Basic Facts
- Official title: Seoul Metropolitan city
- Location: In the center of the Korean Peninsula near the West Coast.
- Topography: Seoul is a city surrounded by mountains 700-800 meters high. Namsan (Mount Nam) is situated in the center of the city home to the popular N Seoul Tower, one of the main tourist attractions in Seoul. The Han River flows across the city from East to West dividing the city into two main areas: North of the River and South of the River.
- Population: 10,464,051
- Area: 605.25 km2 (233.69 sq mi.) Second largest metropolitan area in the world after Tokyo, with over 25 million inhabitants.
- Language: Korean (Major tourist attractions offer language services in English, Japanese and Chinese).
- Religion: Christianity 25%, Buddhism 25%, Minor religios groups include confucianism and others.
- Climate: Four distinctive seasons: Cold and dry winters, hot and humid summers and rather clear and dry spring and fall.
Fun Facts
- The number “4″ is considered extremely unlucky, to the point where most buildings in Korea do not have a 4th floor.
- Due to its very large population and relatively small area, Seoul is known for its population density which is about 44,776 people per square mile.
- In Seoul, taxi’s are color coded. Grey or white taxis are basic cars with less experienced drivers. Black cabs are bit more luxurious and have more experienced drivers.
- Soju is South Korea’s rice wine traditionally served in small shot glasses and drank all at once with a shout of ‘Gumbay!’
- Housed inside of many temples is the golden bell of re-union that symbolizes the wish that North and South Korea will re-unite one day.
- Taekwondo is the national sport of South Korea and many Korean kids learn taekwondo as a routine part of their education.
- Many people in Seoul live in high-rise, high-tech apartments; some of them have robots to do the housework.
- Because of the high level of rain, fruit in Korea is absurdly expensive. A watermelon is about $30,000 won – about $26.50 in US dollars.
- Koreans love SPAM. During the war, US soldiers introduced SPAM to Korea and It ended up becoming a countrywide favorite.
- Koreans love sweet potatoes. Deep fried sweet potato, sweet potato cake, sweet potato crackers, sweet potato chips, sweet potato bread, sweet potato latte, sweet potato salad, sweet potato pizza…you name it.
- Tipping is not required in Korea.
- Most stores in Seoul are open until at least 10:30 or 11:00 pm. Restaurants, bars, cafes and street vendors stay open even later til 3 or 4 am.