Jeju Island (pop. 670,858), also spelled Cheju Island, is a volcanic island off the southern coast of South Korea. The island is a province of South Korea. The city of Jeju (also spelled Cheju), on the island’s northern coast, is the province’s capital.
Jeju Island lies about 80 miles (130 kilometers) from the South Korean mainland. At about 713 square miles (1,846 square kilometers), it is South Korea’s largest island. South Korea’s highest mountain, Hallasan (Halla Mountain), rises 6,398 feet (1,950 meters) in the center of the island. It is a volcano that has been dormant (inactive) for nearly 2,000 years. At the top of the mountain lies a crater lake called Baekrodam (also spelled Paengnoktam), which means White Deer Lake.
Tourism is Jeju Island’s main industry. The island has a rugged landscape featuring beaches, caves, lava tubes (long, cavelike channels through which lava flowed), and waterfalls. These interesting natural features and Jeju Island’s semitropical climate make it a popular vacation destination. Agriculture and fishing are also important economic activities. Farmers on the island grow rapeseed as well as a variety of tropical fruits.
Jeju Island is home to female divers known as haenyo << HAYN yoh >> . These girls and women dive for shellfish, octopus, and seaweed without the use of artificial breathing devices.
In A.D. 938, Jeju Island became part of the kingdom of Goryeo (also spelled Koryo). For hundreds of years, the rulers of the Joseon (also spelled Choson) dynasty, which lasted from 1392 until 1910, used the island as a place to send political opponents and criminals into exile.
