Gwanaksan
Encyclopedia
Gwanaksan is a small mountain in southern Seoul
, South Korea
. Portions lie in the Gwanak-gu
and Geumcheon-gu
districts of Seoul; other portions lie in the neighboring cities of Anyang
and Gwacheon
.
The name gwanak means "hat-shaped peak," and refers to its gat-like profile. Thus Gwanaksan literally means "mountain of the hat-shaped peak." Currently it is referred to as "Gwanak," since san already contains the meaning of "mountain." Together with Songaksan
in Kaesong
, Gamaksan
in Paju
, Uaksan in Pocheon
, and Hwaaksan
in Gapyeong, Gwanaksan was long considered one of the five representative peaks of Gyeonggi-do
(gyeonggi o-ak).
The main campus of Seoul National University
is located just northwest of the mountain, and the Gwacheon national government complex lies to the east. Also nearby is the Anyang Resort Area, a popular local tourist attraction. On the mountain itself lie numerous Buddhist
temples, including Wongaksa
. Most of the mountain slope is protected land. The mountain is very popular with older climbers, since it can easily be reached by Seoul's public transportation. Annual hiking traffic is close to 50 million people. The Seoul side was designated a city park in 1968.
Siheung-dong (11km, 3 hours, 30 minutes)
Anyang amusement park (12km, 4 hours, 30 minutes)
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. Portions lie in the Gwanak-gu
Gwanak-gu
Gwanak District, or Gwanak-gu is an administrative subdivision of Seoul, South Korea. It lies on southern skirt of Seoul, bordering Seoul and Anyang of Gyeonggi Province. Craggy ridgeline of Mt...
and Geumcheon-gu
Geumcheon-gu
Geumcheon-gu is one of the 25 gu of Seoul, South Korea. It was created from neighboring Guro-gu and small sections from Gwangmyeong in 1995. Its district office is located in from of Siheung Station, now Geumcheon-gu Office Station, in Siheung-dong.Geumcheon-gu is located in the southwest corner...
districts of Seoul; other portions lie in the neighboring cities of Anyang
Anyang
Anyang is a prefecture-level city in Henan province, People's Republic of China. The northernmost city in Henan, Anyang borders Puyang to the east, Hebi and Xinxiang to the south, and the provinces of Shanxi and Hebei to its west and north respectively....
and Gwacheon
Gwacheon
Gwacheon is a city in Gyeonggi-do Province, South Korea. It lies close to Seoul in the heart of the Seoul National Capital Area, and also lies just east of Anyang...
.
The name gwanak means "hat-shaped peak," and refers to its gat-like profile. Thus Gwanaksan literally means "mountain of the hat-shaped peak." Currently it is referred to as "Gwanak," since san already contains the meaning of "mountain." Together with Songaksan
Mt. Songak
Mt. Songak is a simple volcano which has double craters and a parasitic volcano. Crater 1 is about 500 m in diameter, 1.7 km in circumference. Crater 2, the mouth of the volcano in Crater 1, is about 400 m in diameter, 69 m in depth and leans vertically....
in Kaesong
Kaesong
Kaesŏng is a city in North Hwanghae Province, southern North Korea , a former Directly Governed City, and the capital of Korea during the Koryo Dynasty. The city is near Kaesŏng Industrial Region and it contains the remains of the Manwoldae palace. It was formally named Songdo while it was the...
, Gamaksan
Gamaksan (Gyeonggi-do)
Gamaksan is a mountain in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. Its sits between the cities of Paju, Yangju and Yeoncheon County. Gamaksan has an elevation of .-References:...
in Paju
Paju
Paju is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Paju was made a city in 1997; it had previously been a county .The city is located just south of Panmunjeom on the 38th parallel. To defend the Korean capital, Seoul, many US and Korean army bases are set up in the city. In 2002, the northernmost...
, Uaksan in Pocheon
Pocheon
Pocheon is a landlocked city in the far northeastern region of Gyeonggi province in South Korea. It covers 826.48 km2 with a population of 160,176 people, according to the 2008 census. Pocheon lies between Seoul and the mountainous northwestern areas of Gangwon province...
, and Hwaaksan
Hwaaksan
Hwaaksan is a mountain in South Korea whose area extends over Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi-do and Hwacheon County, Gangwon-do. It has an elevation of ....
in Gapyeong, Gwanaksan was long considered one of the five representative peaks of Gyeonggi-do
Gyeonggi-do
Gyeonggi-do is the most populous province in South Korea. The provincial capital is located at Suwon. Seoul—South Korea's largest city and national capital—is located in the heart of the province, but has been separately administered as a provincial-level special city since 1946...
(gyeonggi o-ak).
The main campus of Seoul National University
Seoul National University
Seoul National University , colloquially known in Korean as Seoul-dae , is a national research university in Seoul, Korea, ranked 24th in the world in publications in an analysis of data from the Science Citation Index, 7th in Asia and 42nd in the world by the 2011 QS World University Rankings...
is located just northwest of the mountain, and the Gwacheon national government complex lies to the east. Also nearby is the Anyang Resort Area, a popular local tourist attraction. On the mountain itself lie numerous Buddhist
Korean Buddhism
Korean Buddhism is distinguished from other forms of Buddhism by its attempt to resolve what it sees as inconsistencies in Mahayana Buddhism. Early Korean monks believed that the traditions they received from foreign countries were internally inconsistent. To address this, they developed a new...
temples, including Wongaksa
Wongaksa
Wongaksa may refer to;*Wongaksa Pagoda, Seoul, South Korea.*Wongaksa , a modern Korean theatre*Wongaksa...
. Most of the mountain slope is protected land. The mountain is very popular with older climbers, since it can easily be reached by Seoul's public transportation. Annual hiking traffic is close to 50 million people. The Seoul side was designated a city park in 1968.
Trails
Seoul National University Entrance (11.3km, 4 hours)Siheung-dong (11km, 3 hours, 30 minutes)
Anyang amusement park (12km, 4 hours, 30 minutes)
See also
- List of mountains in Seoul
- List of mountains in Korea
- YangjaecheonYangjaecheonYangjaecheon is a stream that flows through the city of Seoul, South Korea. It runs through Gangnam, which is the southern half of the city....