South Korea

South Korea overview

South Korea is in Eastern Asia, Asia. Its capital is Seoul. The World Bank counts about 51.7 million people for 2025 on 100,460 km² of surface area.

In the Travle map, South Korea has 1 neighbour: North Korea. From there, 125 countries can be reached by land.

Population, density and language

The World Bank counts 51,684,564 people in South Korea for 2025, which is 29th of 170 by population. Spread over 100,460 km² of surface area (2024), that is about 514 people per km², 6th of 169 by density.

Rankings compare the entries in Travle's country list that have World Bank data (170 with population, 169 with surface area). Some list entries are territories, so a rank here is not a rank among sovereign states.

CLDR shares are estimates of people who use each language, so they can add up to more than 100%.

How big is South Korea, really?

With 100,460 km² (2024, land plus inland water), South Korea is 109th of 169 by surface area and covers 0.07% of the combined area of those entries.

In that ordering, Iceland (103,000 km²) is just larger; United Arab Emirates (98,648 km²) just smaller.

South Korea at a glance

Each figure is sourced in its own section below. "Not available" means no source used on this page has the figure.

South Korea within Eastern Asia

Natural Earth places South Korea in Eastern Asia (UN subregion). Of the 6 entries from Travle's country list in that subregion, South Korea is 3rd by population and 5th by surface area, with 3.2% of the combined population of those entries.

Entries in Eastern Asia from Travle's country list, by World Bank population

Country	Population (2025)	Area km² (2024)
China	1,406,585,000	9,562,910
Japan	123,366,734	377,975
South Korea	51,684,564	100,460
North Korea	26,571,036	120,540
Mongolia	3,568,978	1,564,116
Taiwan	–	–

Sources: World Bank WDI (SP.POP.TOTL, AG.SRF.TOTL.K2), data updated 2026-10-08; subregion from Natural Earth 1:110m. A dash means the World Bank has no figure.

Location, borders and position

South Korea is in Eastern Asia, Asia. Its outline in Natural Earth lies in the northern hemisphere and the eastern hemisphere. Its capital, Seoul, is at about 37.6° N and 127.0° E.

On land, Natural Earth's boundary data gives South Korea 1 neighbour; the Travle game map gives it 1.

Sources: Natural Earth 1:110m (outline and capital) and 1:10m boundary lines (neighbours), public domain.

Where South Korea is on the map

Countries bordering South Korea

Natural Earth's boundary data and the Travle map agree on this 1 land neighbour. Natural Earth marks part of the line with North Korea as line of control.

Land neighbours of South Korea: geographic boundary data compared with the Travle game map

Country	Direction	Land boundary in Natural Earth	Border in Travle
North Korea	north	Yes (line of control segment)	Yes

Geographic column: Natural Earth 1:10m Admin-0 boundary lines (land) 5.1.0 (public domain), checked 2026-10-19; Natural Earth shows de facto boundaries and does not settle disputes. Travle column: the game's own border map.

Money and language in South Korea

Currency

• Won: code KRW, numeric 410. ISO 4217 lists it for this country only.

Official languages

• Korean: official in 2 territories in CLDR, including South Korea.

CLDR is a technical reference, not a legal text. Laws and constitutions can describe languages differently.

Currency, domain and dialling code

South Korea codes and abbreviations

Sources: Natural Earth (ISO 3166-1), ISO 4217 list one (SIX), IANA Root Zone Database, ITU E.164 list; linked with dates in the sections above.

Fun facts about South Korea

• With about 514 people per km², it is 6th by density in that list.
• It has a single land neighbour in Natural Earth's boundary data.
• The longest Travle trip from South Korea takes 14 steps, to Lesotho.
• UNESCO lists 17 World Heritage properties in South Korea; the earliest inscription dates from 1995.

Each fact is calculated from the sources cited on this page.

How far can you travel from South Korea in Travle?

Starting from South Korea and moving one border at a time, this is how many countries in the game's map you reach at each step. Countries that need a sea crossing never appear, because the game only follows land borders.

In total 125 of the 171 other countries in the map can be reached by land. The longest trips take 14 steps and end in Lesotho. The other 46 cannot be reached without crossing the sea (18 in North America, 13 in South America, 6 in Oceania, 5 in Asia, 3 in Europe, 1 in Africa).

