South Korea - Useful information for your trip

South Korea, also known as Republic of Korea, is situated in Eastern Asia and Seoul is its capital city. It borders North Korea to the north, the Yellow Sea to the south, the Sea of Japan to the east and the Strait of Korea to the south.

The capital city Seoul is one of the most populated metropolis in the world. The landscape in South Korea is mainly mountainous and the territory can be divided up into four areas: in the east lies the area of the mountains with narrow plains along the coasts; in the west lies the area of coastal plains, low hills and river basins; in the south-west mountains and valleys are located and, finally, in the south-east the basin of river Nakdong is situated.

South Korea boasts around three thousand islands, mostly small and uninhabited. The largest island is Jeju-do, which is home to the highest point in Korea, Halla-san, an extinct volcano 1950 meters above sea level. 

The climate is temperate and oceanic, rainfalls are more frequent in the summer, the wet season. Winters can be very cold. As for the environment, South Korea features some of the most polluted urban areas in the world. The flora is essentally represented by coniferous forests, while the southern coasts are dominated by bamboo. Among the animals, leopard, bear, wildcat and tiger are all endangered species. Massive deforestation is a major threat to the Korean environment.

South Korea has gone through an extremely rapid economic growth and is now regarded as one of the Asian Tigers.Transport is largely developed, thanks to a modern railway and highway network and to advanced airports and excellent maritime connections. The biggest cities are all served by buses, cabs, underground and railway trains, all cheap and efficient. Furthermore, South Korea is estimated to be the country with the highest diffusion of digital media in schools and the Ministry has proved that around 2% of the students suffers from an Internet addiction. 

During your stay in South Korea you shouldn't miss a visit to the supermodern city of Seoul with its impressive buildings, Unesco's Heritage Sites such as Seokguram Grotto, the temple pf Bulguksa and Changdeokgung palace. Other interesting landmarks are Sorak-San National Park on the eastern coast, dotted by ancient temples, and the Path of Tea in the south-eastern area, featuring large green tea plantations.