Jeju-do Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Jeju Province
Special Autonomous Province
Korean transcription(s)
• Hangul	제주특별자치도
• Hanja	濟州特別自治道
• McCune‑Reischauer	Cheju T'ŭkpyŏl Chach'ido
• Revised Romanization	Jeju Teukbyeol Jachido

Country	South Korea
Region	Jeju
Capital	Jeju City
Subdivisions	2 cities; 0 counties
Area
• Total	1,845.5 km² (712.6 sq mi)
Area rank	9th
Population (2009)
• Total	565,000
• Rank	9th
• Density	303/km² (780/sq mi)
Metropolitan Symbols
• Flower	Chamkkot
• Tree	Cinnamomum camphora
• Bird	Woodpecker
Dialect	Jeju
Website	jeju.go.kr (English)

Jeju Island is the largest island off the coast of the Korean Peninsula, and the main island of Jeju Province of South Korea. The island lies in the Korea Strait, south of South Jeolla Province. The island contains the natural World Heritage Site Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes. Jejudo has a moderate climate; even in winter, the temperature rarely falls below 0 °C (32 °F). Jeju is a popular holiday destination and a sizable portion of the economy relies on tourism and economic activity from its civil/naval base.

History
Places of interest
Cheju/Jeju Naval Base
Images for kids
See also

History

Pyeonghwa-ro, Aewol-eup, Jeju-si, Jeju-do, South Korea

Jejudo is a volcanic island, dominated by Hallasan: a volcano 1,950 metres (6,400 ft) high and the highest mountain in South Korea. The island measures approximately 73 kilometres (45 mi) across, east to west, and 41 kilometres (25 mi) from north to south. The island formed by volcanic eruptions approximately 2 million years ago, during the Cenozoic era. The island consists chiefly of basalt and lava.

Before the Japanese annexation in 1910, the island was usually known as Quelpart to Europeans. The name apparently came from the first European ship to spot the island, the Dutch Quelpaert, which sighted it after being blown off course on its way to the Dutch trading base in Nagasaki, Japan, from Taiwan (then the Dutch colony of Formosa). "According to Korean records, a fleet of seventy pirate craft attacked Quelpart Island and adjacent parts of the Korean peninsula in 1555."

Jeju has a humid subtropical climate, making it warmer than that of the rest of South Korea. In January 2016, a cold wave affected the region. Snow and frigid weather forced the cancellation of 1,200 flights on Jejudo, stranding approximately 90,300 passengers.

Places of interest

Seongsan Ilchulbong or "Sunrise Peak"

Manjanggul Lava Tube, 8 km long with a 1 km publicly accessible portion
Seongsan Ilchulbong or "Sunrise Peak," a volcanic tuff cone and crater
Mount Hallasan, the island's central dominant peak
Seongeup Folk Village
Jeju Teddy Bear Museum
O'Sulloc Tea Museum

Cheju/Jeju Naval Base

In 1993 the Republic of Korea (ROK) began planning a naval base on Jejudo (Jeju) Island, and started construction in Gangjeong village in 2007, with planned completion by 2011. The base was designed to be a mixed military-commercial port similar to those in Sydney and Hawaii, that could accommodate 20 warships and 3 submarines, as well as 2 civilian cruise ships displacing up to 150,000 tons. Its official name is the Jeju Civilian-Military Complex Port. The base was completed in 2016.