The standard meridian of the peninsula is 135 degrees, 9 hours ahead of GMT. The Amnok and Tuman Rivers border both China and Russia to the north, and Japan lies just across the East Sea.

Since 1945, as a result of the Cold War, the peninsula has been divided into two parts: the democratic Republic of Korea, or South Korea, and communist Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or North Korea.

The total area of the peninsula is 222,196 square kilometers, similar in size to that of Britain, New Zealand, or Romania. South Korea occupies 99,434 square kilometers or 45 percent of the total land mass, and North Korea the remaining 122,762 square kilometers. Seventy percent of the land is covered with mountains, particularly to the north and east.

Along the southern and western coasts, the mountains descend gradually into broad coastal plains.

Most of the rivers have their tributaries in the northern and eastern sides, and flow into the West and South Seas. Concentrated for the most part on the southern coast are more than 3,000 islands of various sizes that provide a scenery that is unparalleled by any other place in the world.

Koreans, like many other Asian peoples, are descendants of Mongolian Tungus stock. However, they differ from their neighbors, the Japanese and Chinese, in that they are a homogeneous ethnic group with their own language, culture, and customs.

Korean people are characterized by their generosity, warmth, and kindness, and are renowned as one of the hardest working peoples in the world. The following data show main figures of Korea (as of the end of 2000, National Statistical Office).

¡Ø The Korea National Statistical Office conducts a nationwide survey of population every 5 year. For more info, please contact the KNSO at http://www.nso.go.kr/eng2006/emain/index.html or +82.42.481.2237~49.

The Korean flag is called Taegeukgi. Its design symbolizing the principles of yin and yang is from Asian philosophy. The circle in the center of the flag is divided into two equal parts.The upper red section represents the positive cosmic forces of yang. Conversely, the lower blue section represents the negative cosmic forces of yin.

The two forces together embody the concepts of continual movement, balance, and harmony that characterize the sphere of infinity. The circle is surrounded by four trigrams, one in each corner. Each trigram symbolizes one of the four universal

The national flower of Korea is Mugunghwa, Rose of Sharon. Every year from June to October a profusion of Mugunghwa blossoms grace the entire country. Unlike most flowers, Mugunghwa is remarkably tenacious and is able to withstand both blight and insects.

Its symbolic significance stems from Mugunghwa's root word, "Mugung," meaning immortality. This word accurately reflects the perseverance and determination that the Korean people have demonstrated throughout their long history.

The Korean language is classified as a Ural-Altaic language, a group which also includes Mongolian, Hungarian, and Finnish. The Korean character system, Hangeul, is completely different from Japanese. "Hangeul" was developed by a group of scholars under the patronage of King Sejong in 1443 of the Joseon Dynasty.

It is composed of 10 vowels and 14 consonants. This unique phonetic syllabic system allows great freedom of expression. The Hangeul Romanization, which was last revised in July 2000, is based on standard Korean pronunciation and differs substantially from the old McCune-Reischauer (M-R) system.