Jeju Island

Jeju Island (Jeju/; ) is South Korea's largest island, covering an area of , which is 1.83% of the total area of the country. Alongside outlying islands, it is part of Jeju Province and makes up the majority of the Province.

The island lies in the Korea Strait, south of the Korean Peninsula, and South Jeolla Province. It is located off the nearest point on the peninsula. Jeju is one of two special self-governing provinces in South Korea, meaning that the province is run by local politicians. The Jeju people are indigenous to the island, and it has been populated by modern humans since the early Neolithic period. The Jeju language is considered critically endangered by UNESCO. It is also one of the regions of Korea where Shamanism is most intact.

Jeju Island has an oval shape of east–west and north–south, with a gentle slope around Hallasan Mountain in the center. The length of the main road is and the coastline is . On the northern end of Jeju Island is Gimnyeong Beach, on the southern end Songak Mountain, the western end Suwol Peak, and the eastern end Seongsan Ilchulbong.

The island was formed by the eruption of an underwater volcano approximately 2 million years ago. It contains a natural World Heritage Site, the Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes. Jeju Island has a subtropical climate; even in winter, the temperature rarely falls below . Jeju is a popular holiday destination and a sizable portion of the economy relies on tourism and related economic activity.

Historical names

Historically, the island has been called by many different names including:
* Doi ()
* Dongyeongju ()
* Juho ()
* Tammora ()
* Seomna ()
* Tangna ()
* Tamna ()
* Quelpart, Quelparte or Quelpaert Island
* Junweonhado ( meaning "southern part of peninsula")
* Taekseungnido (, meaning "the peaceful hot island in Joseon")
* Samdado () meaning "Island of Three Abundances")
* Sammudo ()
* Cheju (spelling until 7 July 2000)

Before the Japanese annexation in 1910, the island was usually known as Quelpart (Quelpaërt, Quelpaert) to Europeans; during the occupation it was known by the Japanese name Saishū. The name ''Quelpart'' coming from French language is attested in Dutch no later than 1648 and may have denoted the first Dutch ship to spot the island, the ''quelpaert de Brack'' around 1642, or rather some visual similarity of the island from some angle to this class of ships (a small dispatch vessel, also called a galiot).

The first European explorers to sight the island, the Portuguese, called it ''Ilha de Ladrones'' (Island of Thieves).

The name "Fungma island" appeared in the "Atlas of China" of M. Martini who arrived in China as a missionary in 1655.

History

Jeju Island has been inhabited by modern humans since the early Neolithic period. There is no discovered historical record of the founding or early history of Tamna. One legend tells that the three divine founders of the country—Go (), Yang (), and Bu ()—emerged from three holes in the ground in the 24th century BC. These holes, known as the Samseonghyeol (), are still preserved in Jeju City. Until 938 AD, the island was an independent kingdom called Tamna (which means 'island country') when it became a vassal state of Korea under the Goryeo dynasty. In April 1330, in the midst of political purges of the Yuan dynasty, Toghon tomor had been sent in Exile on this remote island, which was then part of the vassal Korean Goguryeo.Kyung Moon Hwang ''A History of Korea'', London: Palgrave, 2010 p. 56. In 1404, Taejong of Joseon placed the island under firm central control and brought the Tamna kingdom to an end.

In April 1948, it was the site of the Jeju uprising.

Landscape

Jeju is a volcanic island, dominated by Hallasan: a volcano high and the highest mountain in South Korea. The island measures approximately across, east to west, and from north to south. The island also has around 360 '' oreum'': small extinct volcanoes or parasitic cones. Many of these are now popular tourist attractions, such as Geomunoreum, Yongnuni Oreum, and Geum Oreum.

The island formed by volcanic eruptions approximately two million years ago, during the Pleistocene epoch. The island consists chiefly of basalt and lava.

