Jeju Island

Jeju Island is the largest island in South Korea, spanning 1,833.2 square kilometers—about 1.83% of the nation’s total land area. It sits in the Korea Strait, roughly 82.8 kilometers south of the Korean Peninsula, and together with smaller nearby islands forms the bulk of Jeju Province. The island was created around 2 million years ago when a submarine volcano erupted. Its climate is subtropical, with winter temperatures rarely dipping below freezing. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes, is located here. Tourism drives much of the local economy, making the island a major vacation spot.

The indigenous Jeju people have inhabited the island since the early Neolithic period. Their language, Jeju, is classified as critically endangered by UNESCO. The island also preserves one of Korea’s most intact shamanic traditions.

Jeju is oval-shaped, stretching 73 kilometers east to west and 31 kilometers north to south, with a gentle slope rising toward Hallasan at its center. The main road runs 181 kilometers, and the coastline measures 258 kilometers. Key landmarks include Gimnyeong Beach in the north, Songak Mountain in the south, Suwolbong in the west, and Seongsan Ilchulbong in the east.

Historically, the island has gone by many names. Before Japan’s 1910 annexation, Europeans commonly called it Quelpart (or Quelpaert), a name possibly derived from a Dutch ship, the *quelpaert de Brack*, sighted around 1642. The Portuguese, the first Europeans to see it, named it Ilha de Ladrones (Island of Thieves). Other historical names include Doi, Dongyeongju, Juho, Tammora, Seomna, Tangna, Tamna, Junweonhado, Taekseungnido, Samdado, Sammudo, and Cheju (used until July 2000). During Japanese occupation, it was known as Saishū. The name “Fungma island” appeared in a 1655 atlas by missionary M. Martini.

Numerous plants and animals have scientific names reflecting their origin on Jeju. Examples include the earwig *Anechura quelparta*, the spider *Atypus quelpartensis*, and the gastropod *Bekkochlamys quelpartensis*—all using the epithet *quelpartensis*. Others use *jejuensis*, such as the moth *Stegasta jejuensis* and the ant *Camponotus jejuensis*. Still others use *chejuensis*, like the lily *Lycoris chejuensis* and the mouse *Apodemus chejuensis*.

The landscape is dominated by Hallasan, a volcano rising 1,947 meters—the highest peak in South Korea. The island also features about 360 *oreum*, small extinct volcanoes or parasitic cones, many now popular attractions like Geomunoreum, Yongnuni Oreum, and Geum Oreum. The island formed through volcanic eruptions starting about 2 million years ago, with major phases around 1.2 million, 700,000, and 300,000 years ago. Hallasan itself formed roughly 100,000 years ago, and lateral eruptions about 25,000 years ago created the *oreum*. Volcanic activity then ceased, and weathering and erosion shaped the island further.

About 12% of Jeju—224 square kilometers—is covered by *gotjawal*, a local term for forests on rugged ‘a‘a lava that resisted cultivation until the 21st century. This pristine forest supports a unique ecology and serves as the main groundwater source for the island’s half-million residents, as rainwater seeps through lava cracks into the aquifer. Some researchers consider it an internationally important wetland under the Ramsar Convention, though it has not yet been officially designated as such.