Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a provincial-level ''special city'' since 1946.

Incheon Incheon is a city located in northwestern South Korea, bordering Seoul and Gyeonggi Province to the east. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Incheon was home to just 4,700 people when it became an international port in 1883. As of February 2020, ...

, the nation's third-largest city, is on the coast of the province and has been similarly administered as a provincial-level ''metropolitan city'' since 1981. The three jurisdictions are collectively referred to as '' Sudogwon'' and cover , with a combined population of over 26 million - amounting to over half (50.25%) of the entire population of South Korea, and a third of the population of the

Korean peninsula Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically divided at or near the 38th parallel between North Korea (Dem ...

at the 2020 census.

Etymology

Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi Province'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul".

History

Gyeonggi Province has been a politically important area since 18 BCE, when Korea was divided into three nations during the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu dominated China from AD 220 to 280 following the end of the Han dynasty. This period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and followed by the Jin dynasty (266–420), Western Jin dyna ...

period. Ever since King Onjo, the founder of

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (; ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BCE to 660 CE. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. While the three kingdoms were in separate existence, Baekje had the h ...

(one of the three kingdoms), founded the government in Wiryeseong of Hanam, the Han River Valley was absorbed into

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC – 668 AD) (; ; Old Korean: Guryeo) also later known as Goryeo (; ; Middle Korean: 고ᇢ롕〮, ''kwòwlyéy''), was a Korean kingdom which was located on the northern and central parts of the Korea, Korean Peninsula an ...

in the mid-fifth century, and became

Silla Silla (; Old Korean: wikt:徐羅伐#Old Korean, 徐羅伐, Yale romanization of Korean, Yale: Syerapel, Revised Romanization of Korean, RR: ''Seorabeol''; International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) was a Korean kingdom that existed between ...

's territory in the year 553 (the 14th year of King Jinheung).In traditional Korean timekeeping, years are tracked by reign of monarchs. Today, this is practiced in addition to

Common Era Common Era (CE) and Before the Common Era (BCE) are year notations for the Gregorian calendar (and its predecessor, the Julian calendar), the world's most widely used calendar era. Common Era and Before the Common Era are alternatives to the ...

(CE). Afterward, the current location of Gyeonggi Province, one of the nine states of Later Silla, was called Hansanju. The Gyeonggi region started to rise as the central region of

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...

as King Taejo of Goryeo (the kingdom following Silla) set up the capital in Gaesong. Since 1018 (the 9th year of Goryeo's King Hyeonjong), this area has been officially called "Gyeonggi". Gyeonggi-gamyeong-do

During the

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

, which was founded after the Goryeo, King Taejo of Joseon set the capital in Hanyang, while restructuring Gyeonggi's area to include Gwangju, Suwon, Yeoju, and Anseong, along with the southeast region. Since the period of King Taejong and

Sejong the Great Sejong (; 15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), commonly known as Sejong the Great (), was the fourth monarch of the Joseon, Joseon dynasty of Korea. He is regarded as the greatest ruler in Korean history, and is remembered as the inventor of Hangu ...

, the Gyeonggi region has been very similar to the current administrative area of Gyeonggi Province. In 1895 the 23-Bu system, which reorganized administrative areas, was effected. The Gyeonggi region was divided into Hanseong (modern

Chungju Chungju () is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. Uamsan is a mountain located within the outskirts of the city. The city is famous for the annual martial arts festival held in October. Al ...

Gongju Gongju (; ) is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. 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. Goguryeo had overrun the previ ...

, and

Kaesong Kaesong (, ; ) is a special city in the southern part of North Korea (formerly in North Hwanghae Province), and the capital of Korea during the Taebong kingdom and subsequent Goryeo dynasty. The city is near the Kaesong Industrial Region cl ...

. During the Japanese colonial period, Hanseong-bu was incorporated into Gyeonggi Province. On October 1, 1910, it was renamed Keijo and a provincial government was placed in Keijo according to the reorganization of administrative districts. After liberation and the foundation of two separate Korean states, Gyeonggi Province and its capital, Seoul, were separated with partial regions of Gyeonggi Province being incorporated into Seoul thereafter in 1946. Additionally, Kaesong became

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

n territory, the only city to change control after the countries were divided at the 38th parallel, which is now part of North Korea's

North Hwanghae Province North Hwanghae Province (Hwanghaebuk-to; , lit. "north Yellow Sea province") is a province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1954 when the former Hwanghae Province was split into North and South Hwanghae. The provincial capital is S ...

. In 1967 the seat of the Gyeonggi provincial government was transferred from Seoul to

Suwon Suwon (; ) is the largest city and capital of Gyeonggi Province, South Korea's most populous province. The city lies approximately south of the national capital, Seoul. With a population of 1.2 million, Suwon has more inhabitants than Ulsan, tho ...

