KOREA, a country of Further Asia consisting of a peninsula and about 200 islands. The peninsula stretches southwards from Manchuria, and has an estimated length of about 600 m., an ex treme breadth of 135 m., a coast-line of 1,740 m. and an area of 86,000 sq.m. It extends from 34° 18' to 43° N., and from 36' to 130° 47' E. Its northern boundary is marked by the Tumen and Yalu rivers ; the eastern boundary by the Sea of Japan ; the southern boundary by Korea Strait ; and the western boundary by the Yalu and the Yellow Sea. For 11 m. along the Tumen river the north frontier is conterminous with Russia (Siberia) ; other wise Korea has Manchuria on its land frontier. Nearly the whole surface of the country is mountainous. (For map, see JAPAN.) One native name for the country is Chosyon from the Chinese Ch`ao Hsien. It is also called Dai Han. Of the islands, two-thirds are inhabited, 1 oo are from ioo to 2,000 ft. in height and many consist of bold bare masses of volcanic rock. The most important are Quelpart and the Nan Hau group. The latter, 36 m. from the eastern end of Quelpart, possesses the deep, excellent harbour of Port Hamilton, which lies between the north points of the large and well-cultivated islands of Sun-ho-dan and So-dan. The east coast of Korea is steep and rock-bound, with deep water and a tidal rise and fall of 1 to 2 ft. The west coast is often low and shelving, and abounds in mud-banks, and the tidal rise and fall is from 20 to 36 ft. Korean harbours are nearly all ice-free ; the most important are Fusan (the landing point from Japan), Chemulpho, Mokpo, Chin-nampo and Gen-san.
Korea is distinctly mountainous, and has no plains deserving the name. In the north there are mountain groups with definite centres, the most notable being Paik-tu San or Pei-shan (8,700 ft.) which contains the sources of the Yalu and Tumen. From these groups a lofty range runs southwards, dividing the empire into two unequal parts. On its east, between it and the coast, which it follows at a moderate distance, is a fertile strip difficult of access, and on the west it throws off so many lateral ranges and spurs as to break up the country into a chaos of corrugated and precipitous hills and steep-sided valleys, each with a rapid per ennial stream. Farther south this axial range, which includes the
Diamond Mountain group, falls away towards the sea in treeless spurs and small and often infertile levels. The northern groups and the Diamond Mountain are heavily timbered, but the hills are covered mainly with coarse, sour grass and oak and chestnut scrub. The rivers are shallow and rocky, and are usually only navi gable for a few miles from the sea. Among the exceptions are the Yalu (Amnok ), Tumen, Tai-dong, Naktong, Mok-po and Han. The last, rising in Kang-won-do, 3o m. from the east coast, cuts Korea nearly in half, reaching the sea on the west coast near Chemulpho; and, in spite of many serious rapids, is a valuable highway for commerce for over i5o miles.