Geography of South Korea

South Korea is located in East Asia, on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula located out from the far east of the Asian landmass. The only country that shares a land border with South Korea is North Korea, lying to the north with 238 kilometres (148 mi) of the border running along the Korean Demilitarized Zone. South Korea is mostly surrounded by water and has 2,413 kilometres (1,499 mi) of coastline along three seas: to the west is the Yellow Sea (called Sohae Korean: 서해; Hanja: 西海; in South Korea, literally means "west sea"), to the south is the East China Sea, and to the east is the Sea of Japan (called Donghae Korean: 동해; Hanja: 東海; in South Korea, literally means "east sea"). Geographically, South Korea's landmass is approximately 100,472.4 square kilometres (38,792.6 mi2). The approximate coordinates are 37° North, 128° East.

Land area and borders

The Korean Peninsula extends southward from the northeast part of the Asian continental landmass. The Japanese islands of Honshū and Kyūshū are located some 200 kilometers (124 miles) to the southeast across the Korea Strait, and the Shandong Peninsula of China lies 190 kilometers to the west. The west coast of the peninsula is bordered by the Korea Bay to the north and the Yellow Sea and Korea Strait to the south; the east coast is bordered by the East Sea. The 8,640-kilometer coastline is highly indented. Some 3,579 islands lie adjacent to the peninsula, most found along the south and west coasts.