. After Incheon separated from Gyeonggi Province in 1981, Gyeonggi regions such as Ongjin County and

Ganghwa County Ganghwa County () is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, county in Incheon, South Korea. The county is composed of Ganghwa Island and the minor islands around it. History Ganghwa County contains some of the most important historical sites ...

were incorporated into

in 1995.

Geography

Gyeonggi Province is in the western central region of the Korean Peninsula, which is vertically situated in Northeast Asia and is between east longitude of 126 and 127, and north latitude of 36 and 38. Its dimension is 10% of Korea's territory, . It is in contact with of cease-fire line to the north, of coastline to the west, Gangwon Province to the east, North Chungcheong Province and

South Chungcheong Province South Chungcheong Province (), informally called Chungnam, is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, province of South Korea in the Hoseo region in the southwest of the Korean Peninsula. South Chungcheong borders the provinces of Gyeonggi to ...

to the south, and has Seoul, the capital of the Republic of Korea, in its center. Its provincial government is in Suwon, but some of its government buildings are in Uijeongbu for the administrative conveniences of the northern region.

Climate

The climate of Gyeonggi Province is the continental climate, which has a severe differentiation of temperature between summer and winter, and has distinctions of four seasons. Spring is warm, summer is hot and humid, autumn is cool, and winter is cold and snowy. The annual average temperature is between , where the temperature in the mountainous areas to the northeast is lower and the coastal areas to the southwest is higher. For January's average temperature, the Gyeonggi Bay is , the Namhangang (River) Basin is , and the Bukhangang (River) and Imjingang Basins are . It becomes colder and higher in temperature differentiation from coastal to inland areas. Summer has a lower local differentiation compared to winter. The inland areas are hotter than the Gyeonggi Bay area, the hottest area is Pyeongtaek, making the average temperature of August . The annual average precipitation is around , with a lot of rainfall. It is rainy in summer and dry during winter. The northeastern inland areas of Bukhangang and the upper stream of Imjingang has a precipitation of , whereas the coastal area has only of precipitation.

Nature and national parks

The topography of Gyeonggi Province is divided into southern and northern areas by the Han River, which flows from east to west. The area north to the Han River is mainly mountainous, while the southern area is mainly plain. The configuration of Gyeonggi Province is represented by ''Dong-go-seo-jeo'' (high in the east and low in the west), where the

Gwangju Gwangju (; ), formerly romanized as Kwangju, is South Korea's list of cities in South Korea, sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated Special cities of South Korea, metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home ...

Mountain Range and the Charyeong Mountain Range spreads from the east and drops in elevation in the west. The fields of Gimpo, Gyeonggi, and Pyeongtaek extend to the west. Gyeonggi Province natural environment includes its rivers, lakes, mountains, and seas. Its representative rivers are the Hangang, Imjingang, and Anseongcheon Fg(Stream), which flow into the Yellow Sea, with Gyeonggi Plain, Yeonbaek Plain and Anseong Plain forming a fertile field area around the rivers. The Gwangju Mountain Range and the Charyeong Mountain Range stretch toward China in Gyeonggi Province. Most of the mountains that rise above , such as Myeongjisan (), Gukmangbong () and Yongmunsan () in the

Mountain Range. It iriidc Ktihas a developed granite area which, due to the granite's exfoliation effect, makes it full of strangely shaped cliffs and deep valleys. The Charyeong Mountain Range forms the boundary between Gyeonggi Province and North Chungcheong Province, but is a relatively low-altitude hilly area. In Gyeonggi Province, there is Bukhansan National Park in Uijeongbu. For provincial parks, there are the Chukryeongsan Natural Recreation Area, Namhan-sanseong Provincial Park, Gapyeong Yeoninsan Provincial Park, and Mulhyanggi Arboretum. Besides the listed, the scenery of well-known mountains including Soyosan of Dongducheon City, Yongmunsan of

Yangpyeong County Yangpyeong County () is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, county in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Climate Yangpyeong has a monsoon-influenced humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification, Köppen: ''Dwa'') with cold, dry w ...

, and

Gwanaksan ''Gwanaksan'' () is a mountain in southern Seoul, South Korea. Portions lie in the Gwanak District and Geumcheon District of Seoul; other portions lie in the neighboring cities of Anyang, Gyeonggi and Gwacheon. The name ''gwanak'' means "ha ...

Anyang Anyang ( zh, s=安阳, t=安陽; ) is a prefecture-level city in Henan, China. Geographical coordinates are 35° 41'~ 36° 21' north latitude and 113° 38'~ 114° 59' east longitude. The northernmost city in Henan, Anyang borders Puyang to the eas ...

and Gwacheon, along with Hangang and Imjingang are tourist sites of Gyeonggi Province. * Moraksan, a 385-meter rock mountain.

