Korea (formerly also known as Corea) is two countries in east Asia, North Korea and South Korea. Prior to the mid-20th century Korea was a kingdom of Asia, consisting chiefly of a peninsula lying northeast of China, bounded to the north by Manchuria, east by the Sea of Japan, to the south by the Strait of Korea, which parts it from the Japanese Islands, and to the west by the Yellow Sea. The chief boundaries in the north were the rivers Yalu and Tumen, and mountain ranges. Soul, or Seoul, was the capital. The peninsula is traversed through its length by a mountain range, abrupt and precipitous on the east, but forming a gentle slope on the west side, which, being watered by the principal rivers of the country, is exceedingly fertile. The peninsula abounds in minerals, gold, silver, iron,copper, lead, and coal, and the Koreans have a tradition of much artistic skill in the art of working metals. Korea was governed by a king, whose sway was nominally absolute.
Untill the late 19th century China was suzerain of Korea, but the war in 1894-95 between China and Japan ended this, the Chinese withdrawing in favour of the Japanese. Through the successes of the Japanese in their war with Russia, ending in 1905, Korea fell entirely under their influence. Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taouism were the chief religions. Research Korea
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Abbreviations
Gazetteer
Research Korea
