Gyeongju Basin
The Gyeongju Basin is a landform in Gyeongju city, North Gyeongsang province, South Korea. It forms part of the watershed of the Hyeongsan River, which flows north through the basin where it is joined by the Bukcheon and Namcheon streams. The basin is surrounded by low mountains, most of which are also part of Gyeongju National Park. Specifically, it is bordered by Gowi Mountain (495 m above sea level) on the south, Seondo Mountain (380 m) and Ongnyeo Peak (215 m) on the west, and Gumi Mountain (594 m) on the north. The city center of Gyeongju, which was also the capital of the ancient Silla kingdom, occupies much of the basin. Various watershed management projects were undertaken even during Silla times, due to continuous flooding in the basin, caused by runoff from the neighboring mountains combined with inflow from the upper Hyeongsan River watershed. The most recent severe flood took place in 1991. The basin is also home to a great number of important Korean cultural assets, mostly related to its ancient role as capital of Silla. For example, the royal tombs of Silla are located there, as is the Gyerim forest. Agriculture is also undertaken on a significant scale within the basin. The crops are primary staples such as rice, barley, and soybeans. The Gyeongju strain of rice grown here is particularly famous for its quality.
See also List of Korea-related topics
External link
Paper on the historical lessons of watershed management in the Gyeongju basin, delivered in 2002 by Professor Bong W. Kang of Kyongju University
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