The Best Country-South Korea

South Korea ( listen), officially the Republic of Korea (Korean: 대한민국; Hanja: 大韓民國; Daehan Minguk  listen; lit. "The Great Republic ofHan"), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. The name Korea is derived from Goryeo, a dynasty which ruled in the Middle Ages. It shares land borders with North Korea to the north, and oversea borders with China to the west and Japan to the east. South Korea lies in the north temperate zone with a predominantly mountainous terrain. It comprises an estimated 50 million residents distributed over 99,392 km² (38,375 sq mi).The capital and largest city is Seoul, with a population of 10 million.

Archaeology indicates that the Korean Peninsula was occupied by the Lower Paleolithic period (2.6 Ma–300 Ka).The history of Korea begins with the founding of Gojoseon in 2333 BC by the legendary Dangun. Following the unification of the Three Kingdoms of Korea under Silla AD 668, Korea was ruled by the Goryeo Dynasty (918–1392) and Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910). It was annexed by the Empire of Japan in 1910. At the end of World War II, Korea was divided into Soviet and U.S. zones of occupation. An election was held in the U.S. zone in 1948 which led to the creation of the Republic of Korea. Although the United Nations passed a resolution declaring the Republic to be the only lawful government in Korea,the Soviets set up a rival government in the North.

The Korean War began in 1950 when forces from the North invaded the South. The war lasted three years and involved the U.S., China, the Soviet Union, and several other nations. The border between the two nations remains the most heavily fortified in the world.In the decades that followed, the South Korean economy grew significantly and the country was transformed into a G-20 major economy.Civilian government replaced military rule in 1987.

South Korea is a presidential republic consisting of 17 administrative divisions and is a developed country with the second highest standard of living in Asia, having an HDI of 0.909. It is Asia's fourth largest economy and the world's 15th (nominal) or 12th (purchasing power parity) largest economy.The economy is export-driven, with production focusing on electronics, automobiles, ships, machinery, petrochemicals and robotics. South Korea is a member of the United Nations, Uniting for Consensus, G20, WTO, and OECD, and a founding member of APEC and the East Asia Summit.

Map	Namea	Hangul	Hanja	Populationc
Gangwon Seoul Incheon Gyeonggi South Chungcheong North Chungcheong Sejong Daejeon North Gyeongsang North Jeolla Daegu Ulsan Busan South Gyeongsang Gwangju South Jeolla Jeju North Korea Japan Yellow Sea (West Sea) Korea Strait (Western Channel) Korea Strait (Tsushima Strait) Sea of Japan (East Sea)	Special city (Teugbyeolsi)a
	Seoul	서울특별시	서울特別市b	10,143,645
	Metropolitan cities (Gwangyeogsi)a
	Busan	부산광역시	釜山廣域市	3,527,635
	Daegu	대구광역시	大邱廣域市	2,501,588
	Incheon	인천광역시	仁川廣域市	2,879,782
	Gwangju	광주광역시	光州廣域市	1,472,910
	Daejeon	대전광역시	大田廣域市	1,532,811
	Ulsan	울산광역시	蔚山廣域市	1,156,480
	Special self-governing city (Teugbyeol-jachisi)a
	Sejong	세종특별자치시	世宗特別自治市	122,153
	Provinces (Do)a
	Gyeonggi	경기도	京畿道	12,234,630
	Gangwon	강원도	江原道	1,542,263
	North Chungcheong	충청북도	忠淸北道	1,572,732
	South Chungcheong	충청남도	忠淸南道	2,047,631
	North Jeolla	전라북도	全羅北道	1,872,965
	South Jeolla	전라남도	全羅南道	1,907,172
	North Gyeongsang	경상북도	慶尙北道	2,699,440
	South Gyeongsang	경상남도	慶尙南道	3,333,820
	Special self-governing province (Teugbyeoljachi-do)a
	Jeju	제주특별자치도	濟州特別自治道	593,806