Byeongpungdo, or Byeongpung Island, or Pyeongpung is an uninhabited island in
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
's
Dadohaehaesang National Park, with an area of 0.56 square kilometers. It is located at the southern extremity of
Jindo County
Jindo County (''Jindo-gun'') is a county in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. It consists of the island of Jindo and several smaller nearby islands. Jindo Bridge connects Jindo county with Haenam county.
Together with Jindo Island, Jindo Coun ...
,
South Jeolla Province
South Jeolla Province (; ''Jeollanam-do''; ), also known as Jeonnam, is a province of South Korea. South Jeolla has a population of 1,902,324 (2014) and has a geographic area of located in the Honam region at the southwestern tip of the Korean ...
, in the administrative division of Donggeochado-ri, Jodo-myeon.
The island is formed from
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...
-era volcanic rock of the
Yucheon Group, part of the
Gyeongsang System which underlies much of South Korea. Although there is some vegetation, including thick groves of
bay trees, the central part of the island consists solely of bare rock, rising sharply to a height of 129.4 meters above the water.
Byeongpungdo is home to ten species of rare birds, including the nationally endangered
streaked shearwater
The streaked shearwater (''Calonectris leucomelas'') is a species of seabird. The adult bird averages in length, with a wingspan. Description
The streaked shearwater feeds mainly on fish and squid. It follows fishing boats, attracted to anch ...
and
peregrine falcon.
In 2000 it was designated a
specified island under the Special Act on the Preservation of Ecosystem in Island Areas Including Dokdo Island.
On April 26, 2011, due to ongoing natural areas restoration and monitoring, the
Korea National Park Service declared Byeongpungdo and four other islands off limits. They will be open for public and tourist access on April 30, 2016.
In April 2014, the
MV ''Sewol'' ferry capsized north of Byeongpungdo.
The island's distinctive crags featured in the background of many press photos of the disaster.
See also
*
Desert island
A desert island, deserted island, or uninhabited island, is an island, islet or atoll that is not permanently populated by humans. Uninhabited islands are often depicted in films or stories about shipwrecked people, and are also used as stereot ...
*
List of islands
This is a list of the lists of islands in the world grouped by country, by continent, by body of water
A body of water or waterbody (often spelled water body) is any significant accumulation of water on the surface of Earth or another plan ...
References
Uninhabited islands of South Korea
Jindo County
Islands of South Jeolla Province
Islands of the Yellow Sea
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