c coordinates:
37 00 N, 127 30 E

Map references:
Asia

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

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

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: 17.18%
permanent crops: 1.95%
other: 80.87% (2001)

Irrigated land:
11,590 sq km (1998 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, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
strategic location on Korea Strait

People Korea, South

Population:
48,422,644 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 19.4% (male 4,952,177/female 4,450,821)
15-64 years: 72% (male 17,715,267/female 17,147,808)
65 years and over: 8.6% (male 1,670,971/female 2,485,600) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 34.51 years
male: 33.53 years
female: 35.53 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.38% (2005 est.)

Birth rate:
10.08 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate:
6.26 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.11 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03