Ulleungdo facts for kids

Ulleungdo is a beautiful island in South Korea. It is the main part of Ulleung County, located in North Gyeongsang Province. You can find this island in the East Sea at 37°30'N latitude and 130°52'E longitude. Ulleungdo is actually the top of a huge underwater volcano. This volcano is called a stratovolcano, and it rises up from the seafloor. It formed a very long time ago, during the Cenozoic Era. The highest point on Ulleungdo is Seonginbong peak, which is 984 meters tall. On the northern side, there are two large basins called Nari Basin and Albong Basin. These were formed when a volcanic crater collapsed. Ulleungdo has a unique pentagon shape. It is about 10 kilometers long from east to west and 9.5 kilometers long from north to south. The total length of its coastline is about 56.5 kilometers.

Ulleungdo's Past

People have lived on Ulleungdo for a very long time. We know this because old items from the Bronze Age have been found there. These include large stone structures called dolmens and simple pottery. Ancient Korean records, like the Samguk Sagi and Samguk Yusa, mention a kingdom called Usan-guk on the island. In June 512, a ruler named Lee Sa Bu from Silla conquered Usan-guk.

Later, in the early 1000s, Japanese people called Ulleungdo "Uruma." The island continued to send gifts to the Goryeo kingdom in Korea. Around the early 11th century, people from Usan-guk had to flee to the mainland after being attacked by the Yeojin people. After this, Ulleungdo and Dokdo became directly controlled by the Goryeo kingdom.

In 1407, the ruler of Tsushima Island asked the Korean king if he could manage Ulleungdo. He even sent local products and returned some people who had been captured. But King Tae Jong of Chosun said no. During this time, Japanese pirates often attacked Ulleungdo. To protect its people, King Tae Jong started an "empty-island" policy. This meant people were encouraged to leave the island.

A book from the time of Sejong the Great also mentions Ulleungdo, calling it Usan-guk. In 1614, the ruler of Tsushima again asked to explore Ulleungdo, following orders from Tokugawa Ieyasu. But King Gwang Hae Gun of Chosun refused and banned Japanese people from visiting the island.

Even so, in 1618, the Tokugawa government allowed some Japanese families to go to Ulleungdo. But Korean people were already living there! The Japanese families complained, but the Tokugawa government couldn't really help them. After a big discussion about who owned Ulleungdo, Japan's government eventually banned its people from going to the island.

In 1787, a French exploration team led by LaPerouse was the first to map Ulleungdo. They called it Dagelet. Finally, in 1884, King Go Jong of Korea ended the "empty-island" policy. This allowed people to move back and reclaim Ulleungdo.

Ulleungdo's Nature

Ulleungdo is home to many different kinds of plants and animals. The island's plant life is very rich. There are about 650 different plant species. These include special trees like aromatic trees and silver magnolia, and beautiful camellia trees. There are 39 types of plants found only on Ulleungdo, and 6 species are protected as natural monuments.

The island also has about 50 kinds of birds. Twenty-five of these birds live on Ulleungdo all year round. The other 38 species are migratory birds that visit the island at certain times. Around 340 different types of insects also live on Ulleungdo.

The waters around Ulleungdo are a great place for fishing. Cold and warm ocean currents meet here, which attracts a lot of sea creatures. Fishermen often catch many cuttlefish, sauries, and Alaska pollacks in these waters.

Other Cool Things About Ulleungdo

Ulleungdo is known for its "3 No's and 5 Many's."

• The "3 No's" mean there is no environmental pollution, no snakes, and no thieves.
• The "5 Many's" mean there is a lot of water, a lot of wind, many beautiful sights, many unique stones, and many aromatic trees.

The official tree of Ulleungdo County is the silver magnolia. The county's official flower is the camellia flower. And the official bird of Ulleungdo County is the wood pigeon.

Images for kids

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  Daehanjiji (1899) – This old map shows Ulleungdo and Dokdo.

See also

In Spanish: Ulleungdo para niños