Longitudinally, Korea lies straight north of the Philippines and central Australia. The meridian of 127 30'E passes through the middle of the peninsula. Pyongyang and Tokyo are both nine hours earlier than Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
There are about 3,000 islands belonging to Korea. The islands are located mostly off the west and south coasts; only a handful of them lie in the East Sea. Ulleungdo, the largest island in the East Sea, serves as a major fishery base as does Dokdo.
Korea latitude is similar to that of the Iberian Peninsula and Greece. The peninsula and all of its associated islands lie between latitudes 33 06 '40" N and 43 00 39" N and longitudes 124 11'00" E and 131 52' 42" E.
The Korean Peninsula is divided into three distinct regions: Central, Southern and Northern. These main regions are also subdivided into separate areas that show particular economic, cultural and physical distinctiveness.. Traditionally, the Northern Region was the Pyeongan, Hamgyeong and Hwanghae provinces, but after the division of the peninsula in 1945, the "North" now refers to all the areas north of the Demilitarized Zone: DPRK nine provinces, Pyeongannam-do, Pyeonganbuk-do Hamgyeongnam-do, Hamgyeongbuk-do Hwanghaenam-do, Hwanghaenam-do, Ryanggang-do, Jagang-do and Gangwon-do; three special industrial and tourist zones, Gaeseong, Geumgangsan and Sinuiju; and two directly governed cities, Pyongyang and Rason.
The far northern part of the peninsula is divided into two geographic regions: Jagang-do, Pyeonganbuk-do, and Pyeongannam-do comprise the agriculturally rich flatlands known as Gwanseo. The mountainous provinces Ryanggang-do, Hamgyeongbuk-do and Hamgyeongnam-do in the northeast form the Gwanbuk region, which is known for mining and forestry. Hamheung and Cheongjin are the major cities of Hamgyeongnam-do and Hamgyeongbuk-do, respectively. The directly governed city Pyongyang, DPRK capital and main urban area, lies to the south of Pyeongannam-do. The Yellow Sea port of Nampo serves as the gateway to Pyongyang.
The provinces Hwanghaenam-do, Hwanghaebuk-do and Gangwon-do comprise DPRK third main geographical region. Gaeseong, site of the inter-Korean industrial complex, is bordered by the Hwanghae provinces and South Korea Gyeonggi-do. Once a part of the traditional Central Region prior to the South-North division, this area shares many cultural similarities with the Southern provinces of Gyeonggi-do and Gangwon-do.
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