Population

Gyeonggi Province has shown a rapid increase in population due to the modernization and urbanization of the Republic of Korea. Its population has increased from 2,748,765 in 1960 to 3,703,761 in 1980; 6,050,943 in 1990; 8,984,134 in 2000; 11,379,459 in 2010; and 13,511,676 in 2020. In 2010 there were 4,527,282 households, with an average of 3 people per family. There were 6,112,339 males and 5,959,545 females. The population density was 1,119 people/km², almost double the national average of 486 people/km². The province's most heavily populated area as of 2024 is

(1,195,000) followed by

Yongin Yongin (; ) is a city in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, the largest in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. With a population over 1 million, the city has developed rapidly since the 21st century, recording the highest population growth of any city in th ...

(1,085,000),

Goyang Goyang (; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province in the north of South Korea. It is part of the Seoul Metropolitan Area, making Goyang one of Seoul's Satellite city, satellite cities. It is one of the largest cities in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, w ...

(1,071,000), Hwasung (962,000), Seongnam (915,000) and

Bucheon Bucheon (; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Bucheon is located away from Seoul, of which it is a satellite city. It is located between Incheon and Seoul. Bucheon is the second most densely populated city in South Korea after Seo ...

(772,000). The lowest populated area in 2010 was Yeoncheon County (41,000), followed by Gapyeong County (62,000) and

(72,595).

Economy

As the backbone of Seoul in the means of manufacturing complex, Gyeonggi Province is evenly developed in

heavy industry Heavy industry is an industry that involves one or more characteristics such as large and heavy products; large and heavy equipment and facilities (such as heavy equipment, large machine tools, huge buildings and large-scale infrastructure); o ...

(electronics, machine, heavy and chemical industry, steel),

light industry Light industry are Industry (economics), industries that usually are less Capital intensity, capital-intensive than heavy industry, heavy industries and are more consumer-oriented than business-oriented, as they typically produce smaller consum ...

(textile), and farm, livestock and fisheries industry. Due to the influence of recent high wages, the weight of manufacturing industries has decreased in Korea's economy. Gyeonggi Province is making efforts in many ways to improve and modernize the conventional industry structure, resulting in quick growth of innovative

small and medium-sized enterprises Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are businesses whose personnel and revenue numbers fall below certain limits. The abbreviation "SME" is used by many national agencies and international organiza ...

such as U-JIN Tech Corp. Gyeonggi Province is unsparingly investing in the promotion of service industries related to soft competitive power such as state-of-the-art IT industry, designing, conventions and tourism, along with its great leap as a commercial hub in Northeast Asia using the Pyeongtaek Harbor. Besides this, it is known for its special local products such as Icheon rice and Gwangju ceramics. Leading companies representing Korea, including

Samsung Electronics Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (SEC; stylized as SΛMSUNG; ) is a South Korean multinational major appliance and consumer electronics corporation founded on 13 January 1969 and headquartered in Yeongtong District, Suwon, South Korea. It is curr ...

' headquarters, SK Hynix's headquarters,

NAVER Naver (; stylized as NAVER) is a South Korean online platform operated by the Naver Corporation. The company's products include a search engine, email hosting, blogs, maps, and mobile payment. History Naver was the first Korean web provide ...

's headquarters, Samsung SDI's headquarters, and Paju LG Corporation's LCD complex, are gathered in southern Gyeonggi Province, including Suwon City.

Administrative area

Gyeonggi Province consists of 28 cities (special: 7, normal: 21) and three counties. This is because many counties were elevated to city status owing to the influence of Seoul's new town development plan. Special cities are especially concentrated in the southern area of Gyeonggi Province. Listed below is each entity's name in English,

Hangul The Korean alphabet is the modern writing system for the Korean language. In North Korea, the alphabet is known as (), and in South Korea, it is known as (). The letters for the five basic consonants reflect the shape of the speech organs ...

and

Hanja Hanja (; ), alternatively spelled Hancha, are Chinese characters used to write the Korean language. After characters were introduced to Korea to write Literary Chinese, they were adapted to write Korean as early as the Gojoseon period. () ...

Claimed

* Gaeseong, Gaepung County and Jangdan County

Transportation

Gyeonggi Province's proximity to Seoul, South Korea's capital, and Incheon, its second-busiest port, has contributed to its extremely well-developed transportation infrastructure. It is close to both

Incheon International Airport Incheon International Airport is the main international airport serving Seoul, the capital of South Korea. It is also one of the largest and busiest airports in the world. This airport opened for business on 29 March 2001, to replace the old ...

, South Korea's main international gateway and busiest airport, and

Gimpo International Airport Gimpo International Airport , sometimes referred to as Seoul–Gimpo International Airport but formerly rendered in English as Kimpo International Airport, is located in the far western end of Seoul, some west of the Jung District, Seoul, cen ...

