Plains
Honam PlainsLargest Plains in Korea covering the western region of Jeonbuk State
The Honam Plains are bordered on the east and south by the Noryeong Mountains, on the north by the Geumgang River, and the west by the Yellow Sea. It is about 50km wide from east to west and about 80km from south to north. It includes 5 cities, Jeonju-si, Iksan-si, Gunsan-si, Jeongeup-si and Gimje-si, and 3 provinces, Buan-gun, Wanju-gun and Gochang-gun as the administrative districts. The plains spreading along the Dongjingang riverside are frequently called the ‘Gimje Plains’ and the plains along the Mangyeonggang riverside are referred to as the ‘Mangyeong Plains’.
The Honam Plains, accounting for a third of the total area of Jeonbuk State; is very flat and simple in appearance but has very complicated geographical features. In other words, the plains were formed by multiple factors, including erosion, previous fluvial, and marine plains. / The cultivation acreage of the Honam Plains is 185,000 ha and accounts for about 72% of the total cultivation acreage of Jeonbuk State. Farming in this region, the largest granary in Korea, is concentrated on staple grains, including rice and barley. So, rice paddies comprise over 70% of the total cultivation acreage.
The farmland in Honam Plains was occupied by the estate companies of Japan and capitalists before the liberation of Korea. The Oriental Development Company exploited the farmland of Korea. The representative reclamation project after liberation was the large-scale agricultural development project on Ganghwado Island from 1963 to 1979. / Except for the alluvial plains on the lower Dongjingang River and around the Mangyeonggang River, most areas are conventional quasi-plains, whose altitude is about 30m above sea level. The Honam Plains are similar geographically to the distant past. It is part of extensive quasi-plains with the west coast of the Liaotung Peninsula of China being the most distant extent.
Buan PlainsBaeksan-myeon, Buan-eup, Jusan-myeon, and Julpo-myeon in the east of Buan-gun are built on the hills of the Daebo granite of the Jurassic Period in the Mesozoic Era. The alluvial plains are extensively distributed on the borderland with Jeongeup-si, along the lower Dongjingang River and around the Gobucheon River.
Gimje PlainsThe Gimje Plains cover Jeongeup-si, Buan-gun, and some of Wanju-gun around Gimje-si. / It comprises the alluvial plains developed along Dongjingang and Mangyeonggang riversides and the erosional plains around the broad hills. The Gimje Plains were mostly flood fields where natural embankments and back swamps of rivers were developed. The sedimentary layers of these flood fields formed the alluvial land, piled up in the sequence of silt, clay, and sand gravel, on the bedrock from the lower Mangyeonggang River to Samnye-eup on the upper Mangyenoggang River. / River valley plains were developed along Mangyeonggang River, Dongjingang River and Sohacheon River, and then coastal plains were reclaimed around Jinbongbando. The Gimje Plains are the hub of the rice farming district in Korea, with its low altitude and flat landforms.
Okgu PlainsThe Okgu Plains are around Eoeun-ri, the western region of the Yeongbyeongsan Mountain, Okgu-eup, Gunsan-si. It was reclaimed during the Japanese colonial era. / The Okgu Plains has the Okgu Reservoir, Masan pumping Station and Okgu Station in the north. Okgu Reservoir was built in 1923 for the Okgu Plains. It has been supplying irrigation water to Okgu Pains since then.
Rivers
Dongjingang River The Dongjingang River is 44.7km long and flows from Pyeongsa-ri, Sanoe-myeon, Jeongeup-si to the estuary in Dongjin-myeon, Buan-gun. Its riverside is 1034.1km wide. It runs through the Gimje Plains to the Yellow Sea. / It is the meanders, similar to the Mangyeonggang River, as it is a tidal river, it has a countercurrent to the sea at high tide. Land is being reclaimed and developed along the broad bay at the estuary of the Dongjingang River. Yeonan reclaimed land, Gwanghwal reclaimed land and Gyehwa reclaimed land were built in the 1970s.
Mangyeonggang RiverThe Mangyeonggang River is the biggest river originating in Dongsang-myeon, Wanju-gun, with the riverside area of 1418.2㎢ and branch rivers including the Gosancheon, the Soyangcheon, the Jeonjucheon, the Iksancheon and the Tapcheon covering Jeonju-si, Gunsan-si, Iksan-si, Gimje-si and Wanju-gun. It is 81.75km long and runs through the middle of Honam Plains to the Yellow Sea. It meanders and is a tidal river, the changes level up to Samnye district, 49km away from the estuary.
Seomjingang RiverThe Seomjingang River rises at the border between Baegun-myeon, Jinan-gun and Jangsu-eup, Jangsu-gun and runs to Gwangyangman Bay in the South Sea passing the foot of Jirisan Mountain in the east of Jeolla-do. It is the fourth largest river in the Republic of Korea with a basin area of 4,914,32㎢ and a total length of 22.05km. Its upper region has a great deal of precipitation due to orography and seasonal snowfall. The geographic structure is the Yeongnam Metamorphic Complex and comprises the Jinan Plateau. Jinan Plateau stretches over Muju-gun, Jinan-gun and Jangsu-gun, Jeonbuk State, which are regionally known as ‘Mujinjang’
Saemangeum Reclaimed Land/Reclamation ProjectThe Saemangeum Reclamation Project is a national project, building a hub for global free trade and economic cooperation embracing the economy, business, and tourism. The project will reclaim land(291㎢) and a lake(118㎢) by building the longest embankment(33.9km) in the world, connecting Gunsan, Buan, and developing the Gogunsan Islands (3.3㎢) while creating a new port with an area of 4.4㎢. /Saemangeum Development Authority