About KOREA(!)

frany

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Country name : Conventional long form: Republic of Korea
- Local long form : Daehan-minguk
- Location : Northeast Asia, the Korean Peninsula, bordering the East
Sea and the West Sea
- Area : 99,461 sq km (South Korea) (2002 est.)
- Population : 47.64 million (2002 est.)
- Population density : 479 per sq km (2002 est.)
- Capital : Seoul
- Government type : Republic
- Languages : Korean
- Currency : South Korean won (W)
- Exchange rate : South Korean won (W) per US$1 = W 1,209 (Sept. 2002)
- GDP per capita : $8,910 (in 2000)
- National flower : rose of Sharon (Mugunghwa in Korean)

Geography and a dministrative divisions

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South Koreans generally use the term “Hankuk” for their country, whose conventional short form is South Korea . With a population of 47.64 million (2002 est.) in a land area of 99,461 sq. km, the country has a density of 479 persons per sq. km.

The territory of South Korea consists of the southern half of the Korean Peninsula and its adjacent islands. The Korean Peninsula 's extremes are 43 ° 1′ north latitude at Yupo-jin Onseong-gun County , North Hamgyeong Province ( North Korea ) and 33 ° 6 ′ north latitude at Marado island off Jeju island ( South Korea ); 131 ° 52 ′ east longitude at Dokdo island, North Gyeongsang Province ( South Korea ) and 124 ° 11 ′ east longitude in Maan village, Yongcheon County , North Pyeongan Province ( North Korea ). The peninsula shares a land border with China and Russia to the north, along the Yalu and Tumen rivers, faces China to the west across the West Sea (or the Yellow Sea), and Japan to the east and south across the East Sea .

The peninsula's administrative divisions were created in 1413 as eight provinces ( do in Korean): Gyeonggi-do; Chungcheong-do; Gyeongsang-do; Jeolla-do; Gangwon-do; Hwanghae-do; Hamgyeong-do; and Pyeongan-do. In 1896, the number of provinces was enlarged to 13, when five provinces were divided into two, a north ( buk) and a south ( nam ) entity, to create Chungcheongbuk-do and Chungcheongnam-do; Gyeongsangbuk-do and Gyeongsangnam-do; Jeollabuk-do and Jeollanam-do; Hamgyeongbuk-do and Hamgyeongnam-do; and Pyeonganbuk-do and Pyeongananm-do

Since the Republic of Korea was established in 1948, other administrative changes have been made. The capital city of Seoul was separated from Gyeonggi-do and designated a Special City, and the six major cities of Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Gwangju, Daejeon and Ulsan were designated Metropolitan Cities. In addition, Jeju Island , which had belonged to Jeollanam-do, became the province of Jeju-do . As such, South Korea now has nine provinces, six Metropolitan cities and one Special City.

Brief history

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Beginning of Korean history: GoJoseon
The first known dynasty on the Korean Peninsula was the GoJoseon, or “old Joseon,” a bronze culture society that was established by Dangun Wanggeom in 2,333 B.C. This dynasty started out as a small tribal society, which evolved into a patriarchal state through the union of tribes with different clans. This culture took shape early on in the Liaoning area and the Daedong River , gradually emerging as a population center in East Asia . The kingdom maintained order through a strict legal system.

The Three Kingdoms and Unified Shilla
Korea 's three ancient kingdoms based on iron culture were the Goguryeo, Baekje and Shilla. Goguryeo developed in Manchuria (in present-day China ) and the northern part of the Korean Peninsula , while Baekje and Shilla arose in the Han River basin , and the Gyeongju plains in the peninsula's southeast.

The Three Kingdoms succeeded in uniting patriarchal powers, strengthening a centralized government structure, and expanding their territory. Shilla, the most isolated of the three, formed an alliance with the Tang Dynasty against Goguryeo and Baekje. Aided by the Tang army, the Shilla attacked Baekje first and conquered it in A.D. 660, followed by Goguryeo eight years later. After the downfall of Baekje and Goguryeo, the Tang tried to bring Shilla under its control. Faced with a threat from the Tang, the Shilla combined the strength of the defeated Baekje and Goguryeo to wage war against the Tang. Following 10 years of fighting, the Shilla succeeded in driving out the Tang armies and unifying the Three Kingdoms in A.D. 676.

Goryeo
In the 10 th century, the United Shilla was split into three territories, which became known as the Later Three Kingdoms. Wang Geon, later known as King Taejo, renamed the Later Goguryeo as Goryeo and reunified the Later Three Kingdoms by A.D. 936. At the outset, the king lacked authority. To create political and social stability, the Goryeo created a civil service exam system and hired officials based on the results of these exams. The Goryeo leaders also made Confucianism the official political ideology, and reformed central government agencies and local administrative units.

Goryeo was an aristocratic society, adopting the notion of land privatization, which ultimately contributed to the dynasty's demise. The amount of farmland owned by noblemen was so vast that the dynasty's royal authority eventually became vulnerable, both financially and politically. These crises were compounded by the growth of rival factions and Mongol invasions. Faced with these challenges, the country fell into a chaotic state, which finally led to the dynasty's collapse.

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Drapper

Thanks for that :-)

frany

Joseon
Yi Seong-gye established the Joseon Dynasty in 1392 and moved the capital to Hanyang in 1394, what is now Seoul . Under the reigns of Kings Taejong (1400-1418), Sejong (1418-1450) and Sejo (1455-1468), the national structure was stabilized and Joseon became a Confucian state with a centralized power structure. The national territory as it is known today also took shape during this period. During King Sejong's reign, the Joseon Dynasty arranged its territory around four counties and six ports on the Yalu basin and the Tumen River . Enormous strides in industry and culture were made during the Joseon era, including the development of hangeul , the Korean alphabet, in 1443. This invention opened a new page in Korean history.

The Joseon Dynasty began to show signs of modernization with its Practical Learning concept. During this period, all scholarly works were based on Seongrihak, or Neo-Confucianism, which abided by metaphysics and dismissed other philosophies. Seongrihak focused on philosophical questions to such an extent that it failed to provide answers to many difficult issues. When the population had suffered greatly in the wake of two wars ? the Imjin War (Hideyoshi's invasion) and the Byeongja War (an invasion of China's Qing Dynasty) ? a new scholarly movement known as Practical Learning came into being, which lasted from the 17 th to early 19 th -century. This trend was intended to rectify the existing metaphysical and yangban, or ruling-class-centered systems, setting a new course for the country that would improve the lives of the Korean people.

Around 1860, however, Sedo politics, or factionalism, weakened the foundation of national law and order a great deal, and the kingdom faced both internal and external threats. From within, farmers' rebellions took place across the land, as impoverished peasants challenged the Joseon's yangban social system. From outside, foreign ships began appearing on Korea 's coasts, insisting that the dynasty trade with them, and Catholicism started spreading across the nation.

At this juncture, Heungseon Daewon-kun, the regent for young King Gojong, enforced new statutes to try and overcome these troubles, and at the same time intensified the closed-door policy toward foreigners. Only from 1876 did Joseon finally open its ports and engage in commercial activity with outsiders.

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King Gojong renamed Joseon as Daehan Jeguk, or the Great Han Empire in 1897, and carried out many political and educational reforms to make the country more powerful and wealthy. But, the country lost its sovereignty to Japan in 1910. In the years to come, Japan 's colonial rule became ever more oppressive. The occupying police hunted down and tortured patriots and independence fighters, Korea 's land and food were plundered, and the development of its industries was suppressed. Koreans were forbidden to use hangeul and the Korean language, and forced to adopt Japanese family names.

Koreans fought bitterly against Japanese aggression. A people's army rose up after the murder of Queen Min in 1895 by the Japanese and their subsequent enforcement of a “short hair” policy. This Righteous Army, which put down its guns following the king's order to disband, returned to wage a full-scale attack when Japanese aggression grew after the Russo-Japanese War. A movement for national rights gained momentum nationwide after the forced abdication of King Gojong and the disbandment of Korean soldiers. In 1905, around the same time, patriotic groups formed an enlightenment movement that continued unstopped. As Japan 's oppression became more severe, the people formed secret societies such as Sinminhoe (New People's Society), which led a nationwide movement to enlighten the populace in areas of politics, media, society, culture and education. This rising movement against Japanese aggression climaxed with the March First Movement of 1919 and nationwide demonstrations. The March First Movement was a spark that united the nation, and its spirit continued in other pro-independence movements.

[URL=http://www.ikorea.ac.kr/english/images/reals/k_07.jpg[/URL] The Korean government began carrying out aggressive economic development plans starting in the 1960s, and rapid growth followed. This is sometimes dubbed “the Miracle on the Han River .” In the 1970s and 1980s, Korea exported its way out of poverty to become a newly industrialized country. In the 1990s, Korea had emerged as a world powerhouse in information technology, boasting very high penetration of broadband Internet service.

Josip007

How was it like to live in bronze age China, under Shang dynasty? 
We can see the territory of the Shang dynasty below.

How developed was ancient China in that period, comparing to other civilizations?