Han River (Korea)
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The Han River in South Korea is the confluence of the Namhan River (South Han River), which originates in Mount Daedeok, and the Bukhan River (North Han River), which originates on the slopes of Mount Geumgang in North Korea. The River flows through Seoul and then merges with the Imjin River shortly before it flows into the Yellow Sea. The total length of the Han River is 514 km. Although it is not a long river, the lower Han is remarkably broad for such a relatively short river. Within Seoul city limits, the river is more than 1 km wide. The river is also known for its huge coefficient of river regime (ratio between the maximum and minimum amount of flow) of 1:390. (For comparison, The Thames and the Rhine have coefficients of 1:8 and 1:18, respectively.)[1] The Han River and its surrounding area played an important role in Korean history. The Three Kingdoms of Korea strove to take control of this land, where the river was used as a trade route to China (via the Yellow Sea). However, the river is no longer actively used for navigation, because its estuary is located at the borders of the two Koreas, barred for entrance by any civilian.
The nameThe Namhan meaning South Han, Gang meaning river is sometimes, but not always, referred to as the "Han" in South Korea. The term "South Han" is understood irrespective of which side of the border one stands. Even though "Namhan" and "Bukhan" are synonymous to the acronyms Namhan (남한; South Korea) and Bukhan (북한; North Korea), used commonly in South Korea, this is a mere coincidence. The hanja for the Han River is not "韓" ("Korea") but "漢" (the Chinese Han dynasty or "China" in general)like that man in the black suite Tributaries of the HanTributaries are listed in order from the mouth of the Han to the source. Subtributaries are listed accordingly. Image:Jungnangcheon meets Han, seen from Donghodaegho.jpg
Jungnancheon meets Han, seen from Dongho Bridge
Bridges over the lower HanA total of 27 bridges of Han River in Seoul National Capital Area(Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon), South Korea, are, From the west to the east Image:Seoul-Han.River-08.jpg
Hangang Railway Bridge and Hangang Bridge
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TriviaThe Han River is the setting for The Host, in which the Wonhyo Bridge plays an important part. See also
External links
da:Han de:Hangang et:Hani jõgi (Korea) fr:Han (fleuve) ko:한강 hr:Han (rijeka u Koreji) ku:Rûbarê Han lt:Han upė nl:Han Gang (rivier) ja:漢江 no:Hanelva (Korea) pl:Han-gang pt:Rio Han ru:Ханган vi:Sông Hán (Triều Tiên) |
