Bukhan Mountain is on the northern edge of Seoul, South Korea, and consists of three major peaks, Baegundae (836.5 m, 2,744 ft), Insubong (810.5 m, 2,659 ft), and Mangyeongdae (787 m, 2,582 ft). It means "mountain north of Han River," referring to its location as the city's northern border; however, the original collective name of the three peaks was Samkaksan, meaning "three-horned mountain." Though Bukhansan is the highest, seven other mountains within the city are over 600 meters high. Seoul was founded in 18 BCE as Wiryeseong in Baekje, one of the old Three Kingdoms of Korea and had various names (Hanju, Namgyeong, Hanyang, and Hanseong) as Korean dynasties changed throughout history before becoming Korea's capital during the Joseon Dynasty in the late 14th century. Hanseong meant "big" or "vast," but in the early 20th century when Korea was a Japanese colony, the city's name was changed to Keijō to avoid confusion with the hanja (Chinese characters used in the Korean language) spelling of the city which referred to the Han Chinese. "Seoul" originated from the Korean word for "capital city" (derived from Seorabeol, one of the names of the Silla capital Gyeongju). Unlike other place names in Korea, Seoul has no corresponding hanja. On January 18, 2005, Seoul government officially changed its official Chinese language name to Shou'er instead of the traditional Hancheng. The city was once surrounded by a massive circular stone wall, which no longer stands (except along Bukhansan), the old gates remain in the downtown area.
Daenammun gate, Bukhansan
Bukhan Mountain is on the northern edge of Seoul, South Korea, and consists of three major peaks, Baegundae (836.5 m, 2,744 ft), Insubong (810.5 m, 2,659 ft), and Mangyeongdae (787 m, 2,582 ft). It means "mountain north of Han River," referring to its location as the city's northern border; however, the original collective name of the three peaks was Samkaksan, meaning "three-horned mountain." Though Bukhansan is the highest, seven other mountains within the city are over 600 meters high. Seoul was founded in 18 BCE as Wiryeseong in Baekje, one of the old Three Kingdoms of Korea and had various names (Hanju, Namgyeong, Hanyang, and Hanseong) as Korean dynasties changed throughout history before becoming Korea's capital during the Joseon Dynasty in the late 14th century. Hanseong meant "big" or "vast," but in the early 20th century when Korea was a Japanese colony, the city's name was changed to Keijō to avoid confusion with the hanja (Chinese characters used in the Korean language) spelling of the city which referred to the Han Chinese. "Seoul" originated from the Korean word for "capital city" (derived from Seorabeol, one of the names of the Silla capital Gyeongju). Unlike other place names in Korea, Seoul has no corresponding hanja. On January 18, 2005, Seoul government officially changed its official Chinese language name to Shou'er instead of the traditional Hancheng. The city was once surrounded by a massive circular stone wall, which no longer stands (except along Bukhansan), the old gates remain in the downtown area.
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