Provinces of South Korea
Provinces are one of the first-level divisions within South Korea. There are 9 provinces in South Korea: North Chungcheong, South Chungcheong, Gangwon, Gyeonggi, North Gyeongsang, South Gyeongsang, North Jeolla, South Jeolla, and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province.
Province 도(道) | |
---|---|
Category | Unitary State |
Location | Republic of Korea (ROK) |
Number | 22 (15 controlled by ROK, 5 controlled by DPRK & 2 split between ROK and DPRK) |
Populations | 39,243 (Gyeryong) – 9,904,312 (Seoul) |
Areas | 4,790 km2 (1,849 sq mi) (Jeju) – 53,270 km2 (20,569 sq mi) (Gangwon) |
Government | Self-governing |
Province | |
Hangul | |
---|---|
Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | do |
McCune–Reischauer | to |
Special self-governing province | |
Hangul | |
Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | teukbyeol-jachido |
McCune–Reischauer | teukbyeol-chach’ido |
History
Although the details of local administration have changed dramatically over time, the basic outline of the current three-tiered system was implemented under the reign of Gojong in 1895. A similar system also remains in use in North Korea.
Types
Provinces (도, 道) are the highest-ranked administrative divisions in South Korea. Along with the common provinces, there are four types of special administrative divisions with equal status: special self-governing province, special city, metropolitan city, and special self-governing city.
A special self-governing province (특별자치도, 特別自治道) is a province with more autonomy over its economy and more powers are given to the provincial government. Jeju is the only special self-governing province, while Seoul is the only special city and Sejong is the only special self-governing city.
Administration
Governors for the provinces and mayors for the special/metropolitan cities are elected every four years. Current governors and mayors are listed at List of governors of South Korea.
List of provinces
Historical province | Name | Official English name[1] | Hangul | Hanja | ISO | Population (2011 est.)[2] | Area (km²) | Density (/km²) | Capital | Cultural region | Abbreviation | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chungcheong | North Chungcheong | Chungcheongbuk-do | 충청북도 | 忠淸北道 | KR-43 | 1,588,633 | 7,433[3] | 213 | Cheongju | Hoseo | Chungbuk | 충북 | 忠北 |
South Chungcheong | Chungcheongnam-do | 충청남도 | 忠淸南道 | KR-44 | 2,064,665 | 8,204[4] | 251 | Hongseong | Chungnam | 충남 | 忠南 | ||
Gangwon | Gangwon | Gangwon-do | 강원도 | 江原道 | KR-42 | 1,549,780 | 20,569[5] | 75 | Chuncheon | Gwandong | Gangwon | 강원 | 江原 |
Gyeonggi | Gyeonggi | Gyeonggi-do | 경기도 | 京畿道 | KR-41 | 12,239,862 | 10,171[6] | 1,203 | Suwon | Sudogwon | Gyeonggi | 경기 | 京畿 |
Gyeongsang | North Gyeongsang | Gyeongsangbuk-do | 경상북도 | 慶尙北道 | KR-47 | 2,739,179 | 19,030[7] | 144 | Andong | Yeongnam | Gyeongbuk | 경북 | 慶北 |
South Gyeongsang | Gyeongsangnam-do | 경상남도 | 慶尙南道 | KR-48 | 3,374,725 | 10,532[8] | 320 | Changwon | Gyeongnam | 경남 | 慶南 | ||
Jeolla | North Jeolla | Jeollabuk-do | 전라북도 | 全羅北道 | KR-45 | 1,895,882 | 8,043 | 236 | Jeonju | Honam | Jeonbuk | 전북 | 全北 |
South Jeolla | Jeollanam-do | 전라남도 | 全羅南道 | KR-46 | 1,938,136 | 11,858 | 163 | Muan | Jeonnam | 전남 | 全南 | ||
Jeju | Jeju Special Self-governing Province | 제주특별자치도 | 濟州特別自治道 | KR-49 | 583,284 | 1,849[9] | 315 | Jeju | Jeju | Jeju | 제주 | 濟州 | |
Claimed provinces
This article is part of a series on the |
Administrative divisions of South Korea |
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Provincial level |
Province (list) |
Special autonomous province (Jeju) |
Special city (Seoul) |
Metropolitan city (list) |
Special autonomous city (Sejong) |
Municipal level |
Specific city (list) |
City (list) |
County (list) |
Autonomous District (list) |
Submunicipal level |
Administrative city (list) |
Non-autonomous District (list) |
Town (list) |
Township (list) |
Neighborhood (list) |
Village (list) |
Hamlet |
South Korea claims five provinces on the territory controlled by North Korea. These claimed provinces are managed by the Committee for the Five Northern Korean Provinces (Korean: 이북5도위원회; Hanja: 以北五道委員會). These provinces are based on the divisions of the Japanese era and are different from the present North Korean provinces.
Historical province | Name | Hangul | Hanja | Area (km²) | Capital | Cultural region | Abbreviation | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hamgyeong | North Hamgyeong | 함경북도 | 咸鏡北道 | 20,345 | Cheongjin | Gwanbuk | Hambuk | 함북 | 咸北 |
South Hamgyeong | 함경남도 | 咸鏡南道 | 31,977 | Hamheung | Gwannam | Hamnam | 함남 | 咸南 | |
Pyeongan | North Pyeongan | 평안북도 | 平安北道 | 28,443 | Sinuiju | Gwanseo | Pyeongbuk | 평북 | 平北 |
South Pyeongan | 평안남도 | 平安南道 | 14,944 | Pyeongyang | Pyeongnam | 평남 | 平南 | ||
Hwanghae | Hwanghae | 황해도 | 黃海道 | 16,744 | Haeju | Haeseo | Hwanghae | 황해 | 黃海 |
See also
- Administrative divisions of South Korea
- Special cities of South Korea
References
- Archived 2017-03-12 at the Wayback Machine, p. 41.
- "South Korea Administrative Districts". CityPopulation.de. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
- 충북면적 (in Korean). North Chungcheong Province. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- 일반현황 (in Korean). South Chungcheong Province. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- "Natural Environment". Gangwon Province. Archived from the original on 10 July 2013. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- 위치와 자연환경 (in Korean). Gyeonggi Province. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- 경북현황 (in Korean). North Gyeongsang Province. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- 일반 현황 (in Korean). South Gyeongsang Province. Archived from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- "Geography". Jeju Province. Retrieved 18 March 2013.