| 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 |
| Area | total: 99,720 sq km land: 96,920 sq km water: 2,800 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Pennsylvania; slightly larger than Indiana |
| Land boundaries | total: 237 km border countries (1): North Korea 237 km |
| Coastline | 2,413 km |
| 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 |
| Climate | temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter; cold winters |
| Terrain | mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Halla-san 1,950 m lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m mean elevation: 282 m |
| Natural resources | coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower potential |
| Land use | agricultural land: 18.1% (2018 est.) arable land: 15.3% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 2.2% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 0.6% (2018 est.) forest: 63.9% (2018 est.) other: 18% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 7,780 sq km (2012) |
| Total renewable water resources | 69.7 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| 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 |
| Geography - note | strategic location on Korea Strait; about 3,000 mostly small and uninhabited islands lie off the western and southern coasts |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
