Asia and Oceania

Korea, Republic of (South Korea)
Last reviewed: 1 June 2009

Country information

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GEOGRAPHY

The Republic of Korea (ROK) forms the southern half of the Korean peninsula, that lies between China and Japan, and so is often referred to as South Korea. Its capital city, Seoul, is in the north-west. The ROK has a land area about the same size as Wales and Scotland combined. The Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), that separates the ROK from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to the north, is a 250-mile long strip of land, running from west to east, close to the 38th Parallel.

Mountains or upland account for 70% of the ROK (compared to 80% in the DPRK, or North Korea). The ROK has relatively few natural resources but, having more cultivable land, warmer weather and more rain than the DPRK, its agricultural sector is relatively productive.