South Korea: Modernization and Westernization - Paperback

by Nasser Afify (Author)

South Korea is a small country with a lot of people, so there is a huge demand for space. As a result, many of the country's natural habitats have been squeezed into smaller areas. There are 21 national parks, but the only areas of true wilderness left are the mountain forests. Tigers used to roam the Korean peninsula, but today there may be none left at all. Some think a few may live in the dangerous Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea. Korea's tigers were wiped out by hunters who wanted their bones to use in traditional medicines.Korea is a 750-mile-long (1,200-kilometer-long) peninsula located in the easternmost part of the Asian continent. Today, the country is split into South and North Korea, but in the minds of most of its citizens, it remains a single nation that cannot be divided. South Korea has many mountains, but they are small compared with others around the world. Over millions of years, their peaks have been worn down by rain and wind. Most summits are below 3,300 feet (1,000 meters).On South Korea's Jeju Island and along a narrow strip in the south, high humidity and rainfall give rise to tropical evergreen jungles. The peninsula is also surrounded by about 3,000 volcanic islands. South Korea faces North Korea across a demilitarized zone (DMZ) 2.5 miles (4 km) wide that was established by the terms of the 1953 armistice that ended fighting in the Korean War (1950-53). The DMZ, which runs for about 150 miles (240 km), constitutes the 1953 military cease-fire line and roughly follows latitude 38 N (the 38th parallel) from the mouth of the Han River on the west coast of the Korean peninsula to a little south of the North Korean town of Kosŏng on the east coast.