Yeosu (Korean pronunciation: [jʌ.sʰu]; Yeosu-si), historically also Yosu, and known to the Japanese as Reisui during the period when Korea was under Japanese rule, is a city located on the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula in South Jeolla Province, South Korea and comprises the Old Yeosu City, founded in 1949, Yeocheon City, founded in 1986, and Yeocheon County which were merged into the current Yeosu city in 1998.
Yeosu
여수시 | |
---|---|
Municipal city | |
Korean transcription(s) | |
• Hangul | 여수시 |
• Hanja | 麗水市 |
• Revised Romanization | Yeosu-si |
• McCune–Reischauer | Yŏsu-si |
![]() Expo 2012 | |
![]() Flag ![]() Emblem of Yeosu | |
![]() Location in South Korea | |
Country | South Korea |
Region | Honam |
Administrative divisions | 1 eup, 6 myeon, 20 dong |
Area | |
• Total | 503.33 km2 (194.34 sq mi) |
Population (June,2022) | |
• Total | 275,489 |
• Density | 587.17/km2 (1,520.8/sq mi) |
• Dialect | Jeolla |
Area code | +82-61-6xx |
The city of Yeosu consists of the Yeosu peninsula as well as 365 islands (48 inhabited, 317 uninhabited). Being midway along the southern coast of South Korea, it is flanked by Namhae County in South Gyeongsang Province to the east with a natural waterway, and the Bay of Suncheon to the west and northwest, the city of Suncheon sprawling along its banks. The city has three different city halls. On 1 April 1998, the cities of Yeosu and Yeocheon, along with Yeocheon County merged to form the unified city of Yeosu.
Yeosu has cool summers and mild winters. Its ocean climate also brings Yeosu relatively longer springs and autumns than other regions. Yeosu is a city of history and loyalty where the headquarters of South Jeolla Province Navy Base was located, and the Great Admiral Yi Sun-sin improved upon the geobukseon (turtle ship) to save the country while serving as the commander of the navy.
Due to its appeal as an international ocean resort and tourist city, as well as its close proximity to the Yeocheon Industrial Complex, Yeosu has seen much development during the past several decades.
In the 142nd General Assembly of BIE, held in Paris on 26 November 2007, the global community selected Yeosu as the host city for the 2012 World Expo. This was Korea's second World Expo, following Daejeon's 1993 Fair.
Wonchon-hyeon/Dolsan-hyeon was the name given to Yeosu in the 16th year of King Seong (538 AD) who was the king of Baekje Kingdom. The name changed to Haeub-hyeon/Yeosan-hyeon in 757 and to Yeosu-hyeon/Dolsan-hyeon in 940. Beginning in 1479, the Joseon Dynasty's Naval Headquarters for eastern sector of Jeolla Province was located there. As such, it was the first base where Admiral Yi Sun-sin's fleet was based during the Imjin War which used the Turtle Ship or 'Kobukseon' which was built in Seon-so.[1]
In 1897, Yeosu was renamed Yeosu-myeon and included in the new county of Yeosu-gun. In 1914, Yeosu-gun merged with Dolsan-gun, further increasing its territory. Yeosu-myeon continued to grow and in 1931, Yeosu-myeon became Yeosu-eup. In 1949, Yeosu became a city. In 1998, Yeosu city merged with Yeochon city and Yeochon-gun, creating the unified city of Yeosu.
Yeosu-si, Yeocheon-si, and Yeocheon-gun were merged into Yeosu-si on April 1, 1998. The former Yeocheon City Hall was divided into two buildings and the former Yeocheon County Office into three buildings.
In October 1948, the town of Yeosu was taken by South Korean soldiers who refused to take part in the suppression of the ongoing Jeju Uprising.
On December 25, 1920, Yeosu Station started to operate as a railway that connects Yeosu and Gwangju. On October 1, 2011, however, the station was relocated to Deokchung-dong and renamed Yeosu Expo Station, as the venue served for Yeosu World Expo in 2012.
