The Nakdong River (Rakdong in North Korean) is the longest river in South Korea, and passes through major cities such as Daegu and Busan. Hanja is the Korean name for Chinese characters. More specifically it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated The Revised Romanization of Korean is the official Korean language Romanization system in South Korea. McCune-Reischauer romanization is one of the two most widely used Korean language Romanization systems along with the Revised Romanization of Korean, which North Korea is the commonly used short form name for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (or DPRK) a State located in East Asia, "Riverine" redirects here For the use of that term in Maritime geography, see there South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː Daegu (pronounced) also spelled Taegu (pronounced) officially called Daegu Metropolitan City, is the fourth largest city in South Korea after

Geography

The Nakdong flows from the Taebaek Mountains to the South Sea or Korean Strait, that separates Korea from Japan. The Taebaek Mountains are a mountain range in both North and South Korea. The river originates from the junction of the Cheolamcheon and Hwangjicheon streams in Dongjeom-dong, Taebaek city, Gangwon province. Taebaek is a city in Gangwon province South Korea. Its name is shared with that of the Taebaek Mountains. |||} South Korea is divided into 8 Provinces ( do) 1 special autonomous province ( teukbyeol jachido) 6 metropolitan cities ( gwangyeoksi Gangwon-do is a province of South Korea, with its capital at Chuncheon. From there to its mouth it winds for about 506 km. The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand The width of the river ranges from only a few metres in its upper reaches, to several hundred metres towards its estuary.

Major tributaries include the Yeong, Geumho, and Nam rivers. The Yeong River is a river in Mungyeong City North Gyeongsang province South Korea. The Geumho River flows through North Gyeongsang Province South Korea, and drains into the Nakdong River. Together with its tributaries, the Nakdong drains most of North Gyeongsang and South Gyeongsang provinces, along with small portions of North Jeolla, South Jeolla, and Gangwon. Gyeongsangbuk-do (North Gyeongsang is a province in eastern South Korea. Gyeongsangnam-do (South Gyeongsang is a province in the southeast of South Korea. Jeollabuk-do (North Jeolla is a province in the southwest of South Korea. Jeollanam-do (South Jeolla is a province in the southwest of South Korea. Gangwon-do is a province of South Korea, with its capital at Chuncheon. The total watershed is 23,384 km². A drainage basin is an extent of Land where Water from Rain or Snow melt drains downhill into a body of water such as a River, Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of

Bridge over the Nakdong River, near Andong dam

History

The Naktong River has played an important role throughout Korean history. The history of Korea stretches from Lower Paleolithic times to the present The river basin has been a favored dwelling-place for as long as people have inhabited the Korean peninsula. Physical geography See also Geography of North Korea, Geography of South Korea Mountains cover 70 percent of the Korean Peninsula and arable plains are Numerous Neolithic remains have been found in the valley. The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos

Around the 1st century, the valley is believed to have been inhabited by the Byeonhan confederacy tribes. The 1st century was the Century that lasted from 1 to 100 according the Julian calendar. Byeonhan, also known as Byeonjin, was a loose confederacy of chiefdoms that existed from around the beginning of the Common Era to the 4th century in the During the Three Kingdoms period, the Gaya confederacy controlled the valley, until they were overrun by Silla in 562. The Three Kingdoms of Korea ( refer to the ancient Korean kingdoms of Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla, which dominated the Korean peninsula Gaya was a confederacy of territorial polities in the Nakdong River basin of southern Korea, growing out of the Byeonhan confederacy of the Samhan Silla (57 BC – 935 AD was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. These states exploited the river's potential for navigation and commerce, operating a thriving trade in armor and weapons with neighboring countries, including Yamato period Japan. Armour (or armor) is protective covering most commonly manufactured from metals to prevent damage from being inflicted to an individual or a vehicle through use of direct contact A weapon is a Tool used either in Hunting, or attack or defence in Combat for the purpose of subduing enemy personnel or to destroy enemy weapons This is summary of two more detailed articles Kofun period and Asuka period. Through the Silla, Goryeo, and Joseon periods, the river continued to serve as a major transportation corridor in the Gyeongsang region. The Goryeo Dynasty ( 918 - 1392) (also spelled Koryŏ was a Sovereign state established in 918 by Taejo Wang Kon. Gyeongsang ( Gyeongsang-do) was one of the eight provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty.

