Korea, Geographically Trivia Quiz

Answer: China and Russia

Located in East Asia, the Korean Peninsula extends for about 1,100 km (680 mi) into the Pacific Ocean. The peninsula has land borders with China in the northwest (Liaoning and Jilin provinces) and Russia to the northeast (Primorsky Krai). The border with China is by far the longest of the two - 1,416 km (880 mi) - while the Russian border is a mere 17.5 km (10.9 mi). These borders touch North Korea, the larger of the two sovereign states that occupy the peninsula, while South Korea only borders its northern neighbour. The two states also share a maritime border with Japan to the east.

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Answer: Laos

The Korean Peninsula, home to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea), is 223,170 km² (86,166 mi²) in size. Of these two countries, North Korea (120,540 km²/46,540 mi²) is larger than South Korea (100,363 km²/38,750 mi²). Included in the figures for the Korean Peninsula is the Demilitarized Zone between these two countries.

While Asia has 12 landlocked countries, the only one in the answers is Laos. This socialist country in the Indochinese Peninsula is the 82nd largest country at 237,955 km² (91,875 mi²).

In decreasing order of size, the areas of the other answer countries are:
Thailand, 50th, 513,120 km² (198,120 mi²);
Vietnam, 66th, 331,699 km² (128,070 mi²);
Cambodia, 88th, 181,035 km² (69,898 mi²).

Phoenix Rising's psnz struggled to fit this question into the quiz.

Answer: South China Sea

The eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula faces the Sea of Japan. In North Korea it is known as the Korean East Sea, and in South Korea it is known as East Sea. The sea is almost enclosed by Korea, the Russian Far East, and the islands of Japan. Japan separates the sea from the Pacific Islands proper, and as such it has effectively no tides. It has no major rivers discharging into it, and no large islands.

The Korea Strait is a sea passage between South Korea and the Japanese islands of Kyushu and Honshu. It connects the Yellow Sea with the Sea of Japan. It is approximately 180-210 km (112-130 mi) wide, and its depth is shallow (less than 100m/328 ft). There are two major and many smaller islands in the strait, including Tsushima Island, which belongs to the Nagasaki Prefecture of Japan.

The Yellow Sea is the northeastern part of the East China Sea, and covers the western coast of the Korean peninsula. It forms an inlet on the north-western coast of North Korea, where it is called Korea Bay. Three major North Korean rivers flow into the bay, including the Yalu River, the Chongchon River, and the Taedong River. The Yalu River, also known as the Amrok or Amnok, together with the Tumen River to its east, forms nearly all the border between North Korea and China. The Tumen River also forms the 17-km (10.5-mi) border between North Korea and Russia.

This question flowed into the quiz from Phoenix Rising Team Member 1nn1.

Answer: True

Also known by the Chinese name of Changbai Mountain, Mount Paektu (or Baekdu) is located on the border between North Korea and China, in the Changbai mountain range. The mountain's Korean name, Paektusan, means "white-head mountain", while the Chinese name has the similar meaning of "ever-white mountain".

Standing at a height of 2,744 m (9,003 ft), Paektu ends in a distinctive, truncated cone, a crater that is partly occupied by the beautiful Heaven Lake. The caldera is the result of the "Millennium" eruption that took place in 946 AD, classified as Level 7 (Super-Colossal) of the Volcanic Explosivity Index - on a par with the destructive 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia. A staggering 100-120 km³ (24-29 cu mi) of tephra (volcanic material) were ejected by the mountain during the eruption.

Mount Paektu has been held sacred by Koreans throughout the centuries, and holds a special place in Korean culture. North Koreans believe Heaven Lake to be the birthplace of Kim Jong-il, the nation's second Supreme Leader. A number of monuments have been built on the North Korean side of the mountain, which is a popular tourist destination, with its many waterfalls and hot springs. Covered by ancient forests (though extensive deforestation has been carried out by the North Korean government), the area around Paektu is also home to many plant and animal species.

This burning question erupted from LadyNym's keyboard.

Answer: islands

In the Korean language, "do" means "island". The three listed are the largest of more than three and a half thousand Korean islands. The vast majority of these lie off the southern and western coasts of the Korean Peninsula.

Jeju Island (Jeju-do) is South Korea's largest and most-populous island with an area of 1,833 km² (708 mi²). In 2020, the population numbered about 670,000 persons. Jeju Island lies in the Korea Strait (see Q. 3), which is south of the mainland of the Korean Peninsula. It is 83 km (51 mi) offshore and, like many Korean islands, is of volcanic origin. The island serves as a popular holiday destination.

Geoje Island, also in the Korea Strait, is the second largest island in South Korea (383 km²/148 mi²), and is connected to the mainland by two bridges. Jindo is South Korea's third largest island (363 km /140 mi²), also with bridge access to the mainland. The Korean Jindo dog is native to this island.

Phoenix Rising's psnz charted this question for the quiz.

Answer: trade route to China

The Han River (known as Hangang in Korea) is approximately 494km (306 mi) long. It originates in the mountains of North Korea, then flows generally westward into the Yellow Sea. While longer rivers exist on the Korean Peninsula - such as the Amnok (Yalu), Tuman (Tumen), and Nakdonggang (see also Q. 3 and 7), these rivers are in the north, and are not readily navigable because of steep drops. However, they are used by North Korea for electricity production (55% of North Korea's electricity production comes from hydroelectricity).

