World Factbook
South Korea
Taehan-min'guk
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
96,920 sq km
water
2,800 sq km
total
99,720 sq km
Climate
temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter; cold winters
Terrain
mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south
Land use
other
19.5% (2023 est.)
forest
64.4% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
16.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 14.9% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 2.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 0.6% (2023 est.)
Location
Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea
Coastline
2,413 km
Elevation
lowest point
Sea of Japan 0 m
highest point
Halla-san 1,950 m
mean elevation
282 m
Irrigated land
7,780 sq km (2012)
Map references
Asia
Land boundaries
total
237 km
border countries
North Korea 237 km
Maritime claims
contiguous zone
24 nm
territorial sea
12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the Korea Strait
continental shelf
not specified
exclusive economic zone
200 nm
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; 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
Natural resources
coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower potential
Area - comparative
slightly smaller than Pennsylvania; slightly larger than Indiana
Geographic coordinates
37 00 N, 127 30 E
Population distribution
the population is primarily concentrated in the lowland areas, where density is high; Gyeonggi Province in the northwest, which surrounds the capital of Seoul and contains the port of Incheon, is the most densely populated province; Gangwon in the northeast is the least populated