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Rural Development Administration National Institute of Crop Science

Physical Features of Korea

Physical Features of Korea

 

1. General features
The Republic of Korea consists of a peninsula protruded southward from the north east of the Asian Continent and numerous islands scattered around the peninsula. The peninsula is located in the temperate zone(33°06´~43°00´N latitude). The total size of the Korean peninsula, including more than 3,000 islands, is 221 thousand km² of which about 45% (99,000) belongs to south Korea, below the Demilitarized Zone. The Republic of Korea is a type of mountainous country rarely seen throughout the world and its mountainous area covers more than 70% of the land. Mountains in general are high to the north and to the east, and low to the west and to the south with the ridge of the spine (the Taebaek Mountain Range) lying inclined toward the east to form steep slopes along the east coast and slow slopes along the west coast.

2. Sesame climate
The climate of Korea is generally temperate and monsoonal. The annual average temperature ranges from 12 to 15°c in the southern area, 10-12°c in the central area and 5-10°c in the northern area. The average temperature of the coldest month, January, is above 0°c along the southern coastal area, below -5°c in the central area, and -10°c to -20°c in the Gaema Plain area. On the contrary, the average temperature of the hottest month, August, is over 22°c.
In general terms, Korea could be considered a country of relative humidity, with an annual average precipitation of 1,159mm. But there are significant regional and seasonal variations in precipitation. Regional precipitation varies, with more than 60% of the total precipitation occurring during the rainy season of June to September. Figure 3 presents minimum and optimum temperatures for sesame germination, indicating optimum temperature for good stand establishment.
Natural disasters in Korea are mostly caused by floods and droughts resulting from special climatic and physical conditions of the geographical location of the country. Demand for water does not vary greatly by season, but rainfall occurs collectively from June through September, creating a seasonal unbalance of water because sesame is sown from late April in Korea.