8.1 Gyeongsangbuk-do
Geography of Korea: VIII. Gyeongsang-do> 1. Gyeongsangbuk-do
1. Gyeongsangbuk-do
As with the other provinces, Gyeongsangbuk-do was formed along with Gyeongsangnam-do in 1896, when the former Gyeongsang-do province was divided into northern and southern portions. From the early seventeenth century the provincial capital had been Daegu, but recently an area on the border between Andong and Yecheon has been designated the site for the new provincial seat and preparations are ongoing for the transfer. The population of Gyeongsangbuk-do is 2.7 million (about 5.3 percent of the national population), third in terms of population size after Gyeonggi-do and Gyeongsangnam-do. Daegu Metropolitan City, which is administratively separated from the province, has a population of 2.5 million (4.9 percent of the national population) and is the nation’s third most populous city, having only recently been surpassed by Incheon (this does not count Seoul, which has the singular Special City status). The total land area of Gyeongsangbuk-do is about 19,000 sq. km., or 19 percent of the total national territory, making it territorially the largest of the country’s nine designated provinces. In terms of its population density (142 persons/sq. km.), Gyeongsangbuk-do is the second lowest after Gangwon-do (92 persons/sq. km.).
In terms of its geology and topography, the entire Yeongnam region is rather distinct from its neighboring regions. Generally speaking, sedimentary rock series of the Gyeongsang Supergroup and igneous rock series of Daebo granitoids predominate, though in the Pohang area the Cenozoic Tertiary period Janggi Peninsula has volcanic igneous rocks of the Quaternary period. The Sobaeksanmaek Range splits off in a southwesterly direction from Mt. Taebaek (1546m) while the Taebaeksanmaek Range continues in a southerly direction all the way to the area of Busan.
Peaks of the Sobaeksan Range surpassing a thousand meters in altitude include Mt. Sobaek (1440m), Yeonhwabong (1394m), Munsubong (1162m), Mt. Juheul (1106m), and Mt. Songni (1058m), while the Mt. Gaya ridgeline that diverges in a southeasterly direction out of Mt. Daedeok has a number of peaks exceeding 1300m. Major passes of the Sobaeksanmaek Range that link the region with neighboring Chungcheong-do are Jungnyeong (689m), Ihwaryeong (548m), and Chupungnyeong (200m).
On the other hand, as the Taebaeksanmaek Range moves into Gyeongsang-do from Gangwon-do its elevations diminish. In the area between Yeongcheon and Gyeongju in Gyeongsangbuk-do the range’s watershed is only a bit over a hundred meters in elevation. But as the range moves further south it ascends once more, and in the border region between Gyeongsangbuk-do and Gyeongsangnam-do one again finds peaks in the range that surpass a thousand meters in altitude. Up until the 1960s the Nakdong River’s importance as an inland maritime highway exceeded that of other large rivers. Among the province’s major rivers flowing into the East Sea, the largest is the Hyeongsan River, which flows through the city of Gyeongju, whose basin totals some 1167 sq. km. in area.
The annual mean temperature of Gyeongsangbuk-do is in the range of 11–13˚C (51.8–55.4˚F). For August, the highest mean temperature is in Daegu (26–27˚C/78.8–80.6˚F), and the lowest in Uljin and on Ulleung counties (24˚C/75.2˚F). For January, the inland mountain regions average about -3.5˚C (25.7˚F) while the province’s eastern coastal regions average just above freezing. The inland regions of Gyeongsangbuk-do see little in terms of precipitation. Average annual precipitation in Yeongcheon, Chilgok, Uiseong, Seonsan, and Daegu does not surpass 1000mm, combine this with the region’s high temperatures and it makes for some of the most unbearable summers on the peninsula.
Gyeongsangbuk-do, along with Jeollanam-do, has the greatest extent of cultivatable land, but because of the extent of its mountainous regions the percentage of land under cultivation has never been very high, only about 16 percent. With the rapid aging of the rural population the area’s farming population is dropping and with it the area of cultivated land. Though it is second only to Jeollanam-do in terms of the area of paddy fields, Jeollabuk-do not only lags behind Jeollanam-do in terms of rice production but even behind Jeollabuk-do and Chungcheongnam-do. Presumably the many paddy fields found in the more mountainous regions are demanding to maintain, notably for irrigation.
Among dry field produce, the province is one of the country’s leading growers of hulled barley, sesame, chili pepper, apples, grapes, and peaches. Besides these, tobacco is an important crop in Cheongsong and Yeongyang counties, watermelon and oriental melon in Seongju county, garlic in Uiseong county, and ginseng in Yeongpung county. The fishing industry is not widely developed in the province, although between Uljin and Pohang one finds many beautiful inlets at places like Jukbyeon, Hupo, Ganggu, Pohang, Guryongpo, and Gampo. As far as mineral resources, the city of Mungyeong was once an important coal producer but most of the former mining landscape is now being transformed into tourism facilities. And in terms of industry, the area was traditionally important for its textiles but from the 1970s with the development of Pohang as a steel manufacturing center, the surrounding area also saw transformation into industrial parks producing steel products, auto parts, farm machinery, electronics, and metals.
Gyeongsangbuk-do has 10 cities (Pohang, Gyeongju, Gimcheon, Andong, Gumi, Yeongju, Yeongcheon, Sangju, Mungyeong, and Gyeongsan) and 13 counties (Gunwi, Uiseong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang, Yeongdeok, Cheongdo, Goryeong, Seongju, Chilgok, Yejeon, Bonghwa, Uljin, and Ulleung). Among these, the most populous is the city of Pohang (520,000, or 19.2 percent of the provincial population), followed by Gumi (420,000, 15.5%), Gyeongju (260,000, 9.8%), and Gyeongsan (250,000, 9.2%).
Gyeongsangbuk-do is full of tourist sites attracting both domestic and international visitors. These include the Andong area’s Andong Folk Museum, Andong Soju Museum, Hahoe Village, Hahoe mask dance, Dosan Sowon (a famed local Confucian academy); the Daegu area’s Yangnyeongsi Oriental Medicine Cultural Center, Dalseong Park, oriental medicine market, Dongseongno Street (a major fashion area), Mt. Palgong Provincial Park (and its Gatbawi, a boulder named for its resemblance to a traditional Korean hat); the Gyeongju region’s Bulguk Temple, Bomun Lake, Wolseong Park, Cheomseongdae (an ancient observatory), Anapji Pond, Banwolseong fortress, Gyeongju National Park, Seokguram Buddhist grotto, Hwangnyong Temple site, Mt. Nam, five royal tomb mounds, underwater tomb of Silla’s King Munmu, Oksan Sowon (another famous local Confucian academy), Gameun Temple, Yangdong village, Tongdo Temple; and not least the scenic beauty of Ulleung-do Island. Like Jeju-do Island, Ulleung-do was formed by volcanic activity and so its landscape is particularly striking. Indeed the entire island is scenic enough as to constitute a natural monument and there the visitor can experience some of the country’s most pristine and outstanding natural beauty.
