Jeju Island

Jeju Island

Nickname: Sammudo, Samdado ("Island of Three Lacks and Three Abundances")
Satellite image of Jeju Island
Map of Jeju Island
Jeju Island
Geography
Location	East Asia
Coordinates	33°23′N 126°32′E / 33.38°N 126.53°E / 33.38; 126.53
Archipelago	Jeju
Area	1,826[1] km2 (705 sq mi)
Length	73 km (45.4 mi)
Width	31 km (19.3 mi)
Highest elevation	1,950 m (6400 ft)
Highest point	Hallasan
Administration
South Korea
Special Self-Governing Province	Jeju Special Self-Governing Province
Largest settlement	Jeju City (pop. 501,791)
North Korea (claimed)
Province	South Chŏlla Province
County-level division	Cheju Island (further divided into 1 ŭp and 12 myŏn)
Demographics
Population	678,324 (October 2022)
Pop. density	316/km2 (818/sq mi)
Languages	Jeju, Korean
Ethnic groups	Jejuans, Korean
Korean name
Hangul	제주도
Hanja	濟州島
Revised Romanization	Jejudo
McCune–Reischauer	Chejudo

Jeju Island (Jeju/Korean: 제주도; IPA: [tɕeːdʑudo]) is South Korea's largest island, covering an area of 1,833.2 km² (707.8 sq mi), which is 1.83 percent of the total area of the country. Alongside outlying islands, it is part of Jeju Province.

The island lies in the Korea Strait, south of the Korean Peninsula, and South Jeolla Province. It is located 82.8 km (51.4 mi) off the nearest point on the peninsula.^[2] 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.^[3]

Jeju Island has an oval shape of 73 km (45 mi) east–west and 31 km (19 mi) north–south, with a gentle slope around Mt. Halla in the center. The length of the main road is 181 km (112 mi) and the coastline is 258 km (160 mi). On the northern end of Jeju Island is Kimnyeong 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.^[4] It contains a natural World Heritage Site, the Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes.^[5] Jeju Island has a temperate climate which is moderate; even in winter, the temperature rarely falls below 0 °C (32 °F). Jeju is a popular holiday destination and a sizable portion of the economy relies on tourism and related economic activity.