, its second-busiest airport. Use of water transportation from the harbor at Pyeongtaek is also high.

Road

The road pavement rate throughout the province averages 86.5 percent. The area has access to many of South Korea's expressways, including * No. 1 Gyeongbu Expressway, Seoul–Busan * No. 15 Seohaean Expressway, Seoul–

Mokpo Mokpo (; ) is the List of cities in South Korea, third largest and most densely populated city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea, located at the southwestern tip of the Korean Peninsula, close to Yudal mountain. Mokpo has frequent high-speed ...

* No. 35 Jungbu Expressway, Seoul– Tongyeong * No. 37 Second Jungbu Expressway, Seoul–

* No. 45 Jungbu Naeryuk Expressway,

Yangpyeong Yangpyeong County () is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, county in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Climate Yangpyeong has a monsoon-influenced humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification, Köppen: ''Dwa'') with cold, dry w ...

–

Changwon Changwon (; ) is the capital and largest city of South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea (with a population of 1,025,702 ), and the 11th largest city of the South Korea, country. A port city, Changwon is bordered by Masan Bay to the south, and the ...

* No. 50 Yeongdong Expressway, Incheon–

Gangneung Gangneung (; ) is a list of cities in South Korea, municipal city in Gangwon, South Korea, Gangwon province, on the east coast of South Korea. It has a population of 213,658 (as of 2017).Gangneung City (2003)Population & Households. Retrieved Ja ...

* No. 60 Seoul–Yangyang Expressway, Seoul–

Chuncheon Chuncheon (; ; literally ''spring river''), formerly romanized as Ch'unch'ŏn, is the capital of Gangwon Province, South Korea. The city lies in the north of the country, located in a basin formed by the Soyang River and Han River (Korea), Han R ...

* No. 100 Seoul Ring Expressway * No. 110 Second Gyeongin Expressway, Incheon–

* No. 120 Gyeongin Expressway, Seoul–Incheon * No. 130 Incheon International Airport Expressway, Incheon International Airport–Seoul * No. 153 Siheung-Pyeongtaek Expressway

Rail

Gyeonggi Province is served by

Korail The Korea Railroad Corporation () is the national railway operator in South Korea. It is branded as KORAIL () and changed its official Korean name () in November 2019. Currently, KORAIL is a public corporation, managed by Ministry of Land, ...

commuter, standard and high-speed ( KTX) services. It is home to Korea's first railroad, the Gyeongin Line, and includes portions of the GTX-A Line,

Gyeongbu Line The Gyeongbu line (''Gyeongbuseon'') is a railway line in South Korea and is considered to be the most important and one of the oldest in the country. It was constructed in 1905, connecting Seoul with Busan via Suwon, Daejeon, and Daegu. It is ...

, Gyeongui Line, Jungang Line, and

Honam Line The Honam Line is a major railway line serving the Honam region (North and South Jeolla Provinces) in South Korea. The line is served by frequent passenger trains from Seoul (via the Gyeongbu Line) to Gwangju and Mokpo. History A Honam Ra ...

. Gyeonggi has stations on the Suin, Bundang, Gyeongchun, and Shinbundang

commuter rail Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...

services and the Gyeongbu and Honam High Speed Railways. The area has numerous connections to the Seoul Metropolitan Subway system. Line 1 (formerly Korea National Railroad of Seoul) extends to Cheonan past Gyeonggi Province to the southwest, and to Dongducheon to the north. Line 3 connects to Goyang to the north, while Line 4 is connected to Gwacheon and Ansan to the southwest. Line 7 is connected to Uijeongbu to the north and Gwangmyeong to the south, Line 8 is connected to Seongnam to the south, while the GTX-A line connects

Paju Paju (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Paju was made a city in 1997; it had previously been a county (''gun''). The city area of Paju is ,"Paju (Gyeonggi-do Province)." ''Naver Encyclopedi ...

and

to Yeonsinnae Station in Eunpyeong-gu and Seoul Station in Jung-gu.

Uijeongbu Uijeongbu (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It is the tenth-most populous city in the province and a suburb of Seoul within the greater Seoul Metropolitan Area. History Uijeongbu was estab ...

has its own light rail system, the U Line, which connects to Line 1. A short section of the AREX line between Gimpo and Incheon airports passes through Gyeonggi, but there are no stops within the province.

Education

Gyeonggi Province is actively investing in education to foster a talented population suitable for the globalized economy. It is promoting the opening of local campuses of reputable universities as well as establishing special purpose high schools for high-quality education. It has also founded and operates at

the largest domestic "English village" for education in the

English language English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...

, as well as villages in Ansan and Yangpyeong.

