South Korea is located in the southern part of the Korean peninsula. The terrain of the country is mostly mountainous; there are vast fertile plains only in the western and southern part.

The largest island of the country Jeju-do has picturesque scenery and warm subtropical climate. That is why it attracts a lot of tourists. The other large island in the Japanese Sea is Ulleungdo, which is the chief fishing base of the country.

South Korea has land border only with North Korea. This is a demilitarized zone, 4 km wide, which spreads along the 38 parallel from the west to the east coast of the peninsula. Thousands of soldiers guard this zone day and night from both sides.

In the rural areas the most important means of livelihood is still agriculture. Rice, barley, wheat, bean crops, soy, cotton, hemp, tobacco and other plants are grown here. South Korea used to be an agrarian country until 60s of the 20th c. Since 1962, with the help of foreign investments from Japan and USA, the Korean economy has made a giant leap. The larger part of the industry is developing because of giant plants-conglomerates like Samsung and Hyundai. The big industrial centres are located along the coastline. The biggest port is Busan – the second largest city after the capital Seoul. “Hyundai Heavy Industries” is the biggest shipbuilding plant in the world, which accounts for about 15% of the world’s shipbuilding market. South Korea is one of the economically most powerful countries in Asia.

A typical landmark in the capital Seoul is the “Southern gate”(Sungnyemun). It is the oldest ancient building and was the city’s main entrance.