Kuwŏlsan, or Mount Kuwol, is a mountain in

South Hwanghae South Hwanghae Province (Hwanghaenamdo; , lit. "south Yellow Sea province") is a province in western North Korea. The province was formed in 1954 when the former Hwanghae Province was split into North and South Hwanghae. The provincial capital i ...

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 shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

. The mountain takes its name from the ninth month of the

lunar calendar A lunar calendar is a calendar based on the monthly cycles of the Moon's phases (synodic months, lunations), in contrast to solar calendars, whose annual cycles are based only directly on the solar year. The most commonly used calendar, the Gre ...

, because it is considered particularly attractive in that month. The mountain is a major summer resort in North Korea, attracting many domestic tourists. Kuwolsan is home to the Sansong Revolutionary Site, the 9th century Woljong Temple and the

stupa A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. In Buddhism, circumamb ...

s, as well as the 4th century

Anak Tomb No. 3 Anak Tomb No. 3 is a chamber tomb of Goguryeo located in Anak, South Hwanghae, North Korea. It is known for mural paintings and an epitaph. It is part of the Complex of Koguryo Tombs. It was discovered in 1949 with valuable treasures stolen, but ...

Environment

The highest peak of the mountain - the highest point in the short Kuwol range - is 954 m above sea level. There are several scenic routes through the mountain area. Natural attractions include rock formations, waterfalls and natural pools. Much of the mountain is covered by mixed broadleaf and coniferous forest and protected in an 18,000 ha

national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

. Some 1100 ha has been identified by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

as an

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

(IBA).

References

{{coord, 38, 30, N, 125, 16, E, region:KP_type:mountain_source:GNS-enwiki, display=title Mountains of North Korea Biosphere reserves of North Korea Important Bird Areas of North Korea

Environment

See also

References