South Korea - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of South Korea. Strategic location on Korea Strait; about 3,000 mostly small and uninhabited islands lie off the western and southern coasts. Mother's mean age at first birth is 32.2 years (2019 est.) (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 8 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of South Korea
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
Map references Asia
Tarrain mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south
Natural Resources coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower potential
Natural Hazards

occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; low-level seismic activity common in southwest

volcanism: Halla (1,950 m) is considered historically active although it has not erupted in many centuries
Irrigated Land 7,780 sq km (2012)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 237 km
Border Countries North Korea 237 km
Coastline 2,413 km
Climate temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter; cold winters
Area
Total Area
Land Area 96,920 sq km
Water Area 2,800 sq km
comparative Area slightly smaller than Pennsylvania; slightly larger than Indiana
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the Korea Strait
Contiguous zone 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone 200 nm
Continental shelf not specified
Elevations
Highest point Halla-san 1,950 m
Lowest point Sea of Japan 0 m
Mean elevation 282 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 18.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 15.3% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 2.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 0.6% (2018 est.)
Forest 63.9% (2018 est.)
Other 18% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

With approximately 70% of the country considered mountainous, the country's population is primarily concentrated in the lowland areas, where density is quite high; Gyeonggi Province in the northwest, which surrounds the capital of Seoul and contains the port of Incheon, is the most densely populated province; Gangwon in the northeast is the least populated

People and Society

In South Korea, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Homogeneous

Population
Pop growth rate 0.21% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 7 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 7.4 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 8.4% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 12.4 beds/1,000 population (2018)
Total fertility rate 1.12 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 0.55 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 82.3% (2018)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 52.9% (2023 est.)
Literacy
Education expenditures 4.7% of GDP (2019 est.)
Net Migration rate 2.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Korean | Korean(s)
Languages
Religions Protestant 17%, Buddhist 16%, Catholic 6%, none 60% (2021 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 11.3% (male 3,024,508/female 2,873,523)
15-64 years 69.4% (male 18,653,915/female 17,465,817)
65 years and over 19.3% (2024 est.) (male 4,440,688/female 5,623,348)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 39.9
Youth dependency ratio 16.6
Elderly dependency ratio 23.3
Potential support ratio 4.3 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 45.5 years (2024 est.)
Male 44 years
Female 47.3 years
Urbanization
Urban population 81.5% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 0.31% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 9.988 million SEOUL (capital), 3.472 million Busan, 2.849 million Incheon, 2.181 million Daegu (Taegu), 1.577 million Daejon (Taejon), 1.529 million Gwangju (Kwangju) (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years 1.07 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.79 male(s)/female
Total population 1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 2.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 3 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 2.6 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 83.4 years (2024 est.)
Male 80.3 years
Female 86.6 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: NA
Improved: rural rural: NA
Improved: total total: 99.9% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: NA
Unimproved: rural rural: NA
Unimproved: total total: 0.1% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: NA
Improved: rural rural: NA
Improved: total total: 99.9% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: NA
Unimproved: rural rural: NA
Unimproved: total total: 0.1% of population (2020 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 7.74 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 1.72 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0.15 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 0.22 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 5.66 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 20.8% (2020 est.)
Male 35.7% (2020 est.)
Female 5.9% (2020 est.)
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about South Korea

Want to know more about South Korea? Check all different factbooks for South Korea below.

South Korea is found in Eastern Asia