Seoul, the capital of South Korea, is the center of South Korea's politics, economy, culture and education, and is also the national land, sea and air transportation hub. Located in the middle of the Korean peninsula and in the basin, the Hanjiang River passes through the city in a roundabout way, about 30 kilometers from the west coast of the peninsula, about 185 kilometers from the east coast and about 260 kilometers from Pyongyang in the north. The strongest point of the city is 30.3 kilometers from north to south and 36.78 kilometers from east to west, with a total area of 605.5 square kilometers and a population of 9.796 million (2005).
June 5438 +2005 10, Seoul Mayor Lee Myung-bak held a press conference in the city government, announcing that the Chinese translation of Hancheng was changed to "Seoul" and the word "Seoul" was no longer used. Seoul has a long history. In ancient times, it was named "Hanyang" because it was located in the north of Hanshui River. /kloc-At the end of 0/4, after the Korean dynasty made Hanyang its capital, it was renamed "Seoul". During the colonial rule of the Korean peninsula in modern times, Seoul was renamed as the "capital". 1945 after the recovery of the Korean peninsula, it was renamed as an inherent Korean word, and the Roman alphabet was marked as "Seoul", meaning "capital".
The whole city of Seoul is surrounded by mountains and hills about 500 meters above sea level, and 40% of the urban area is mountains and rivers. The whole city is relatively high in the north. North Hanshan Mountain, Fengdaoshan Mountain and Yingfeng Mountain form a natural barrier. There are Shuiluo Mountain and Malong Peak in the northeast, Yueshan Mountain, Sansheng Mountain and Niumian Mountain in the south, and hills about 100 meter in the southeast and west, which form the outline of Seoul. The southwest of the city is the Gimpo Plain. The central part of the city is surrounded by Beiyue, Wang Ren and Anshan, forming a basin in the middle.
Han River, the largest river in South Korea, runs through the whole city from east to west, dividing Seoul into north and south. The river flowing through the urban area is about 4 1.5km long, 400- 1.000m wide and 6- 10m deep. Ruyi Island (about 7 square kilometers) and Silkworm Island, two islands formed by alluvial deposition in the middle of the river, have the largest Ruyi Island Square in Korea, the tallest building in the city, a 63-story parliament hall and an embassy district.
As the capital, Seoul has a history of nearly 600 years. According to legend, in 18 BC, King Wenzuo, the ancestor of Baekje, went south and built the capital city Yuli City on this site, which was later renamed Seoul. From 392 to 475 AD, Goguryeo occupied this area, calling the northern and southern parts of the Han River the Northern Hanshan Kingdom, which is now near South Pyongyang in Seoul. In the middle of the 7th century, Silla unified Korea and was incorporated into Hanshan County. Emperor Chengzong of South Korea (AD 960-997) upgraded this place to Yangzhou Pastoral (one of Koryo 12 Pastoral) and 1068, upgraded it to Nanjing, one of the three small Beijing (Xijing, Tokyo and Nanjing), and became a city. Nanjing New Palace was built in 1 104, and 1308 was upgraded to Hanyang House. Li Chenggui of the Li Dynasty built a large building here in 1393, and moved its capital here in 1394, which was called Seoul House. 19 10 It was renamed Capital House when it was occupied by Japan. 1945 after the recovery of the Korean peninsula, it was renamed as an inherent Korean word, and the Roman alphabet was marked as "Seoul", meaning "capital". 1In August, 949, South Korea designated Seoul as the "Seoul Special City".
Seoul Municipal Museum of Art
Since the 1960s, Seoul's economy has developed rapidly. In the early 1960s, South Korea implemented the export-oriented economic development strategy, supported large enterprises, and vigorously developed export processing industry, thus achieving economic take-off. In addition, Seoul is also vigorously developing tourism. Seoul has air links with Japan, Southeast Asia and European and American countries, and tourists from all countries can easily travel freely between Seoul and European and American countries. At home, Seoul is also connected with major cities such as Busan and Incheon through expressways, and the traffic is very convenient. Seoul-Incheon Line is the first modern expressway in Korea. Seoul-Busan Expressway passes through Shui Yuan, Tianan, Daejeon, Kamei, Daegu and Gyeongju, which marks an important step for South Korea to expand and modernize its transportation network. Seoul Metro has five lines with a total length of 125.7 km, ranking seventh in the world. The subway has the most advanced facilities, and the ticketing and charging systems are automated.
Seoul is also the cultural and educational center of Korea, with 34 universities including Seoul University and Korea University.
There are many places of interest in the city, including Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changdeok Palace, Changgyeonggung Palace, Deshou Palace and Secret Garden. Under the shadow of the urban area, ancient palaces and temples are equivalent to towering modern buildings, showing the ancient and modern history and times of Seoul.
Seoul is also an ideal place for tourists to shop. You can buy duty-free goods in large department stores such as New World, Lotte, Medobo and Dong Bang Plaza in the city center. Duty-free goods in Seoul are all at a uniform price.
From June 5438 to February 2003, the South Korean National Assembly passed the Special Law on the New Administrative Capital, and decided to move the administrative capital from Seoul to the central region. In August 2004, the South Korean government finalized and officially announced the address of the new administrative capital, and Yanqi-Zhougong, located in central South Korea, will become the new administrative capital. The South Korean government is scheduled to start building a new administrative capital in Yanqi-Zhougong in July 2007, and it will become a city with a population of 300,000 in 2020 and a city with a population of 500,000 in 2030. From 20 12 to 20 14, the main state administrative organs in Korea will be moved to the new administrative capital. In June 5438 +2004 10, the Korean Constitutional Court ruled that the Special Law on the New Administrative Capital passed by the South Korean National Assembly in February 2003 was unconstitutional. The South Korean government's plan to move the administrative capital from Seoul to the central region will be forced to stop.