Coordinates: 3730N 12700E

Korean Peninsula
The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia.
It extends southwards for about 1,100 km (680 mi)
Korean Peninsula
Chosn'gl: ; Hancha: ; MR: Chosn
from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is
Pando
surrounded by the Sea of Japan (East Sea) to the (used in North Korea, Japan and China),
east, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Hangul: ; Hanja: ; RR: Han Bando
Strait connecting the first two bodies of water. (used in South Korea and Japan)
Peninsulas of Asia

Contents
1 Name
2 History
3
Comparison of the two countries on the
Korean Peninsula
4 Flora and Fauna
5 See also The Korean Peninsula shown in Dark Green
6 References Country North Korea
7 Further reading South Korea
8 External links Borders on China, Russia, Sea of Japan, East China Sea,
Yellow Sea, Korea Strait
Highest point Paektu Mountain
Name - elevation 2,744 m (9,003 ft)
Lowest point Sea level
The peninsula's names in Korean, Chinese and
Japanese all have the same origin, that being Length 1,100 km (684 mi), north to south
Joseon, the old name of Korea under the Joseon Area 220,847 km2 (85,270 sq mi)
Dynasty and Gojoseon even longer before that. In Population 74,461,933 (2012[1])
North Korea's standard language, the peninsula is Density 337/km2 (873/sq mi)
called Chosn Pando (Hangul: ;
Hanja: ; RR: Joseon Bando), while in
China, it is called Choxin Bndo (/
). In Hong Kong and Macau (the two
special administrative regions of China), they
follow the South Korean naming (Chinese:
; Cantonese Yale: Hhn bundu). In Japan, it is
either Chsenhant (Kanji: / Hiragana:
) or Kanhant (Kanji:
/ Hiragana: ). Meanwhile, in
South Korea, it is called Hanbando (Hangul:
; Hanja: ), referring to the Samhan (since
the Joseon Dynasty, Samhan was also used as an
idiomatic meaning of the Three Kingdoms of
Korea.) They both use "Korea" as part of their
official English names, which is a name that comes
from the Goryeo (or Kory, in North Korea)
dynasty (/).

History
Until the end of World War II, Korea was a single
political entity whose territory roughly coincided
with the Korean Peninsula. In August 1945, the
Soviet Union declared war on Imperial Japan, as a
result of an agreement with the United States, and
liberated Korea north of the 38th parallel. U.S.
forces subsequently moved into the south. By
1948, as a product of the Cold War between the
Soviet Union and the United States, Korea was
divided into two regions, with separate
governments. Both claimed to be the legitimate
government of all of Korea, and neither accepted
the border as permanent. The conflict escalated
into open warfare when North Korean forces
supported by the Soviet Union and Chinamoved into the south on 25 June 1950. Since the Armistice Agreement ended the Korean
War in 1953, the northern section of the peninsula has been governed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, while the
southern portion has been governed by theRepublic of Korea.[2]

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 Amnok and Duman. Taking this definition, the Korean Peninsula
(including its islands) has an area of 220,847 km2 (85,270 sq mi).

Comparison of the two countries on the Korean Peninsula

 Indicator North Korea South Korea
Capital Pyongyang Seoul
Official languages Korean
Official scripts Chosn'gl Hangul
Government Juche single-party state Representative democracy
Formal declaration 9 September 1948 15 August 1948

Area 120,540 km2 100,210 km2

Population (2014/2013 est.) 24,851,627 50,219,669
GDP total (2011/2014 est.) $40 billion $1.755 trillion
GDP/capita (2011/2014 est.) $1,800 $34,777
Currency North Korean won (sign: , ISO: KPW) South Korean won (, KRW)
Calling code +850 +82
Internet TLD .kp .kr
Drives on the right
Active military personnel 1,106,000 639,000
Military expenditure (2010/2012) $10 billion $30 billion

Flora and Fauna

See also
Korea
Geography of Korea

Geography of North Korea

Geography of South Korea
List of Korea-related topics

References
1. PopulationData.net: Asie (http://www.populationdata.net/index2.php?option=continent&cid=4&nom=asie)
2. Devine, Robert A.; Breen, T.H.; Frederickson, George M.; Williams, R. Hal; Gross, Adriela J.; Brands, H.W
. (2007).
America Past and Present. II: Since 1865 (8th ed.).Pearson Longman. pp. 81921. ISBN 0-321-44661-5.

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

External links
Location of the Korean Peninsula The official Korean Tourism guide website

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