| Location: |
Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea
|
| Geographic coordinates: |
37 00 N, 127 30 E
|
| Area: |
total:
98,480 sq km
land:
98,190 sq km
water:
290 sq km
|
| Area - comparative: |
slightly larger than Indiana
|
| Land boundaries: |
total:
238 km
border countries:
North Korea 238 km
|
| Maritime claims: |
contiguous zone:
24 NM
continental shelf:
not specified
exclusive economic zone:
200 NM
territorial sea:
12 NM; between 3 NM and 12 NM in the Korea Strait
|
| Climate: |
temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter
|
| Terrain: |
mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south
|
| Elevation extremes: |
lowest point:
Sea of Japan 0 m
highest point:
Halla-san 1,950 m
|
| Natural resources: |
coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower potential
|
| Land use: |
arable land:
19%
permanent crops:
2%
permanent pastures:
1%
forests and woodland:
65%
other:
13% (1993 est.)
|
| Irrigated land: |
13,350 sq km (1993 est.)
|
| Natural hazards: |
occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; low-level seismic activity common in southwest
|
| Environment - current issues: |
air pollution in large cities; acid rain; water pollution from the discharge of sewage and industrial effluents; drift net fishing
|
| Environment - international agreements: |
party to:
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
|
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