Korea comprises the Korean Peninsula (the mainland) and 3,960 nearby islands. The peninsula is located in Northeast Asia, between China and Japan. To the northwest, the Yalu River separates Korea from China and to the northeast, the Tumen River separates Korea from China and Russia. The Yellow Sea lies to the west, the East China Sea and Korea Strait to the south, and the Sea of Japan (East Sea) to the east.[1] Notable islands include Jeju, Ulleung, and the Liancourt Rocks.
At 223,179 km2, the area of Korea is similar to the area of the United Kingdom (244,100 km2) or the U.S. state of Minnesota (225,171 km2). Excluding the islands, the area of the Korean Peninsula is 220,847 km2. The peninsula measures approximately 1,000 km (620 mi) from north to south and 300 km (190 mi) from east to west.[2]
- ^ Korean Map Archived 2013-07-23 at the Wayback Machine, The People's Korea, 1998.
- ^ Kim (1988), p. 7.