Universities of Gyeonggi Province

*National * Anseong City ** Hankyong National University ** Dong-A Institute of Media and Arts * Uiwang City ** Korea National University of Transportation (Uiwang Campus) *Private * Ansan City ** Ansan University **

Hanyang University Hanyang University (HYU, ) is a Private university, private research university in Seoul and Ansan (ERICA campus), South Korea. ''Hanyang'' () derives from the Names of Seoul, former name of the capital Seoul used during the Joseon period. The u ...

(ERICA Campus) ** Seoul Institute of the Arts ** Shin Ansan University * Anseong City ** Chung-Ang University (Anseong Campus) * Anyang City ** Anyang University ** Sungkyul University * Bucheon City ** Seoul Theological University * Goyang City ** Korea Aerospace University * Gunpo City ** Hansei University * Gwangju City ** Seoul Jangsin University and Theological Seminary * Hwaseong City ** Hyupsung University ** Shingyeong University * Osan City ** Hanshin University * Pochon City ** College of Medicine Pochon CHA University ** Daejin University * Pyeongtaek City ** Pyongtaek University * Seongnam City ** Gachon University * Siheung City ** Korea Polytechnic University * Suwon City **

Ajou University Ajou University () is a private research university located in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. It was founded in 1973. Ajou University started as Ajou Engineering College with the aim of exchanging technology and culture through education betw ...

Kyung Hee University Kyung Hee University (KHU; ) is a Private university, private research university in South Korea with campuses in Seoul and Suwon. It was founded in 1949. Kyung Hee University is part of the Kyung Hee University System, which offers comprehensive ...

Seoul National University Seoul National University (SNU; ) is a public university, public research university in Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the SKY (universities), SKY universities and a part of the Flagship Korean National Universities. The university's main c ...

( Gwanggyo Graduate School Campus) ** Sungkyungwan university (Natural Science Campus) ** Suwon Catholic University ** Suwon Science College * Uijeongbu City ** Shin han University *

** Asian Center for Theological Studies and Mission * Yongin City ** Calvin University ** Dankook University ** Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (Global Campus) ** Kangnam University **

(International Campus) ** Luther University ** Myongji University (Science Departments Campus) ** Yongin University

Schools

Culture

Historical landmarks

Gyeonggi Province has long been a capital area, leaving many historic relics and ruins. For royal tombs (called reung), there are Donggureung of Guri, and Gwangreung, Hongreung and Yureung of Namyangju. For castles (called seong), there are Suwon Hwaseong, which is designated as the World Cultural Heritage, Namwonsanseong, Haengjusanseong, Ganghwasanseong, and Doksan Fortress. For Buddhist temples, there are many aged temples within Gyeonggi Province where one can experience 'temple stay'. You can view folk culture in the Korean Folk Village in

, and the scene of Korea's division at Panmunjom in

Performing arts

Gyeonggi Province is investing a lot of money at a provincial level so that people do not have to go to Seoul to enjoy a high-class cultural life. There are performances at Gyeonggi Arts Center in Suwon as well as at Gyeonggi Korean Traditional Music Center in

. Gyeonggi Provincial Museum in

, Nam June Paik Art Center in

, Gyeonggi Museum of Art in

Ansan Ansan (, ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It lies southwest of Seoul and is part of the Seoul Metropolitan Area. It is connected to Seoul by rail via Seoul Subway Line 4. It is situated on the Yellow Sea coast and some islands lie ...

, and the Ceramics Museum in

are some of the facilities that are currently run by the province. There are also sightseeing opportunities at Jangheung Art Park, Publication Art Complex at Heyri,

, and the Icheon Ceramics Exposition.

Heyri Art Valley

Heyri Art Valley is Korea's largest art town. Various Korean artists constructed the cultural town of Heyri and it features several art galleries and museums; there are about 40 museums, exhibitions, concert halls and bookstores.

Religion

According to the census of 2015, of the people of Gyeonggi Province 32.0% follow

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

(23.0%

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

and 9.0%

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

) and 10.7% follow

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

. 57.3% of the population is mostly not religious or follow indigenous religions.

Park

The Province has Ilsan Lake Park, one of the largest lake parks in the country. In addition, there is Gwanggyo Lake Park, which was redeveloped in 2013.

Sports

The 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup matches were held in

Suwon World Cup Stadium The Suwon World Cup Stadium (수원월드컵경기장) is a football stadium located in Suwon, South Korea. It has been home of the K League 2 team Suwon Samsung Bluewings since 2001. The capacity of the stadium is 44,031. Notable football events ...

. As for the professional soccer teams with Gyeonggi Province as their home ground, there are the

Suwon Samsung Bluewings The Suwon Samsung Bluewings () are a South Korean Association football, football club based in Suwon that competes in the K League 2, the second tier of South Korean football. Founded in December 1995, they have won the K League on four occas ...

and

Seongnam FC Seongnam Football Club () is a South Korean professional football (soccer), football club based in Seongnam that competes in the K League 2, the second tier of South Korean football. It is one of the most successful clubs in South Korea and the ...

. Korea's foremost thoroughbred horse racing track Seoul Race Park is in Gwacheon.

Domestic sports clubs

Association football

K League 1 The K League 1 () is a professional association football league in South Korea and the highest level of the South Korean football league system. The league is contested by twelve clubs. It is one of the most successful leagues in the Asian Foo ...

(1) ** Suwon FC * K League 2 (6) **

** FC Anyang ** Ansan Greeners ** Bucheon FC 1995 ** Gimpo FC * K3 League (5) ** Hwaseong FC ** Paju Citizen ** Pyeongtaek Citizen ** Yangju Citizen ** Siheung Citizen * K4 League (5) ** Goyang Citizen ** Pocheon Citizen ** Yangpyeong FC ** Yeoju FC * WK-League (2) ** Suwon FMC ** Goyang Daekyo Noonnoppi Kangaroos

Baseball

Korea Baseball Organization The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO; ) is the Sport governing body, governing body for the professional leagues of baseball in South Korea. The KBO was founded in 1981 and has governed two leagues: the KBO League () and KBO Futures League ( (F ...

(1) ** KT Wiz

Basketball

* KBL (2) **

Anyang KGC The Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters () is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League, based at Anyang Gymnasium in the city of Anyang. The club has won four KBL championship titles ( 2011–12, 2016–17, 2020–21, and 2 ...

** Goyang Orion Orions * WKBL (4) ** Yongin Samsung Life Blueminx ** Ansan Shinhan Bank S-Birds ** Guri KDB Life Winnus ** Bucheon KEB-Hana

Volleyball

* V-League Men (2) ** Suwon KEPCO Vixtorm ** Sangmu Shinhyup * V-League Women (3) ** Suwon Hyundai Engineering & Construction Hillstate ** Seongnam Korea Expressway Hi-pass Zenith ** Hwaseong IBK Altos

Ice hockey

Asia League Ice Hockey Asia League Ice Hockey (; ) or ALIH (AL) is an association which operates a professional ice hockey league based in East Asia, with teams from Japan, South Korea, and formerly China and Russia. The league is headquartered in Japan. At the end of ...

(1) ** HL Anyang

Former sports clubs

Football

* Anyang LG Cheetahs (1996–2003,

→

) * Bucheon SK (1996–2005,

→ Jeju) * Bucheon FMC Best (2010, Dissolved) * Ansan H FC * Goyang KB Kookmin Bank * Namyangju United

Basketball

* Suwon Samsung Thunders (1997–2001,

→

) * Bucheon Shinsegae Coolcat (2006–2012, Dissolved)

Tourism

Entertainment

* Everland theme park in Yongin-si * Korean Folk Village in Yongin-si * Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) Dramia at Cheoin-gu in Yongin-si; is the filming location of historical dramas such as ''

Moon Embracing the Sun ''Moon Embracing the Sun'' (, also known as ''The Moon that Embraces the Sun'' or ''The Sun and the Moon'') is a 2012 South Korean television drama series, starring Han Ga-in, Kim Soo-hyun, Jung Il-woo, and Kim Min-seo. It aired on MBC from ...

'', '' Jumong'', '' Queen Seondeok'' and '' Dong Yi''. Viewing tours are available, which includes traditional folk games, historical court dress and archery. * Hallyuworld theme park, which is based on the 'Korean Fever', is under construction in

* Seoul Grand Park in Gwacheon, which has the Korea's National Museum of Contemporary Art and a zoo * ski and golf resorts * Icheon Hot Spring * LetsRunPark in Gwacheon

Gourmet

Gyeonggi Province has long been famous for its Icheon rice,

Korean beef,

cow ribs and Korean court cuisine, and marine delicacies made of fresh marine products from the west coast.

Festival

Partition proposal

Fauna

While Korean fauna is relatively uniform, there are some differences across the country. Animals living in Gyeonggi Province include the following.

Mammals

The raccoon dog is widespread in the province, as are the Japanese mole,

Siberian weasel The Siberian weasel or kolonok (''Mustela sibirica'') is a medium-sized weasel native to Asia, where it is widely distributed and inhabits various forest habitats and open areas. It is therefore listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Descr ...

, water deer, Korean hare, red squirrel,

house mouse The house mouse (''Mus musculus'') is a small mammal of the rodent family Muridae, characteristically having a pointed snout, large rounded ears, and a long and almost hairless tail. It is one of the most abundant species of the genus '' Mus''. A ...

striped field mouse The striped field mouse (''Apodemus agrarius'') is a rodent in the family Muridae. The range of this species stretches from Eastern Europe to Eastern Asia. Synonyms Accepted synonyms include ''Apodemus albostriatus'' (Bechstein, 1801), ''Apodemu ...

