Chungcheongnam-do
Encyclopedia
Chungcheongnam-do or Chungnam is a province
Administrative divisions of South Korea
||South Korea is divided into 8 provinces , 1 special autonomous province , 6 metropolitan cities , and 1 special city...

 in the west of South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

. The province was formed in 1896 from the south-western half of the former Chungcheong Province and remained a province of Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

 until the country's division
Division of Korea
The division of Korea into North Korea and South Korea stems from the 1945 Allied victory in World War II, ending Japan's 35-year colonial rule of Korea. In a proposal opposed by nearly all Koreans, the United States and the Soviet Union agreed to temporarily occupy the country as a trusteeship...

 in 1945, thereafter becoming part of South Korea. The provincial capital is Daejeon
Daejeon
Daejeon is South Korea's fifth largest metropolis and the provincial capital of Chungnam. Located in the center of the country, Daejeon had a population of over 1.5 million in 2010. It is at the crossroads of Gyeongbu railway, Honam railway, Gyeongbu Expressway, and Honam Expressway. Within the...

, which is separately administered as a provincial-level metropolitan city
Special cities of Korea
In both North and South Korea, a special city, a metropolitan city, or a directly governed city is a city that has a status equivalent to that of a province...

.

Chungnam is by far South Korea's fastest growing region, with an average GDP growth of 9.7% in 2001-2007, a figure comparable to China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

's accelerated growth in the same period. Such rapid growth transformed it from a mostly agricultural to a highly industrialized economy in the 21st century, which has become the wealthiest province in South Korea today, having a GDP per capita of $39,393 in 2008, a level of living standard comparable to wealthy developed countries such as Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

.

Geography

The province is part of the Hoseo region
Regions of Korea
Korea has traditionally been divided into a number of unofficial regions that reflect historical, geographical, and dialect boundaries within the peninsula...

, and is bounded to the west by the Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...

, to the north by Gyeonggi-do
Gyeonggi-do
Gyeonggi-do is the most populous province in South Korea. The provincial capital is located at Suwon. Seoul—South Korea's largest city and national capital—is located in the heart of the province, but has been separately administered as a provincial-level special city since 1946...

 province, to the south by Jeollabuk-do
Jeollabuk-do
Jeollabuk-do is a province in the southwest of South Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Jeolla province, and remained a province of Korea until the country's division in 1945, then became part of South Korea...

 province, and to the east by Chungcheongbuk-do
Chungcheongbuk-do
Chungcheongbuk-do is a province in the centre of South Korea. It was formed in 1896 from the northeastern half of the former Chungcheong province...

 province.

Resources

One third of the province's area is under cultivation. Aside from agriculture, marine products are of importance. There are 220 square kilometre of exposed beach which is used to produce salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...

 by solar evaporation. There is coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...

, but gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...

 and silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...

 mines are also found in Chungcheongnam-do, as is Monazite
Monazite
Monazite is a reddish-brown phosphate mineral containing rare earth metals. It occurs usually in small isolated crystals. There are actually at least four different kinds of monazite, depending on relative elemental composition of the mineral:...

 (a rare thorium
Thorium
Thorium is a natural radioactive chemical element with the symbol Th and atomic number 90. It was discovered in 1828 and named after Thor, the Norse god of thunder....

 bearing mineral) and zircon
Zircon
Zircon is a mineral belonging to the group of nesosilicates. Its chemical name is zirconium silicate and its corresponding chemical formula is ZrSiO4. A common empirical formula showing some of the range of substitution in zircon is 1–x4x–y...

.

Attractions

At 845 metres, Mount Gyeryong is the most notable elevation. It is located in a national park which is noted for its unique rock features. Apart from the stone formations there are a number of old temples. These include Gwanchok-sa, a temple which is home to the largest stone Buddha in Korea. In 1978 the Taean Marine National Park was opened. It includes some of the country's best bathing beaches.

Sejong City

In early 2007, the Republic of Korea government decided to create a special administrative district out of part of the present Chungcheongnam-do Province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...

, near what is presently Daejeon
Daejeon
Daejeon is South Korea's fifth largest metropolis and the provincial capital of Chungnam. Located in the center of the country, Daejeon had a population of over 1.5 million in 2010. It is at the crossroads of Gyeongbu railway, Honam railway, Gyeongbu Expressway, and Honam Expressway. Within the...

. The new district will be named Sejong Special Autonomous City, and is to replace Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...

 as the future capital of the Republic of Korea.

Administrative divisions

Chungcheongnam-do is divided into 7 cities (si) and 9 counties (gun). The city and county names below are given in English, hangul
Hangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...

, and hanja
Hanja
Hanja is the Korean name for the Chinese characters hanzi. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation...

.

Cities

  • Asan
    Asan
    Asan is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It is located at , bordering the Seoul Metropolitan Area to the north. Asan has a population of approximately 250,000.Asan is known for its hot springs and is a city of spas....

     (아산시, 牙山市)
  • Boryeong
    Boryeong
    Boryeong, commonly known as Daecheon, is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It is located at , on the coast of the Yellow Sea. It lies on the Janghang Line railroad, which connects it to Seoul via the Gyeongbu Line. It is also connected to the Seohaean Expressway...

