South Gyeongsang Province


South Gyeongsang Province is a province in the southeast of South Korea. The provincial capital is at Changwon. It is adjacent to the major metropolitan center and port of Busan. There is UNESCO World Heritage Site Haeinsa, a Buddhist temple that houses the Tripitaka Koreana and attracts many tourists. Automobile and petrochemical factories are largely concentrated along the southern part of the province, extending from Ulsan through Busan, Changwon, and Jinju.

Etymology

The name derives ;. The name derives from the names of the principal cities of Gyeongju and Sangju.

History

Before 1895, the area corresponding to modern-day South Gyeongsang Province was part of Gyeongsang Province, one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon. In 1895, southern Gyeongsang was replaced by the districts of Jinju in the west and Dongnae in the east. In 1896, they were merged to form South Gyeongsang Province.
The provincial capital was originally at Jinju; it moved in 1925 to Busan. In 1948, South Gyeongsang Province became part of South Korea. In 1963, Busan separated from South Gyeongsang Province to become a Directly Governed City. In 1983, the provincial capital moved from Busan to Changwon.
In 1995, Busan became a Metropolitan City, and Ulsan separated from South Gyeongsang Province to become a Metropolitan City in 1997.

Geography

The province is part of the Yeongnam region, on the north by North Gyeongsang Province, on the west by North Jeolla Province and South Jeolla Province, and on the south by the Korea Strait far from Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. Most of the province is drained by the Nakdong River and its tributaries. The total area of the province is.

Resources

The Nakdong delta plain around Gimhae is one of the best granaries in South Korea. Agricultural products form Gyeongsangnam-do include rice, beans, potatoes, and barley. The area is renowned for its cotton, sesame, and fruits which are grown along the southern seaside. A number of marine products are caught. The province is one of the country's leading fisheries.

Major cities

The largest cities in the region are Busan and Ulsan, which are separately administered as provincial-level Metropolitan Cities. Apart from the capital Changwon, other large or notable cities include Gimhae and Jinju.

Attractions

Gyeongsangnam-do is the home of Haeinsa, a Buddhist temple that houses the Tripitaka Koreana and attracts many tourists. It is in the national park around Jirisan on the border with Jeollabuk-do. The temple was first built in 802.
Changnyeong County contains three major tourist attractions for the province: Upo Wetland, the natural hotsprings of Bugok, and Hwawangsan.
Yangsan-si contains two major temples for the province: Tongdosa and Naewon Temple

Administrative divisions

Gyeongsangnam-do is divided into 8 cities and 10 counties. The names below are given in English, hangul, and hanja.
Map#NameHangulHanjaPopulation Subdivisions
------
— Specific City —-----
1Changwon창원시昌原市1,106,0815 ilban-gu — 2 eup, 6 myeon, 54 haengjeong-dong
2Gimhae김해시金海市531,3831 eup, 6 myeon, 12 haengjeong-dong
— City —-----
3Jinju진주시晉州市341,2211 eup, 15 myeon, 15 haengjeong-dong
4Yangsan양산시梁山市274,7701 eup, 4 myeon, 8 haengjeong-dong
5Geoje거제시巨濟市245,9729 myeon, 10 haengjeong-dong
6Tongyeong통영시統營市143,0391 eup, 6 myeon, 8 haengjeong-dong
7Sacheon사천시泗川市117,9681 eup, 7 myeon, 6 haengjeong-dong
8Miryang밀양시密陽市109,9672 eup, 9 myeon, 5 haengjeong-dong
— County —-----
9Haman County함안군咸安郡70,4432 eup, 8 myeon
10Geochang County거창군居昌郡63,5361 eup, 11 myeon
11Changnyeong County창녕군昌寧郡64,2972 eup, 12 myeon
12Goseong County고성군固城郡58,5531 eup, 13 myeon
13Namhae County남해군南海郡48,8991 eup, 9 myeon
14Hapcheon County합천군陜川郡50,7131 eup, 16 myeon
15Hadong County하동군河東郡51,2351 eup, 12 myeon
16Hamyang County함양군咸陽郡41,1551 eup, 10 myeon
17Sancheong County산청군山淸郡36,0791 eup, 10 myeon
18Uiryeong County의령군宜寧郡31,0271 eup, 12 myeon

Religion

According to the census of 2005, of the people of South Gyeongsang 40% follow Buddhism and 14.8% follow Christianity. 45.2% of the population is mostly not religious or follow Muism and other indigenous religions.

Sister districts