, and the Eurasian harvest mouse.

Birds

Waterfowl

The common merganser, common pochard, green-winged teal, Eastern spot-billed duck, mallard, mandarin, Taiga bean goose, tundra bean goose,

whooper swan The whooper swan ( /ˈhuːpə(ɹ) swɒn/ "hooper swan"; ''Cygnus cygnus''), also known as the common swan, is a large northern hemisphere swan. It is the Eurasian counterpart of the North American trumpeter swan, and the type species for the genu ...

, great crested grebe,

little grebe The little grebe (''Tachybaptus ruficollis''), also known as dabchick, is a member of the grebe family of water birds. The genus name is from Ancient Greek ''takhus'' "fast" and ''bapto'' "to sink under". The specific ''ruficollis'' is from Latin ...

common moorhen The common moorhen (''Gallinula chloropus''), also known as the waterhen, is a bird species in the Rail (bird), rail family (Rallidae). It is distributed across many parts of the Old World, across Africa, Europe, and Asia. It lives around well-ve ...

, Eurasian coot, and white-breasted waterhen all inhabit the province.

Herons and cormorants

Herons frequent the provinces waterways. These include the black-crowned night heron, great white egret, grey heron, little egret, medium egret, striated heron, great cormorant, and Japanese cormorant.

Raptors

Raptors in Gyeonggi Province include the

Eurasian sparrowhawk The Eurasian sparrowhawk (''Accipiter nisus''), also known as the northern sparrowhawk or simply the sparrowhawk, is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Adult male Eurasian sparrowhawks have bluish grey upperparts and orange-barred ...

, Goshawk,

common kestrel The common kestrel (''Falco tinnunculus''), also known as the European kestrel, Eurasian kestrel or Old World kestrel, is a species of bird of prey, predatory bird belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family (biology), family Falconidae. ...

, and Eurasian hobby.

Crows and jays

A range of crows and jays are found in Gyeonggi Province, including the azure-winged magpie

carrion crow The carrion crow (''Corvus corone'') is a passerine bird of the family Corvidae, native to western Europe and the eastern Palearctic. Taxonomy and systematics The carrion crow was one of the many species originally described by Carl Linnaeus ...

Eurasian jay The Eurasian jay (''Garrulus glandarius'') is a species of passerine bird in the crow family Corvidae. It has pinkish brown plumage with a black stripe on each side of a whitish throat, a bright blue panel on the upper wing and a black tail. The ...

, large-billed crow, Oriental magpie, and rook.

Tits

There are also many tits in the province, including the coal tit, Japanese tit, marsh tit, and varied tit.

Others

Other birds in Gyeonggi Province include the common sandpiper, long-toed stint, wood sandpiper, ring-necked pheasant, white-winged tern, Oriental turtle dove,

rock dove The rock dove (''Columba livia''), also sometimes known as "rock pigeon" or "common pigeon", is a member of the bird family Columbidae (doves and pigeons). In common usage, it is often simply referred to as the "pigeon", although the rock dov ...

, Oriental dollarbird,

common kingfisher The common kingfisher (''Alcedo atthis''), also known as the Eurasian kingfisher and river kingfisher, is a small kingfisher with seven subspecies recognized within its wide distribution across Eurasia and North Africa. It is resident in much of ...

, common hoopoe great spotted woodpecker, grey-headed woodpecker Japanese pygmy woodpecker, black-naped oriole, Eurasian skylark, brown-eared bulbul, long-tailed tit, Oriental reed warbler, vinous-throated parrotbill, white-cheeked starling, dusky thrush, Asian brown flycatcher, Daurian redstart, Eurasian tree sparrow, brambling, and Oriental greenfinch.

Reptiles

The river cooter, peninsula cooter, Amur softshell turtle, and pond slider live in the province's lakes and streams, while the steppe rat snake and mountain grass lizard are among its land-dwelling reptiles.

Amphibia

Gyeonggi Province has a variety of amphibia: the Boreal digging frog, Imienpo Station frog, Korean brown frog, Suwon tree frog, and Sakhalin toad.

Arachnids

The province has a variety of spiders, including the Joro spider, '' Sernokorba allidipatellis'', and '' Uroctea lesserti''.

Insects

Moths

A wide range of moths live in Gyeonggi Province, e.g., the box tree moth, euonymus defoliator moth, gypsy moth, larch hawk moth, meal moth, rush veneer, '' Monema flavescens'', '' Nordstromia duplicata'', '' Orthogonia sera'', '' Ostrinia palustralis'', ''Sinna extrema'', and '' Striglina cancellata''.

Butterflies

Butterflies in the province include the Asian comma, common straight swift, lesser purple emperor, painted lady, pale grass blue, Pallas' sailer, red ring skirt, small white, and '' Colias poliographus''.

Bees, wasps, and hornets

Gyeonggi Province's bees, wasps, and hornets include the

western honey bee The western honey bee or European honey bee (''Apis mellifera'') is the most common of the 7–12 species of honey bees worldwide. The genus name ''Apis'' is Latin for 'bee', and ''mellifera'' is the Latin for 'honey-bearing' or 'honey-carrying', ...

, dark-waisted paper wasp, Asian hornet, European hornet, and yellow-vented hornet.

Ants

There is a wide variety of ant species in Gyeonggi Province. These include the Asian needle ant, Japanese carpenter ant, Japanese pavement ant, Japanese queenless ant, yellow-footed ant, '' Aphaenogaster japonica'', '' Camponotus concavus'', '' Camponotus itoi'', '' Camponotus nipponensis'', '' Camponotus quadrinotatus'', ''

Crematogaster ''Crematogaster'' is an ecologically diverse genus of ants found worldwide, which are characterised by a distinctive heart-shaped gaster (insect anatomy), gaster (abdomen), which gives them one of their common names, the Saint Valentine ant. Mem ...

matsumurai'', ''

teranishii'', '' Dolichoderus sibiricus'', '' Lasius spathepus'', '' Temnothorax wui'', and '' Vollenhovia emeryi''.

Damselflies and dragonflies

The province's damselflies and dragonflies include the common bluetail, '' Ischnura asiatica'', '' Platycnemis phyllopoda'', blue-spotted emperor foot-tipped darter, regal pond cruiser, white-tailed skimmer, ''Deielia phaon'', and '' Sympetrum infuscatum''.

Others

Other insects in the province include '' Eristalis cerealis'', the Chinese rice grasshopper, Oriental longheaded grasshopper, sickle-bearing bush-cricket, greenhouse camel cricket, '' Loxoblemmus arietulus'', black cicada, Asian jumping mantis, giant Asian mantis, turnip sawfly, '' Promachus yesonicus'', Spotted lanternfly, green stink bug, sloe bug, ''Sastragala esakii'', ''Placosternum esakii'', ''Lygocorides rubronasutus'', harlequin lady beetle, seven-spot ladybird, turtle vein lady beetle, '' Calvia muiri'', '' Pheropsophus javanus'', '' Scirtes japonicus'', ' varied carpet beetle, citrus long-horned beetle, thin-winged longicorn beetle, mealworm,

German cockroach The German cockroach (''Blattella germanica''), colloquially known as the croton bug, is a species of small cockroach, typically about long. In color it varies from tan to almost black, and it has two dark, roughly parallel, streaks on the pro ...

, '' Blattella nipponica'', '' Adoretus hirsutus'', ''Eusilpha jakowlewi'', '' Dryophilocoris kerzhneri'', bean bug, western conifer seed bug, marsh rhopalid, '' Deraeocoris salicis'', Oriental beetle, black planthopper, and lake pondskater.

Molluscs

Taiwan pond mussels live in Gyeonggi Province's freshwater.

Fish

The province's lakes and streams house Amur catfish, Eurasian carp, largemouth bass, northern snakehead, and pale chub.

Sisterhood relations

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, United States *

Aichi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,461,111 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the ...

, Japan *

Kanagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

, Japan *

Liaoning ) , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = Clockwise: Mukden Palace in Shenyang, Xinghai Square in Dalian, Dalian coast, Yalu River at Dandong , image_map = Liaoning in China (+all claims hatched).svg , ...

, People's Republic of China *

North Holland North Holland (, ) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht (province), Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevola ...

, Netherlands *

Gauteng Gauteng ( , ; Sotho-Tswana languages, Sotho-Tswana for 'place of gold'; or ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts f ...

, South Africa *

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, Mexico *

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, United States *

Alto Paraná Department The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: '' altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In four-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in chor ...

, Paraguay *

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia *

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

, Spain *

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, United States *

Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...

, People's Republic of China *

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, Canada *

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, People's Republic of China *

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, People's Republic of China *

Taiwan Province Taiwan Province ( zh, t=臺灣省 , p=Táiwān Shěng , poj=Tâi-oân-séng; PFS: ''Thòi-vàn-sén'' or ''Thòi-vân-sén'') is a ''de jure'' administrative division of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Provinces remain a titular division as ...

Republic of China (Taiwan) Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

Pahang {{Infobox political division , name = Pahang , official_name = Pahang Darul Makmur , native_name = , settlement_type = States and federal territories of Malaysia, State , image_skyline = , imagesize ...

, Malaysia

References

Notes

External links

* *
Invest in Gyeonggi Province – English

Gyeonggi Tourism Guide – English

DMZ – English

KINTEX – English

Goyang City Hall
{{Authority control Provinces of South Korea Seoul Metropolitan Area