     (보령시, 保寧市)
  • Cheonan
    Cheonan
    Cheonan is a city located in the northeast corner of South Chungcheong, a province of South Korea, and is 83.6 km south of the capital, Seoul...

     (천안시, 天安市)
  • Gongju
    Gongju
    Gongju , also spelt Kongju, is a city in South Chungcheong province, South Korea. It is located at .- History :Gongju was formerly named Ungjin and was the capital of Baekje from AD 475 to 538. In this period, Baekje was under threat from Goguryeo...

     (공주시, 公州市)
  • Nonsan
    Nonsan
    Nonsan is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It is located at . Nonsan is also called Nolmoi, meaning dusk or yellow mountain ; "Nonsan" means rice paddies + mountain.-History:...

     (논산시, 論山市)
  • Seosan
    Seosan City
    Seosan is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. Located at , it has a population of 163,055 according to the 2010 census.-Climate:...

     (서산시, 瑞山市)
  • Gyeryong
    Gyeryong
    Gyeryong is a city in southeastern South Chungcheong province, South Korea. The current mayor is Hong-Mook Choi. The city was created in 2003, by a split from Nonsan city, following prolonged local agitation....

     (계룡시, 雞龍市)

  • Counties

    • Buyeo County
      Buyeo County
      Buyeo County is a county in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. Buyeo-eup, the county's capital, was the site of the capital of the Baekje kingdom from AD 538 to 660, when it was called Sabi....

       (부여군, 扶餘郡)
    • Cheongyang County
      Cheongyang County
      Cheongyang County is a county in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. A predominantly rural area, it is known throughout Korea for the spicy gochu peppers which are grown there. Another noted local specialty is the fruit of the Chinese matrimony vine, or gugija...

       (청양군, 青陽郡)
    • Dangjin County
      Dangjin County
      Dangjin Kun is an administrative district in South Chungcheong Province,South Korea. It stands on the south shore of the Bay of Asan. Dangjin borders Incheon, Pyeongtaek, and Hwaseong by sea, and Seosan, Yesan, and Asan by land. Its name means "Tang ferry," and refers to the historic role of...

       (당진군, 唐津郡)
  • Geumsan County
    Geumsan County
    Geumsan County is a county in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea.-History:Administrative district name, Geumsan-gun, have nowadays was originate from the union of old Geumsan-gun and Jinsan-gun on March 1, 1914...

     (금산군, 錦山郡)
  • Hongseong County
    Hongseong County
    Hongseong County is a county in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. Famous people from Hongseong include martyred minister Seong Sam-mun and early Korean anarchist Kim Jwa-jin...

     (홍성군, 洪城郡)
  • Seocheon County
    Seocheon County
    Seocheon County is a county in Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea. It is famous for its seafood and location near the mouth of the Geum River.-Administrative divisions:...

     (서천군, 舒川郡)
  • Taean County
    Taean County
    Taean County is a county in South Chungcheong Do, South Korea.Taean County is most famous for Taean Haean National Park, known for its clear seas, unpolluted soils, coastal flora, tidal flats, coasts, and white sand...

     (태안군, 泰安郡)
  • Yeongi County
    Yeongi County
    Yeongi County is a county in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. The seat of government is in Jochiwon-eup. Jochiwon is the main city within Yeongi. Jochiwon, as of 2011, has a large foreign community of native English speakers considering its rather small size and population...

     (연기군, 燕岐郡)
  • Yesan County
    Yesan County
    Yesan County is a county in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. Famous people from Yesan include independence fighter Yoon Bong-Gil....

     (예산군, 禮山郡)

  • Famous people

    • Hero
      Hero (singer)
      Kim Jaejoong , also known by his stage name Hero, is a Korean singer-songwriter, actor, and director....

       (Kim Jaejoong); a member of South Korean boy band TVXQ
      TVXQ
      TVXQ, an acronym for Tong Vfang Xien Qi , is a South Korean pop group formed in 2003 under SM Entertainment. In South Korea they are known as Dong Bang Shin Ki , often abbreviated by international fans as DBSK; they were later introduced in Japan as Tohoshinki under the Avex sub-label Rhythm Zone...

      .
    • Yesung
      Yesung
      Kim Jong-woon , better known by his stage name Yesung, is a South Korean idol singer and occasional actor. He is one of the four lead vocalists of the boy band Super Junior. He was once a radio host for his own radio program, M.I.R.A.C.L.E for You, which ended its broadcast in September 2007...

       (Kim Jongwoon); a member of South Korean boy band Super Junior
      Super Junior
      Super Junior is a South Korean boy band. Formed in 2005 by producer Lee Soo-man of SM Entertainment, the group comprised a total of thirteen members at its peak, and was once claimed to be the world's largest boy band...

    • Taegoon
      Taegoon
      Taegoon is a Korean pop singer and dancer. His first television appearance was on the talent search program Battle Shinhwa in 2005. He reached the final round of the competition and was the last one to leave the group...

      ; pop music singer/dancer
    • Yun Dae-nyeong
      Yun Dae-nyeong
      -Life:Yun Dae-nyeong was born in 1962 in Yesan, South Chungcheong Province. He graduated from Danguk University with a degree in French Language and Literature. He admitted, however, that in his college days he attended more Korean literature classes than French ones. His early boyhood was spent...

      ; Author

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