Total area: 99,313 sq km (38,345 sq mi)
Population (2009 est.): 48,509,000
Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Seoul - 10,287,847
Other large cities: Pusan - 3,504,900; Inchon - 2,479,600 (part of Seoul metro. area); Taegu - 2,369,800
Currency: won
Languages: Korean
Religions: Christian 26%, Buddhist 26%, Confucianist 1%, other 1%, none 46%
Time zone: GMT+9; DST is not observed
Electricity: AC 220V/60Hz; European type plugs with two round pins are used; 110V/60Hz with American type plugs is being phased out, but may still be used in some areas
South Korea is a country in East Asia occupying the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. It is bordered by the North Korea to the north, the Sea of Japan to the east, the Korea Strait to the south and the Yellow Sea to the west. The Korean Demilitarized Zone, about 4 km (2.5 miles) wide, runs across the peninsula separating North and South Korea.
South Korea has two maritime neighbors - Japan on the southeast and China on the west.
East of the country is mostly mountainous with narrow coastal plains.
The west is dominated by broad coastal plains, river basins and rolling hills, the southwestern region by mountains and valleys, and the southeastern part by the broad basin of the Nakdong River. In total, mountains constitute about 70% of South Korea's terrain.
The Korea Strait on the south includes many islands. The largest of them is volcanic island of Jeju-do (1,845 sq km / 712 sq mi) where the highest point of South Korea, Mount Hallasan (1,950 m / 6,397 ft), is located.
