Han River (Korea)
The Han River is a major river in South Korea and the fourth longest river on the Korean peninsula after the Amnok, Duman, and Nakdong rivers. Along the banks of the river, especially in Seoul, pedestrian walkways and bicycle paths are available on both sides of the river. Various restaurants and cafes are located on these paths. While most bridges crossing the Han are for motor vehicles or subways only, citizens may cross select bridges on foot or by bicycle.
The Han River and its surrounding area played an important role in Korean history. The Three Kingdoms of Korea strove to take control of this land, where the river was used as a trade route to China (via the Yellow Sea). However, the river is no longer actively used for navigation, because its estuary is located at the borders of the two Koreas, barred for entrance by any civilian.
In 2011 in a survey conducted, by Seoul Development Institute, which included 800 residents and 103 urban planners and architects. It listed 51.3 percent of residents and 68.9 percent of experts, voted that the river as the most scenic location in Seoul, following Mount Namsan in the top spot.
Read more about Han River (Korea): Geography, The Name, History, Tributaries of The Han, Bridges Over The Lower Han, Subways Crossing Han River, In Media, Gallery
Famous quotes containing the words han and/or river:
“Certes this dream, which ye han met tonight,
Cometh of the great superfluity
Of your redde colera,”
—Geoffrey Chaucer (1340?–1400)
“This spirit it was which so early carried the French to the Great Lakes and the Mississippi on the north, and the Spaniard to the same river on the south. It was long before our frontiers reached their settlements in the West, and a voyageur or coureur de bois is still our conductor there.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)