Jeju Island

Jeju is a big island in South Korea.

A long time ago, a volcano made the land. This island has a very tall mountain in the middle. It also has many small hills from old volcanoes.

The weather is warm and wet. It stays warm even in the winter. This helps many plants grow there.

There are special forests on the island. The rain goes into the ground to make fresh water. This water helps the people who live there.

Many people go to the island for a holiday. It is a very pretty place to see.

Jeju Island is the largest island in South Korea.

It sits in the Korea Strait. The island has an oval shape. A very tall mountain called Hallasan sits in the middle. This mountain is the highest in South Korea. The island also has about 360 oreum. These are small hills made by old volcanoes.

A volcano made this land a long time ago. It started with eruptions under the sea. This happened about two million years ago. The island is made mostly of basalt and lava. There are special forests called gotjawal. These forests grew on hard lava. They are very important for the island. Rain goes through the cracks in the lava. This makes the fresh water that half a million people use.

The weather is warm and wet. This is called a subtropical climate. Summers are hot and humid. Winters are cool. It is often warmer in the south than the north. Many people visit the island for holidays. Tourism helps the local economy grow. People have lived here since the early Neolithic period. The Jeju language is still used, but it is at risk.

Jeju Island is the largest island in South Korea.

It sits in the Korea Strait, south of the Korean Peninsula. The island is part of Jeju Province. It has an oval shape that stretches east to west and north to south. Many people visit the island for holidays. Tourism is a huge part of the local economy. The island is a very special place with a natural World Heritage Site. This site is called the Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes.

The island was made by volcanoes a long time ago. About two million years ago, a submarine volcano began to erupt. A magma chamber formed under the sea floor about 1.2 million years ago. Later, volcanic activity restarted along the coastline. About 100,000 years ago, the famous Hallasan Mountain was formed. About 25,000 years ago, smaller eruptions created many "oreum." These are about 360 small extinct volcanoes or cones.

People have lived on Jeju since the early Neolithic period. Long ago, the island was an independent kingdom called Tamna. A legend says three divine founders emerged from holes in the ground. These holes are called Samseonghyeol and are still in Jeju City. The island has had many names over the years. Europeans once called it Quelpart. The Jeju language is still spoken, but UNESCO says it is critically endangered. Shamanism is also a very important part of the local culture.

Jeju has a subtropical climate with four distinct seasons. Summers are hot and humid with a lot of rain. Winters are cool, but it rarely gets very cold. The south of the island, near Seogwipo, is warmer in winter. This is because Hallasan Mountain blocks the cold winds. The highlands near the mountain are much colder and wetter. In 2016, a cold wave even caused 1,200 flights to be cancelled. This left over 90,000 passengers stuck on the island.

The land itself is very unique because of the lava. About 12% of the island is covered in gotjawal forests. These forests grew on hard "a'a" lava. Because the ground is so rocky, the forests stayed wild for a long time. These forests are very important for the half million people living on Jeju. Rain falls and sinks through cracks in the lava. This water fills an aquifer to provide fresh water for everyone. Many plants and animals on the island are found nowhere else.

Jeju Island is the largest island in South Korea.

It covers 1,850 square kilometers. This area represents 1.83% of the total area of South Korea. The island sits in the Korea Strait. It is located south of the Korean Peninsula. Jeju is part of Jeju Province. It makes up most of that province. The island has an oval shape. It stretches both east-to-west and north-to-south. The landscape features a gentle slope around a central mountain. This mountain is Hallasan. It is the highest peak in South Korea.

The island formed through volcanic activity. This process began approximately 2 million years ago. It started with a submarine volcano. About 1.2 million years ago, a magma chamber formed under the sea floor. This chamber began to erupt. Volcanic activity continued about 700,000 years ago. Then, the activity stopped for about 100,000 years. Around 300,000 years ago, eruptions restarted along the coastline. About 100,000 years ago, Hallasan Mountain was formed. Roughly 25,000 years ago, lateral eruptions occurred around the mountain. These eruptions created many oreum. An oreum is a small extinct volcano or parasitic cone. There are about 360 oreum on the island. These include Geomunoreum, Yongnuni Oreum, and Geum Oreum.

Jeju has a unique landscape made of basalt and lava. About 12% of the island is called gotjawal. This is a local term for forests. These forests grew on a base of 'a'a lava. This type of lava is very rocky. Because of this, the land was difficult to use for farming. The forests remained uncultivated until the 21st century. This allowed them to stay pristine. These forests are very important for the ecosystem. They are the main source of groundwater for the island. Rainwater penetrates the cracks in the 'a'a lava. The water then fills an aquifer. This provides fresh water for the 500,000 people living there.

Humans have lived on the island since the early Neolithic period. Historically, Jeju was an independent kingdom. It was called Tamna, which means "island country." It remained independent until 938 AD. At that time, it became a vassal state of the Goryeo dynasty. In 1404, the Joseon dynasty brought the island under central control. A legend tells of the three divine founders of Tamna. These founders were Go, Yang, and Bu. They supposedly emerged from three holes in the ground. These holes are called Samseonghyeol. They are still preserved in Jeju City today.

The island has been known by many different names. Europeans often called it Quelpart. This name may come from a French word. It might refer to a Dutch ship called the quelpaert de Brack. This ship was a small dispatch vessel. Portuguese explorers called it Ilha de Ladrones. This means "Island of Thieves." In 1910, Japan annexed the island. During the occupation, it was known as Saishū. The Jeju language is still spoken by indigenous people. However, UNESCO considers it critically endangered. Shamanism also remains very intact on the island.

Jeju has a humid subtropical climate. There are four distinct seasons. Summers are hot and humid with high rainfall. Winters are cool with moderate rainfall. The geography affects the weather. Hallasan Mountain blocks continental seasonal winds. This makes the southern part, Seogwipo, warmer in winter. Seogwipo has the highest average January temperature in Korea. The northern part, Jeju City, is colder in winter. The highlands near Hallasan are different. As altitude increases, the temperature decreases. These highlands have the highest annual precipitation in Korea. In 2016, a cold wave hit the island. It cancelled 1,200 flights. This stranded about 90,300 passengers.

Many unique species live on the island. Many plants and animals have scientific names that link them to Jeju. For example, the spider Atypus quelpartensis lives there. The ant Camponotus jejuensis is also found on the island. Some species are found nowhere else. The island is also a major holiday destination. A large part of the economy relies on tourism. The island is home to a natural World Heritage Site. This site is called the Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes.