South Jeolla Province


South Jeolla Province, formerly South Chŏlla Province, also known as Jeonnam, is a province in the Honam region, South Korea, and the southernmost province in mainland Korea. South Jeolla borders the provinces of North Jeolla to the north, South Gyeongsang to the northeast, and Jeju to the southwest in the Korea Strait.
Suncheon is the largest city in the province, closely followed by Yeosu. Other major cities include Mokpo, Gwangyang and Naju.
Jeolla-do, including both North and South Jeolla, was the first province out of the Eight Provinces system to have its 1000th year anniversary in 2018, as the name 'Jeolla-do' was established in 1018, during Hyeonjong of Goryeo's 9th year in power.

History

Proto Three Kingdoms period

During the Samhan period, South Jeolla belonged to Mahan

Three Kingdoms period

In the Three Kingdoms period, it belonged to Gujihakseong of the southern five regions of Baekje, with Mujinju as its center.

Unified Silla, North and South period

During the Unified Silla period, with the establishment of nine provinces and five subordinate regions, the area remained under Mujinju. In the 16th year of King Gyeongdeok's reign, Mujinju was renamed to Muju and came to oversee 15 counties and 43 prefectures.

Goryeo dynasty

In the 2nd year of King Seongjong of Goryeo, when the national administrative divisions were reorganized into twelve mok, Naju-mok and Seungju-mok were established. In the 14th year of King Seongjong's reign, with the implementation of the province system, the nation was divided into ten provinces, and the region was called Haeyangdo. In the 9th year of King Hyeonjong's reign, Haeyangdo was merged with Gangnamdo, and the name Jeollado was officially adopted.

Joseon dynasty

During the Joseon Dynasty, the country was divided into eight provinces, and names such as Gwangnamdo, Jeongwangdo, and Jeonnamdo were occasionally used. However, the name Jeollado was predominantly maintained.
On May 26, 1895, with the implementation of the 23-bu system, Jeollado was subdivided into Jeonju-bu, Namwon-bu, Naju-bu, and Jeju-bu. Currently, seven cities and counties, including Suncheon and Damyang, belong to Namwon-bu, and Yeonggwang and Jangseong is part of Jeonju-bu, and the remaining sixteen cities and counties belong to Naju-bu.
On August 4, 1896, Decree No. 36 abolished the 23-bu system. During the reorganization process, the existing eight provinces were divided into thirteen provinces by splitting five provinces into northern and southern regions. As a result, Jeollado was split into north and south, with the southern part being renamed Jeollanam-do,or South Jeolla Province, as it is known today, encompassing 1 moks and 32 counties.

Geography

The province is part of the Honam region, and is bounded on the west by the Yellow Sea, on the north by Jeollabuk-do Province, on the south by Jeju Strait, and on the east by Gyeongsangnam-do.
There are almost 2,000 islands along the coastline, about three quarters of which are uninhabited. The coastline is about long. Some of the marine products, in particular oyster and seaweed cultivation, are leading in South Korea.
The province is only partially mountainous. The plains along the rivers Seomjin, Yeongsan and Tamjin are suitable for large-scale grain agriculture. There is abundant rainfall in the area, which helps agriculture. The province is also home to the warmest weather on the peninsula. This helps to produce large amounts of agricultural produce, mainly rice, wheat, barley, pulses and potatoes. Vegetables, cotton and fruits are also grown in the province.

Environment

A small amount of gold and coal is mined in the province, but industries have also been developed in the area. The amount of harmful heavy metals in the province is one-thirtieth of the environmental standard requirement, boasting clean air.

Demographics

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Administrative divisions

Jeollanam-do is divided into 5 cities and 17 counties. Listed below is the name of each entity in English, hangul, and hanja.
MapNameHangulHanjaPopulation Area
Population density
2021 		Subdivisions

Yeosu268,823510.08 km2526.75/km21 eup, 6 myeon, 20 haengjeong-dong

Mokpo목포시木浦市210,80651.58 km24,288.06/km223 haengjeong-dong

Suncheon순천시順天市276,375907.43 km2301.76/km21 eup, 10 myeon, 13 haengjeong-dong

Gwangyang광양시光陽市154,226458.89 km2314.29/km21 eup, 6 myeon, 5 haengjeong-dong

Naju나주시羅州市116,891608.45 km2189.23/km21 eup, 12 myeon, 7 haengjeong-dong

Muan County무안군務安郡92,009448.95 km2200.68/km23 eup, 6 myeon

Haenam County해남군海南郡63,4571,013.8 km262.38/km21 eup, 13 myeon

Goheung County고흥군高興郡60,385807.23 km272.93/km22 eup, 14 myeon

Hwasun County화순군和順郡60,886786.9 km276.42/km21 eup, 12 myeon

Yeongam County영암군靈巖郡55,998604.24 km292.68/km22 eup, 9 myeon

Yeonggwang County영광군靈光郡48,981473.69 km2103.40/km23 eup, 8 myeon

Wando County완도군莞島郡47,210396.13 km2119.18/km23 eup, 9 myeon

Damyang County담양군潭陽郡44,034455.12 km296.75/km21 eup, 11 myeon

Boseong County보성군寶城郡36,981663.35 km255.75/km22 eup, 10 myeon

Jangseong County장성군長城郡40,604518.65 km278.29/km21 eup, 10 myeon

Jangheung County장흥군長興郡34,268618.2 km255.43/km23 eup, 7 myeon

Gangjin County강진군康津郡31,941500.28 km263.85/km21 eup, 10 myeon

Sinan County신안군新安郡34,000663.59 km251.24/km22 eup, 12 myeon

Hampyeong County함평군咸平郡29,369392.43 km274.84/km21 eup, 8 myeon

Jindo County진도군珍島郡29,013440.1 km265.92/km21 eup, 6 myeon

Gokseong County곡성군谷城郡26,781547.44 km248.92/km21 eup, 10 myeon

Gurye County구례군求禮郡23,543443.2 km253.12/km21 eup, 7 myeon

Sister cities and provinces