Land area

99,678 sq km

Population

48.2m (2010; National Statistical Office)

Main towns

Population in '000 (2010)

Seoul (capital): 9,895

Busan: 3,663

Daegu: 2,481

Incheon: 2,475

Daejeon: 1,368

Gwangju: 1,414

Climate

Continental, with extremes of temperature

Weather in Seoul (altitude 87 metres)

Hottest month, August, 26.5°C; coldest month, January, minus 0.4°C; driest month, January, 10.8 mm average rainfall; wettest month, July, 274.1 mm average rainfall

Language

Korean

Measures

Metric system. Some local measures are:

1 pyong = 3.3058 sq metre

1 chungbo = 0.992 ha

1 suk = 100 dai = 180.39 litres

1 kwan = 1,000 don = 3.75 kg

Currency

Won (W). Average exchange rates in 2010: W1,156:US$1; W1,314:¥100

Time

9 hours ahead of GMT

Public holidays

January 1st (New Year's Day); February 2nd-4th (Lunar New Year); March 1st (Independence Movement Day); May 1st (May Day); May 5th (Children's Day); May 10th (Buddha's Birthday); June 6th (Memorial Day); August 15th (Liberation Day); September 11th-13th (Chuseok holidays); October 3rd (National Foundation Day); December 25th (Christmas Day)