Korea is a region in East Asia; since 1945 it has been divided into what are now two distinct sovereign states: North Korea (officially the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea") and South Korea (officially the "Republic of Korea"). Korea consists of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and several minor islands near the peninsula. It is bordered by China to the northwest and Russia to the northeast. It is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait and the Sea of Japan (East Sea)

Korea is a divided country. At the End of World War II in 1948, Korea was divided at the 38th parallel. This resulted in North Korea and South Korea. North Korea became communist, while South Korea did not. (This was based on the deal at the end of the war, dividing the country in two just as Germany had been). North Korea is also known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and South Korea is also known as the Republic of Korea. South Korea or the Republic of North Korea is slightly larger in physical size, while South Korea's population size is about twice as large as North Korea's population size. The fact that this division occurred has left both North and South Korea on the bridge of war.

The Korean language is shared between both North and South Korea and is part of the Altaic language family. There are various dialects but the language is generally understood everywhere. 65 million people speak the Language, with 45 million speaking it in South Korea. The language is considered one of the best and most well planned languages in history. Hangul is the Korean name of the language. The alphabet was created by King Sejong in 1446. The alphabet is extremely easy to learn, which gives Korea one of the highest literacy rates in the World.

Many Koreans also study English. It is taught from very early on in school. Many signs will be in both Korean and English. If you visit Korea, do not be worried if you do not know much of the language. You will learn what you need quickly and many Koreans will be able to speak some English.

Seoul is the capital and most important city of South Korea. It is very city-like and could be compared to New York City. There is plenty to do there, especially at night. Shopping stands are open during the night and it isn't a quiet place at night either! There is always something to do anytime of the day.

There are also five other major cities; Pusan, Inchon, Kwangju, Taejon, and Taegu. Seoul is a highly populated city with 11 million people. Within a very small area near Seoul and surrounding cities, there is approximately 20 million people.

Buddhism is one of the older religions in South Korea. It comes from the Mahayana branch of Buddhism, similar to China and Japan. It's influence in society has declined recently, but there are still many Korean's that practice Buddhism.
Christianity has become more and more popular in recent years in South Korea. Christianity was introduced to Korea by the Jesuits in China. Catholics spread very quickly, but were persecuted by the King who perceived it as a threat. Protestants began to enter Korea in the late 19th century. Some of the world's largest churches will be found in Korea.

Education in the English language has become quite common in Korea in recent years. Students begin studying English in elementary school and continue for the rest of their education. Many educated Koreans will know at least some English now, so do not be worried if you visit Korea and only have limited Korean knowledge .You should be able to find someone who can help you.

In Korea, students work like crazy in high school trying to get into a college. Colleges are much more difficult to get into (And one other reason for this is they aren't quite as abundant as they are in the US). Once in college, life is a little easier, but students still study more than the majority of students in America. For Koreans, their whole early education is based around getting into a good college.