As a barrier to movement, the Naktong gained sudden prominence during the Korean War. The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korean and South Korean regimes with major hostilities lasting from June 25 1950 until the The southern length of the river formed the western portion of the Pusan Perimeter, which the UN forces fought to maintain during the autumn of 1950. The Battle of Pusan Perimeter was fought in August and September 1950 between United Nations Command forces combined with South Korean forces and the forces of The bridge over the Naktong at Waegwan was blown up on August 3, 1950 in an effort to prevent North Korean forces from advancing on Daegu. Waegwan is the seat of government for Chilgok County, North Gyeongsang province South Korea. Events 8 - Roman Empire General Tiberius defeats Dalmatians on the river Bathinus. Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. North Korea is the commonly used short form name for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (or DPRK) a State located in East Asia, Daegu (pronounced) also spelled Taegu (pronounced) officially called Daegu Metropolitan City, is the fourth largest city in South Korea after A large number of Korean refugees were killed in the explosion. According to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, a refugee is a person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race Although some North Korean forces did cross the Nakdong in places, for the most part the river still marks their furthest advance.

Ecology

The Nakdong valley includes numerous floodplain wetlands, the most well-known of which are the Joonam Reservoirs near Changwon City and Upo Ramsar site, in Changnyeong County, South Gyeongsang. Changnyeong County ( Changnyeong-gun) is a county in South Gyeongsang Province South Korea. These wetlands, while significantly degraded and over-developed, still provide habitat to a significant number of rare and threatened species, most especially birds (such as the Baikal Teal Anas formosa and White-naped Crane Grus vipio), fish and plants. Despite being home to the bustling Port of Busan, the Nakdong Estuary is also internationally important for waterbirds, despite recent ecologically-destructive developments including reclamation for housing and industry (e. An estuary is a semi-enclosed Coastal body of Water with one or more Rivers or Streams flowing into it and with a free connection to the open g. the Busan New Port), the ongoing construction of a major bridge (the Miyeonji Bridge) and most recently the threatened construction of the Korean Grand Canal project.

The Nakdong and its tributaries also serve as a major source of drinking water for the inhabitants of the river basin and others nearby. Water of sufficient quality to serve as drinking water is termed potable water whether it is used for drinking or not However, water pollution due to domestic and agricultural wastewater remains a serious concern. Water pollution is the contamination of Water bodies such as Lakes Rivers Oceans and Groundwater caused by human activities Distinguish from Wastwater (a lake in the Lake District in northwest England

Economic role

Although all but the southernmost reaches of the Naktong have ceased to serve as a major commercial waterway, the river continues to feed those dwelling near it, both directly through fishing and indirectly through irrigation. For the computer security term see Phishing. Fishing is the activity of catching Fish. Irrigation is an artificial application of water to the soil usually for assisting in growing crops Substantial amounts of snails and catfish are taken from the waters and used in local cuisine. The word snail is a Common name that can be used for almost all members of the Molluscan class Gastropoda which have coiled shells in the Catfish ( order Siluriformes) are a very diverse group of bony Fish.

Near Andong, a series of massive hydroelectric dams have been constructed, creating a small chain of artificial lakes of which Andong Lake is the largest. Andong is a city in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province South Korea. It is the largest city in the northern part of the province with a population of almost 185000 These lakes also support a substantial recreational industry. Recreation or fun is the expenditure of time in a manner designed for therapeutic refreshment of one's Body or Mind. Bass fishing is especially popular, since the lakes have been artificially stocked with bass. Bass fishing is the sport of Angling for the North American gamefish known colloquially as the black bass. Bass (ˈbæs is a name shared by many different species of popular Gamefish.

Pushing forward with his election promise, Lee Myung Bak, the current president of South Korea, aims to include the Nakdong River in a new canal project spanning the length of the country from Seoul to Busan. Lee Myung-bak (ˈliː ˈmjʊŋˌbæk or Korean) (born December 19, 1941) is the tenth and current President of South Korea Encountering some controversy, ground has not yet been broken on the Grand Korean Waterway. The Grand Korean Waterway, officially known as the Pan Korea Grand Waterway ( 韓半島大運河 is a proposed 540-kilometer (336 mile long Canal connecting Seoul

See also

• Geography of South Korea
• List of Korea-related topics
• List of rivers of Asia