Korea, with her 4300-year-old-history, is one of the few oldest countries in the world. The 630 miles (1000km) long and 120-160 miles wide Korean peninsula is situated at the eastern end of the Asiatic continent. In the north, Korea borders with Manchuria of China and the Maritime province of the Soviet Union, and her eastern , western, and southern shores are washed by the surrounding seas. To the west of Korea across the Yellow Sea (Koreans call it the Western sea) lies China, and to her south lie the Japanese islands, as if surrounding Korea like a fence in the sea. Thus Korea is located in the center of the East-Asian world.

Present day Korea territory is comprised of the area below the Yalu and the Tumen rivers, but in Ancient times and up to the early 10th century her vast territory included the area east of the Liao River in Manchuria and a portion if the Maritime Province of the Soviet Union. Although Korea suffers the misfortunes of being divided into north and south today, the Koreans demonstrate that they are a people with an outstanding tradition in spite of the division. Korea, known to the west as "The Land of Morning Calm", is a beautiful country. She has four distinct seasons. Spring is warm and long , summer is hot and humid, autumn is cool and winter is cold.

The average winter temperatures are little below 26 F (-3 C) in the south and 13 F (-11 C) in the north. Spring and autumn are breathtakingly beautiful, summer monsoons bring heavy rainfall and winter monsoons bring cold air masses from Siberia with snowfall.

Although Korea (85,360 sq. miles or 221,082 sq. km.) is only half the size of California, or one-fortieth the size of United States, The population of South Korea today is more than 41 million and the combined population of north and south is over 61 million. Only about twenty percent of her land is arable, but with her mild climate, rich soil, and industrious population, together with her abundant fishing grounds along 17,300km (10,749miles) of coastlines and some 3,000 off-shore islands, Korea has all the potential of being a strong and prosperous nation.

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