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Origin of Name: Seoul derived from the ancient word Seorabeol or Seobeol, meaning "capital"
Location: 126.59' east longitude and 37.34' north latitude
Climate: Seoul belongs to the temperate zone featured by four distinctive seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The yearly average temperature of Seoul is 12.9 degrees C. Temperatures in Seoul tend to fluctuate a great deal, reaching as high as 36.1 degrees C in the summer and dropping as low as -13.7 degrees C in the winter.
Influenced by the north Pacific high-pressure system, Seoul has hot and humid summers with average temperatures above 20 degrees C from June through September.
During the midsummer period the city often records daily highs of over 30 degrees C. In winter, Seoul is topographically influenced by the expansion of the Siberian high-pressure and prevailing west wind with temperatures dropping lower than other regions on the same latitude. The rise and fall of the high pressure system causes a typical cycle of three successive cold days followed by four warmer days, relieving people from freezing temperatures.
The annual precipitation in Seoul averages 1,210.2 mm, which is more than the average amount of rainfall across the peninsula. Most of the rainfall is concentrated in the rainy months (monsoon period) of June through September when downpours account for about 70 % of the total annual precipitation. Except for those rainy spells, however, Seoul boasts fine weather throughout the year and is especially famous for its azure autumn skies.
Area: The area of Seoul as of the end of 1997 is 605.52km2, or 0.6% of the entire country. The Hangang (Han River) bisects the city into two parts, northern and southern Seoul. Northern Seoul totals 297.97km2 (49.2 %) while the southern part is 307.55 km2 (50.8 %).
The expansion of the city has been curbed since the last administrative reorganization in 1973. The lifestyles of Seoul citizens, however, have been influenced since the 1970's due to the rapid growth of satellite cities around the capital area, like Bundang, Ilsan and Incheon.
Population: Metro Seoul has a population of over 12 million. This accounts for about a quarter of the total national population. It has one of the highest population densities in the world. As for the proportion of male to female, excluding foreigners, is about 50/50. In the past 600 years since Seoul became the capital of the nation in 1394, the population of Seoul has grown 110 times.
The number of foreign residents in Seoul as of the end of 1999 is 57,189 or about 0.55 % of Seoul's total population. They include 18,763 Americans, 12,283 Chinese, and 6,332 Japanese. There are people of more than 90 different nationalities currently residing in Seoul, forming a small global village.
For more information on what life is like in Seoul, just click on this sentence.
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