An area covering about 12% () of Jeju Island is called '' gotjawal'', a local term for forests. This area remained uncultivated until the 21st century, as its base of 'a'a lava made it difficult to develop for agriculture. Because this forest remained pristine for so long, it has a unique ecology.

The forest is the main source of groundwater and thus the main water source for the half million people of the island, because rainwater penetrates directly into the aquifer through the cracks of the 'a'a lava under the forest. Gotjawal forest is considered an internationally important wetland under the Ramsar Convention by some researchers because it is the habitat of unique species of plants and is the main source of water for the residents, although to date it has not been declared a Ramsar site.
File:Hallasan 2.jpg, Baengnokdam in Hallasan
File:KOCIS Jeju Island (5982720813).jpg, Mountains in Jeju
File:제주 중문대포해안주상절리대 (Jeju Jungmun Daepo Jusangjeolli Cliff).jpg, Daepo Jusangjeolli Cliff
File:Sanbangsan (5983281424).jpg, Sanbangsan Mountain
File:Seongsan Ilchulbong from the air.jpg, Seongsan Ilchulbong
File:Goseong-ri, Seongsan-eup, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do, South Korea - panoramio - song songroov (51).jpg, Seopjikoji (섭지코지)
File:Jeongbang loin de la mer.jpg, Jeongbang Waterfall
File:Jeju2022OSM.png, Detailed map of Jeju Island

Formation

*About 2 million years ago, the island of Jeju was formed through volcanic activity.
*About 1.2 million years ago, a magma chamber formed under the sea floor and began to erupt.
*About 700 thousand years ago, the island had been formed through volcanic activity. Volcanic activity then stopped for approximately 100 thousand years.
*About 300 thousand years ago, volcanic activity restarted along the coastline.
*About 100 thousand years ago, volcanic activity formed Hallasan Mountain.
*About 25 thousand years ago, lateral eruptions around Hallasan Mountain left multiple oreum (smaller 'parasitic' cones on the flanks of the primary cone).
*Volcanic activity stopped and prolonged weathering and erosion helped shape the island.

Climate

Most of Jeju Island has a humid subtropical climate (''Cfa'' in the Köppen climate classification). Four distinct seasons are experienced in Jeju: winters are cool with moderate rainfall, while summers are hot and humid with very high rainfall.

Jeju City, the northern part of the island, tends to be colder in winter than the southern part due to the influence of continental seasonal winds. Gosan-ri, located on the west side of the island, has the lowest annual average precipitation on the island. However, unlike most parts of mainland Korea, the seasonal precipitation in Gosan-ri is evenly distributed. The Chuja Islands, which belong to Jeju City, are an archipelago located between mainland Korea and Jeju Island and also have a humid subtropical climate (''Cfa'').

Seogwipo, the southern part of the island, is relatively warmer in winter than Jeju City because Hallasan in the middle of the island blocks continental seasonal winds. Downtown Seogwipo has the highest average temperature in January in Korea, even compared to mainland Korea. Seongsan-eup, on the southeastern side of the island, is directly affected by both the East Asian monsoon and the Tsushima Current, so annual precipitation is very high. Seogwipo is one of the regions with the highest annual precipitation in Korea.

The climate of the highlands in the middle of the island where Hallasan is located is quite different from that of the rest of the island. As the altitude increases, the average temperature decreases and the climate becomes colder. The highlands of Jeju Island have the highest annual precipitation in Korea.

In January 2016, a cold wave affected Jeju Island. Snow and frigid weather forced the cancellation of 1,200 flights on Jeju Island, stranding approximately 90,300 passengers.

See also

* Jeju Black, indigenous cattle breed
* Jeju Black pig, indigenous pig breed
* Jeju horse, indigenous horse breed
* Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes

References

External links

Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes
World Heritage site on Google Arts and Culture
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{{Authority control

Biosphere reserves of South Korea
Islands of Jeju Province
Islands of the East China Sea
Islands of the Sea of Japan
Islands of the Yellow Sea
World Heritage Sites in South Korea