South Korea is a small peninsula filled with metropolitan cities, small towns, mountains, and rivers. It is about the size of the state of Indiana and is located in between China and Japan. Its cities are built at the base of the mountains and are close to the coastal sea. For example, the two biggest metropolitan cities—Seoul and Busan— are surrounded by mountains and are right by the water.
Mountains helped make cities safe from enemies, while rivers helped trade business flourish. Han River flows through Seoul until it meets the ocean. Busan is right by the ocean. Some parts of Busan resemble Miami and San Francisco (where I am from). In fact, the popular Diamond Bridge is modeled after San Francisco's Bay Bridge! When I visited Busan, I felt as though I was back home.
Did you know that South Korea was established on August 15, 1948? In 1948, Korea was ranked as one of the poorest countries in the world. It was predominantly an agricultural country, while North Korea contained industries and had more access to electrical power.
After the Korean War between North and South Korea (1950 -1953), South Korea began developing. From 1961 to 1996, South Korea rapidly developed and transformed into the prosperous, post-industrial society that we see today.
