Introduction

• Overview
• Symbol/Origin
• Nature

Nature

Gwangju Metropolitan City is located in central Honam, which is in the southwest of the Korean peninsula, the center of Northeast Asia. It borders Damyang-gun on the northeast, Jangseong-gun on the north, Hampyeong on the west, Naju city on the south, and Hwasun on the southeast. Along with Seoul, Busan, Daegu, and Incheon, it is one of the largest cities in Korea and is the metropolitan city that represents the southwestern region.

Gwangju extends from Nam-gu Seungchon-dong (35˚03'13" north latitude) in the south to Sanpo-smyeon, Youngsan River to Buk-gu Yongkang-dong (35˚15'22" north latitude) in the north. On the east side of Biseonggul, Buk-gu Chunghyo-dong forms the eastern boundary (127˚00'34" east longitude) of the city. The city extends 34.3km from east to west and 23.1km from north to south.

Cities located on a similar latitude are Busan and Jinhae in Korea, and Tokyo in Japan, Jungsen in China, Algiers in Algeria, and Oklahoma City in the US. Seoul is located in a similar longitude.

Geographically, Gwangju is situated in the north of Jeollanam-do, centered in Honnam province, serving as a hub of economy, administration, education, and culture including some parts of Jeonbuk. Geographically, Gwangju is situated in the north of Jeolla province, centered in Honnam province, serving as a hub of economy, administration, education, and culture including some parts of Jeonbuk. Surrounding Gwangju, there has been development toward Mokpo going through agricultural areas and toward Wondo in terms of the bounty of agricultural products, toward Yeosu extending to Gwangyang international container port, and toward Namwon connecting Yeongnam. Likewise, Gwangju is located in the center of the 6 directions of the Honnam region, providing the chance to geographically develop into the hub of Honnam province.

The city is located in the median latitude maritime temperate climate zone. Its climate is somewhere in between the west coast climate and the continental climate but more similar to the west coast climate which means that the city is warm and has enough rainfall. Winter is freezing and dry and summer is hot and humid. It has 4 distinct seasons. Recently, due to climate change, spring and fall have been shorter, causing characteristics of a semi-tropical climate.

In terms of traffic access, it has a well-established the transportation environment ranging from air, railway and express bus within one day's drive to major cities including Seoul, Incheon, and Busan. It takes 55 minutes to travel the 290.9km from Gwangju to Seoul by air, 3 hours by the KTX(Korean Train Express), and 3.5 hours by car. Incheon, which serves as the gate to Korea, is 311.4km from Gwangju and it takes about 4 hours and 10 minutes to get from Incheon to Gwangju. The distance between Gwangju and Busan is 286.8km and it takes 3 hours and 50 minutes.

Historically Gwangju cultivates a mental and cultural environment as a city of spirit, art and taste. It is a city of democracy, human rights, and peace and has shown its spirit in many movements including those in the late Joseon Dynasty, the Gwangju Students Independence movement during the Japanese occupation of Korea, and the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Movement. In addition, Gwangju is a city of art and is moving forward as a hub of culture in Asia following the hosting of the Gwangju Biennale and Design Biennale, which are international cultural festivals. Along with this, Gwangju has developed as 21st Northeast Asia by nurturing the next generation of strategic industries represented by the LED industry, New Energy industry, and cultural content industry.

• Division : City Design Division
• Contact : +82-62-613-3914