South Korea

Formal Name

Republic of Korea (ROK)
The penisula has been devided in two since 1945; the Republic of Korea, commonly called South Korea, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or North Korea.

Location

The Korean penisula extends southward from the northeast part of the Asia continent between latitudes 33 degree and 43 degree north, and longitudes 124 degree and 131 degree east. The administrative area of the Republic of Korea is 99.299km^2 (400 acres). 70% of the land is mountainous, especially along the East Coast.

National Flag

Called the Taegukki, it briefly depicts the Original cosmic principles. The circle in the center represents the balance between Yin and Yang (negative and positive forces) and the bars represents various cosmic elements. The flag represents eternal unity.

Nation Flower

Mugunghwa (Rose of Sharon) is much loves as the national flower of Korea, because it symbolizes the strong and simple spirit of the Korean people which has endured the nation's long and often difficult history.

Official Language

Hangul (also called Hunmin Chongum) printed from wood block. Korean , the official language of Korea, belong to the Ural-Altaric language group. Han'gul, Korea's native script, was invented in 1443. It is a purely phonetic alphabet of 10 vowels and 14 constants, so efficient that it can be learned in just a few hours. Hangul is the only alphabet in the world which was invented by man. Chinese charactors are still used, especially in newspapers and academic works, though their use has been gradually decreasing since the 1980s due to the younger generation's reference for the simpler hangul.

Korean Noodle

I think Shin-ramen is the favorite chinese noodle in Korea. The Shin-ramen very very spicy and delicious. We often eat the Shin-ramen because it is very cheap in Korea.