South Gyeongsang Province

"Gyeongnam" redirects here. For other uses, see Gyeongnam (disambiguation).

South Gyeongsang Province 경상남도
Province
Korean transcription(s)
• Hangul	경상남도
• Hanja	慶尙南道
• McCune‑Reischauer	Kyŏngsangnam-do
• Revised Romanization	Gyeongsangnam-do
Flag Official logo of South Gyeongsang Province Logo
Country	South Korea
Region	Yeongnam
Capital	Changwon
Subdivisions	8 cities; 10 counties
Government
• Governor	Hong Jun-pyo
Area
• Total	10,533 km2 (4,067 sq mi)
Area rank	4th
Population (October, 2014)
• Total	3,344,403
• Rank	2nd
• Density	300/km2 (800/sq mi)
Metropolitan Symbols
• Flower	Rose
• Tree	Zelkova
• Bird	White heron
Dialect	Gyeongsang
Website	gsnd.net

South Gyeongsang Province (Korean: 경상남도; Gyeongsangnam-do) 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

from Korean Gyeongsang, meaning "joyous furthermore"; from gyeong (Korean)경, (Hanja) 慶 , meaning "happy", and sang (Korean) 상, (Hanja) 尚 , meaning "still more"). The name derives from names of the principal cities of Gyeongju (경주; 慶州) and Sangju (상주; 尙州).

History

Before 1895, the area corresponding to modern-day Gyeongsangnam-do was part of Gyeongsang Province, one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. In 1895, southern Gyeongsang was replaced by the districts of Jinju in the west and Dongnae (modern-day Busan) in the east. In 1896, they were merged to form Gyeongsangnam-do.

The provincial capital was originally at Jinju; it moved in 1925 to Busan. In 1948, Gyeongsangnam-do became part of South Korea. In 1963, Busan separated from Gyeongsangnam-do to become a Directly Governed City (Jikhalsi). In 1983, the provincial capital moved from Busan to Changwon.

In 1995, Busan became a Metropolitan City (Gwangyeoksi), and Ulsan separated from Gyeongsangnam-do to become a Metropolitan City in 1997.

Geography

The province is part of the Yeongnam region, on the north by Gyeongsangbuk-do province, on the west Jeollabuk-do and Jeollanam-do provinces, and on the south by the Korea Strait. Most of the province is drained by the Nakdong River and its tributaries. The total area of the province is 10,533 square kilometres (4,067 sq mi).

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

Yeongnamru in Miryang, province Gyeongsangnam-do. A pavilion from the Joseon Dynasty

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 (1,915 m) 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, Bugok natural hotsprings, and Hwawang mountain.

Administrative divisions

Gimhae

Tongyeong

Yangsan

Gyeongsangnam-do is divided into 8 cities (si) and 10 counties (gun). The names below are given in English, hangul, and hanja.

Map	#	Name	Hangul	Hanja	Population (2012)	Subdivisions
	— Specific City —
	1	Changwon	창원시	昌原市	1,106,081	5 ilban-gu — 2 eup, 6 myeon, 54 haengjeong-dong
	2	Gimhae	김해시	金海市	531,383	1 eup, 6 myeon, 12 haengjeong-dong
	— City —
	3	Jinju	진주시	晉州市	341,221	1 eup, 15 myeon, 15 haengjeong-dong
	4	Yangsan	양산시	梁山市	274,770	1 eup, 4 myeon, 8 haengjeong-dong
	5	Geoje	거제시	巨濟市	245,972	9 myeon, 10 haengjeong-dong
	6	Tongyeong	통영시	統營市	143,039	1 eup, 6 myeon, 8 haengjeong-dong
	7	Sacheon	사천시	泗川市	117,968	1 eup, 7 myeon, 6 haengjeong-dong
	8	Miryang	밀양시	密陽市	109,967	2 eup, 9 myeon, 5 haengjeong-dong
	— County —
	9	Haman County	함안군	咸安郡	70,443	2 eup, 8 myeon
	10	Geochang County	거창군	居昌郡	63,536	1 eup, 11 myeon
	11	Changnyeong County	창녕군	昌寧郡	64,297	2 eup, 12 myeon
	12	Goseong County	고성군	固城郡	58,553	1 eup, 13 myeon
	13	Namhae County	남해군	南海郡	48,899	1 eup, 9 myeon
	14	Hapcheon County	합천군	陜川郡	50,713	1 eup, 16 myeon
	15	Hadong County	하동군	河東郡	51,235	1 eup, 12 myeon
	16	Hamyang County	함양군	咸陽郡	41,155	1 eup, 10 myeon
	17	Sancheong County	산청군	山淸郡	36,079	1 eup, 10 myeon
	18	Uiryeong County	의령군	宜寧郡	31,027	1 eup, 12 myeon

Religion

Religion in South Gyeongsang (2005)

  Not religious (45.2%)

  Buddhism (40%)

  Protestantism (8.8%)

  Catholicism (6%)

According to the census of 2005, of the people of South Gyeongsang 40% follow Buddhism and 14.8% follow Christianity (8.8% Protestantism and 6% Catholicism). 45.2% of the population is mostly not religious or follow Muism and other indigenous religions.

Sister districts

• Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan (July 26, 1987)
• Maryland, United States (November 18, 1991)
• Shandong Province (September 8, 1993)
• East Java (May 9, 1996)
• Đồng Nai Province (September 1, 1996)
• Khabarovsk Krai (September 14, 1996)
• Jalisco (March 10, 1997)
• Laguna province (April 15, 1997)
• Pomeranian Voivodeship (April 22, 1997)
• Fejér County (April 24, 1997)

See also

• List of Korea-related topics
• Igeum-dong site - complex archaeological site in Sacheon-si
• Tongyeong International Music Festival

Changnyeong Temple at the base of Mount Hwawang

External links

• Gyeongsangnam-do English-language home page