South Korea

South Korea is a country in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula, bordering North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone. This mountainous peninsula is bordered by the Yellow Sea to the west and the Sea of Japan to the east. South Korea can be split into four regions: the eastern region with high mountain ranges and coastal plains, the western region with wide coastal plains, river valleys and hills, the south-western region with mountains and valleys, and the south-eastern region with the wide Nakdong River basin. There are three terrestrial ecoregions in South Korea: The Central Korean Deciduous Forest, the Manchurian Mixed Forest and the South Korean Evergreen Forest. South Korea's topography is mostly mountainous and much of it is uncultivated, with the plains in the west and south-east accounting for only 30% of the country's total land area. South Korea boasts 20 national parks and attractions such as Boseong Tea Fields, Suncheon Bay Ecological Park and Jirisan. The country's wildlife is similar to that of northern and northeastern China. The most populous large mammals in the wild are deer. Tigers, leopards, bobcats and bears, which were once plentiful, have all but disappeared, even in remote areas. The country is home to about 380 species of birds, the majority of which are seasonal migrants. In South Korea, many species of fish, reptiles and amphibians are under threat from intensive farming and pollution, except in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, which has become a de facto protected area. It includes many ecosystems, including forests, estuaries and wetlands visited by migratory birds.