Hyangiram Sunrise Festival (여수향일암일출제) is an annual festival that begins on New Year’s Eve. It takes place at Hyangiram Hermitage, a historical building that was built in the year 644. The word “Hyangiram” itself refers to “a hermitage facing the sun”, in which visitors could view the breathtaking panorama of sunrise over the horizon. The festival consists of other activities and cultural events such as fireworks, folk street music, and lighting of wishes.
Gejang, or marinated raw crab is a representative speciality of Yeosu and a traditional Jeolla cuisine dish.[7]
Dolsan 'gat kimchi' is also a specialty of Yeosu.
Yeosu has a population of 282,946 as of May 2019.
Yeosu has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cwa) with very warm summers and cold winters. Rainfall is much heavier in the summer, with June to August recording over 200 millimetres (7.9 in) of rainfall per month. The highest temperature ever recorded is 37.1 °C (98.8 °F) on 20 July 1994[8] while the lowest temperature ever recorded is −12.6 °C (9.3 °F) on 16 February 1977.[9]
Climate data for Yeosu (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1942–present) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 17.4 (63.3) |
19.5 (67.1) |
22.0 (71.6) |
27.4 (81.3) |
33.5 (92.3) |
32.1 (89.8) |
37.1 (98.8) |
36.4 (97.5) |
33.9 (93.0) |
28.9 (84.0) |
27.9 (82.2) |
20.2 (68.4) |
37.1 (98.8) |
Average high °C (°F) | 6.6 (43.9) |
8.5 (47.3) |
12.4 (54.3) |
17.4 (63.3) |
21.7 (71.1) |
24.4 (75.9) |
27.3 (81.1) |
28.9 (84.0) |
25.8 (78.4) |
21.3 (70.3) |
15.1 (59.2) |
8.9 (48.0) |
18.2 (64.8) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 2.8 (37.0) |
4.4 (39.9) |
8.3 (46.9) |
13.3 (55.9) |
17.9 (64.2) |
21.2 (70.2) |
24.5 (76.1) |
26.0 (78.8) |
22.6 (72.7) |
17.5 (63.5) |
11.3 (52.3) |
5.1 (41.2) |
14.6 (58.3) |
Average low °C (°F) | −0.3 (31.5) |
0.9 (33.6) |
4.8 (40.6) |
9.9 (49.8) |
14.7 (58.5) |
18.8 (65.8) |
22.5 (72.5) |
23.8 (74.8) |
20.0 (68.0) |
14.5 (58.1) |
8.2 (46.8) |
2.0 (35.6) |
11.7 (53.1) |
Record low °C (°F) | −11.9 (10.6) |
−12.6 (9.3) |
−8.8 (16.2) |
−2.3 (27.9) |
6.8 (44.2) |
12.6 (54.7) |
14.3 (57.7) |
15.6 (60.1) |
11.6 (52.9) |
1.9 (35.4) |
−5.3 (22.5) |
−10.8 (12.6) |
−12.6 (9.3) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 24.5 (0.96) |
44.6 (1.76) |
83.9 (3.30) |
125.2 (4.93) |
143.5 (5.65) |
194.3 (7.65) |
276.8 (10.90) |
264.8 (10.43) |
151.7 (5.97) |
66.6 (2.62) |
46.8 (1.84) |
26.4 (1.04) |
1,449.1 (57.05) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 4.9 | 5.7 | 8.0 | 8.8 | 9.6 | 10.5 | 13.8 | 12.1 | 9.2 | 4.8 | 6.1 | 5.0 | 98.5 |
Average snowy days | 3.1 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 2.7 | 9.4 |
Average relative humidity (%) | 53.0 | 53.1 | 57.4 | 61.8 | 68.1 | 77.9 | 84.5 | 79.4 | 71.7 | 62.5 | 59.5 | 54.8 | 65.3 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 193.3 | 191.6 | 209.8 | 215.4 | 227.7 | 175.1 | 163.0 | 197.4 | 181.1 | 219.2 | 189.8 | 197.8 | 2,361.2 |
Percent possible sunshine | 61.6 | 60.5 | 54.8 | 55.0 | 50.8 | 40.1 | 35.9 | 47.2 | 48.0 | 61.7 | 61.3 | 64.8 | 52.4 |
Source: Korea Meteorological Administration (percent sunshine 1981–2010)[10][11][12][13][14] |
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