South Korea

South Korea is located on the southern half of a peninsula in east Asia in an area slightly larger than the state of Indiana. The population of South Korea is approximately 48,747,000. The capital, Seoul, is the largest city and has over 10 million inhabitants. South Korea has a highly homogeneous population of mainly ethnic Koreans with a very small minority of ethnic Chinese. Literacy rates are among the highest in the world at 98 percent. The official language is Korean, although English education is also very important and, for most people, begins in elementary school.