The importance of the Han River can be traced back to the Three Kingdoms of Korea, which fought to take control of this very arable land, and the river was used as a trade route to China through to the Yellow Sea. From this area, Seoul started as a settlement and became a mega-city able to match its own with any other major city in the world. When the World Cup Bridge opened in 2021, there were 31 bridges and eight subway tunnels crossing the Han within Seoul's boundaries. Sadly, the river can no longer be used for navigation, because its estuary is located at the North/South Korean border and barred for entrance to maritime ships.

The question sailed into the quiz by Phoenix Rising team member 1nn1.

Answer: to the north and east

The southern and western parts of the Korean peninsula have fertile plains, while the eastern and northern parts are mountainous. Because of this eastward concentration of mountains, rivers tend to run westward into the Yellow Sea. These include the Amnok River, the Chongchon River, the Taedong River, the Han River, the Geum River, and the Yeongsan River. All of these rivers have large flood plains. Such plains provide a favourable environment for wet-rice cultivation, and it is these plains that became the food bowl for Korea. Two major rivers flow southwards: Nakdong River and Seomjin River. The former is the longest Korean river, flowing 510 km (317 mi) from the Taeback Mountains in the central east to Busan, South Korea's busiest port on the Korea Strait coast.

The tallest mountains in Korea are in North Korea, but actually north-east of the peninsula itself. Mount Paektu, the tallest (see Q. 4). is part of a highland called Gaema Heights that runs southward into the peninsula itself.

In contrast to the mountains on the mainland, many islands off the south coast of Korea were formed by volcanic activity; the islands are the peaks of these mountains. The largest Korean island, Jeju Island, is a large volcanic island whose main mountain is Mount Halla or Hallasan (1,950 m/6,398 ft), which is the highest in South Korea.

This question was a mountainous task ascended by Phoenix Rising team member 1nn1.

Answer: both statements are true

Both North and South Korea have similar amounts of arable land commensurate with the area of each country. Both have over 20,000 km² (12,427 mi²) of arable land, with North Korea having a little more (about 20% of total land area). North Korea is not self-sufficient in rice production, needing to import grain. There was a huge famine in 1998, when the state-run food distribution network did not distribute any food for three months. In general, food shortages are not uncommon. After this time farmers began planting more potatoes, seen initially as a poor foodstuff, but now necessary to offset rice shortages.

By comparison, South Korea with a larger population is self-sufficient in rice - helped by a reduced reliance on rice in the diet with the increased uptake of Western types of foods. Rice production accounts for 90% of the country's grain production. Nearly all other grain products need to be imported in significant quantities. Cabbage, onion and potatoes are grown in large quantities.

North Korea is rich in important mineral commodities such as coal and iron ore (as well as 200+ minerals). Unfortunately, the ability to extract such minerals is compromised by the lack of infra-structure, especially a dire shortage of electricity (even though the potential to increase hydroelectricity is huge). South Korea has some deposits of coal and iron ore, but nowhere near enough for self-sufficiency. Neither country has any significant oil reserves.

This question was grown and cultivated by Phoenix Rising team member 1nn1.

Answer: temperate, with four distinct seasons

The Korean Peninsula lies within the temperate zone, between the 40th and the 33rd parallels north. As such, according to the Köppen climate classification, its climate - like that of neighbouring Japan - belongs to the humid continental climate zone. Winters are cold, dry, and relatively long, with occasional snowfall brought by winds from Siberia - while summers are hot, humid, and rainy because of monsoon winds bringing moisture from the Pacific Ocean. Spring and autumn, on the other hand, tend to be mild and pleasant, and not as humid as summers. The Korean Peninsula is not as vulnerable to typhoons as Japan or Taiwan, although those weather events have been known to bring torrential rains, which can cause a lot of damage through flooding and landslides.

A desert climate, either hot (as in most of the Middle East) or cold (as in much of Central Asia), would be very dry, with more evaporation than precipitation, The alternation of rainy and dry seasons is one of the hallmarks of a tropical monsoon or savanna climate (as in large parts of India and West Africa), while a hot semi-arid climate (as in parts of Southern Europe and North America) is characterized by long, hot summers and mild winters.

This question was provided by LadyNym, a keen supporter of temperate climates.

Answer: Siberian tiger

The Korean Peninsula was once home to a thriving population of Siberian (or Amur) tigers, the largest of all felines. These magnificent carnivores, a population of the subspecies Panthera tigris tigris (the mainland Asian tiger) native to Northeast Asia, are dwindling all over their range, with only a few hundred individuals left. In Korea, Siberian tigers are believed to be still found near the border with China and Russia, and possibly in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a forest and wetland area that is home to many endangered species. During the Japanese occupation (1910-1945) and the subsequent Korean War (1950-1953), the peninsula's wildlife sustained a lot of damage, and tigers in particular were hunted to near-extinction.

The tiger ("horangi" in Korean) is one of the symbols of Korean culture, and plays a major role in the Korean foundation myth of Dangun. It is also a frequent subject of paintings and sculptures; stone tigers were often placed outside royal tombs to watch over the home of the dead. In more recent times, a stylized Amur tiger, named Hodori, was the official mascot of the 1988 Olympic Games held in Seoul.

The Asiatic lion and the snow leopard are found much farther to the west of the Korean Peninsula, while the grizzly bear is a subspecies of the brown bear native to North America.

This question roared its way into the quiz with the help of LadyNym.