Geography of Korea

Well-developed arable plains, mostly in southern and western parts of the peninsula, are generally small and separated by successive mountain ranges.

Mount Paektu, a dormant volcano on the border with China, is the highest mountain in Korea at 2,744 m (9,003 ft).

[2] The southern extension of Mount Paektu, a highland called Kaema Plateau, was mainly raised during the Cenozoic orogeny and partly covered by volcanic matter.

Unlike most ancient mountains on the mainland, many important islands in Korea were formed by volcanic activity in the Cenozoic orogeny.

Because the mountainous region is mostly on the eastern part of the peninsula, the main rivers tend to flow westwards.

This convoluted coastline results in mild seas and a calm environment allowing for safe navigation, fishing, and seaweed farming.

However, Baekdu Mountain in the north and Hallasan in the south have crater lakes, indicating that they were active not long ago.

The entire peninsula, however, is affected by similar climatic patterns, including the East Asian Monsoon in midsummer and frequent typhoons in autumn.

The temperate zone covers the great majority of the peninsula, away from the southern coast and high mountains.

Cold-temperate vegetation is found along the peninsula's northern fringe and in the high mountains, including the upper reaches of Hallasan on Jeju.

The Southern Korea evergreen forests occupy the southernmost portion of the peninsula, as well as the island of Jeju.

Manchurian mixed forests occupy the northern lowlands and low hills of the peninsula, and extend north into Manchuria as far as the Amur River on the Russia-China border.