Nearby routes from South Korea

Shortest land routes in the game's map to the countries up to 3 steps away. There can be several routes of the same length; this list shows one. The section above shows how many countries are reachable in total.

• North Korea: 1 step (South Korea → North Korea)
• China: 2 steps (South Korea → North Korea → China)
• Russia: 2 steps (South Korea → North Korea → Russia)
• Afghanistan: 3 steps (South Korea → North Korea → China → Afghanistan)
• Azerbaijan: 3 steps (South Korea → North Korea → Russia → Azerbaijan)
• Belarus: 3 steps (South Korea → North Korea → Russia → Belarus)
• Bhutan: 3 steps (South Korea → North Korea → China → Bhutan)
• Estonia: 3 steps (South Korea → North Korea → Russia → Estonia)
• Finland: 3 steps (South Korea → North Korea → Russia → Finland)
• Georgia: 3 steps (South Korea → North Korea → Russia → Georgia)
• India: 3 steps (South Korea → North Korea → China → India)
• Kazakhstan: 3 steps (South Korea → North Korea → China → Kazakhstan)
• Kyrgyzstan: 3 steps (South Korea → North Korea → China → Kyrgyzstan)
• Laos: 3 steps (South Korea → North Korea → China → Laos)
• Latvia: 3 steps (South Korea → North Korea → Russia → Latvia)
• Lithuania: 3 steps (South Korea → North Korea → Russia → Lithuania)
• Mongolia: 3 steps (South Korea → North Korea → China → Mongolia)
• Myanmar: 3 steps (South Korea → North Korea → China → Myanmar)
• Nepal: 3 steps (South Korea → North Korea → China → Nepal)
• Norway: 3 steps (South Korea → North Korea → Russia → Norway)
• Pakistan: 3 steps (South Korea → North Korea → China → Pakistan)
• Poland: 3 steps (South Korea → North Korea → Russia → Poland)
• Tajikistan: 3 steps (South Korea → North Korea → China → Tajikistan)
• Ukraine: 3 steps (South Korea → North Korea → Russia → Ukraine)
• Vietnam: 3 steps (South Korea → North Korea → China → Vietnam)

World Heritage in South Korea

UNESCO lists 17 World Heritage properties in South Korea: 15 cultural and 2 natural. The first 3 were inscribed in 1995.

• Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon, the Depositories for the Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks (cultural, inscribed 1995)
• Jongmyo Shrine (cultural, inscribed 1995)
• Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple (cultural, inscribed 1995)
• Changdeokgung Palace Complex (cultural, inscribed 1997)
• Hwaseong Fortress (cultural, inscribed 1997)
• Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites (cultural, inscribed 2000)
• Gyeongju Historic Areas (cultural, inscribed 2000)
• Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes (natural, inscribed 2007)
• Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty (cultural, inscribed 2009)
• Historic Villages of Korea: Hahoe and Yangdong (cultural, inscribed 2010)
• Namhansanseong (cultural, inscribed 2014)
• Baekje Historic Areas (cultural, inscribed 2015)

Showing the 12 earliest of 17. The full list is on the UNESCO website.

Source: UNESCO World Heritage List (XML feed); checked 2026-10-19. Names as listed by UNESCO; descriptions on this page are our own.

South Korea — frequently asked questions

What is the capital of South Korea?

Seoul.

Which countries border South Korea?

On land, North Korea, according to Natural Earth's boundary data. The Travle map uses the same neighbours.

What currency and language does South Korea use?

The currency is the Won (KRW). Unicode CLDR gives Korean official status.

How far can you travel from South Korea in Travle?

Following land borders only, 125 countries are reachable. The farthest need 14 steps: Lesotho.

How many people live in South Korea?

The World Bank counts 51,684,564 people for 2025.

How big is South Korea?

100,460 km² of surface area (2024), according to the World Bank.

What is the dialling code and internet domain of South Korea?

The international dialling code is +82 and the country-code domain is .kr.

What time zone does South Korea use?

UTC+09:00 all year (2026).

Keep exploring

• Spin the country wheel to get a random country.
• Play Travle and try to cross the map border by border.
• Browse all countries of the world, countries by population, capitals, country codes or try the flag quiz.