The Nakdonggang River or Nakdonggang () is the longest
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of ...
in
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
, and passes through major cities such as
Daegu
Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea.
It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...
and
Busan
Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea ...
. It takes its name from its role as the eastern border of the
Gaya confederacy
Gaya (, ) was a Korean confederacy of territorial polities in the Nakdong River basin of southern Korea, growing out of the Byeonhan confederacy of the Samhan period.
The traditional period used by historians for Gaya chronology is AD 42– ...
during
Korea's Three Kingdoms Era.
Geography
The Nakdonggang flows from the
Taebaek Mountains
The Taebaek Mountains are a mountain range that stretches across North Korea and South Korea. They form the main ridge of the Korean peninsula.
Geography
The Taebaek mountains are located along the eastern edge of the peninsula and run along ...
to the South Sea or Korean Strait, which separates Korea from Japan. The river originates from the junction of the Cheolamcheon and Hwangjicheon streams in Dongjeom-dong,
Taebaek city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
,
Gangwon province. From there to its mouth it winds for about . The width of the river ranges from only a few metres in its upper reaches, to several hundred metres towards its estuary.
Major tributaries include the
Yeong,
Geumho, and
Nam rivers. Together with its tributaries, the Nakdonggang drains most of
North Gyeongsang
North Gyeongsang Province ( ko, 경상북도, translit=Gyeongsangbuk-do, ) is a province in eastern South Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Gyeongsang province, and remained a province of Korea until t ...
and
South Gyeongsang provinces, along with small portions of
North Jeolla,
South Jeolla
South Jeolla Province (; ''Jeollanam-do''; ), also known as Jeonnam, is a province of South Korea. South Jeolla has a population of 1,902,324 (2014) and has a geographic area of located in the Honam region at the southwestern tip of the Korea ...
, and
Gangwon. The total
watershed
Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to:
Hydrology
* Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins
* Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...
is .
History
The Nakdonggang River has played an important role throughout
Korean history. The river basin has been a favored dwelling-place for as long as people have inhabited the
Korean peninsula
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...
. Numerous
Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several pa ...
remains have been found in the valley.
Around the 1st century, the valley is believed to have been inhabited by the
Byeonhan confederacy tribes. During the
Three Kingdoms period
The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the We ...
, the
Gaya confederacy
Gaya (, ) was a Korean confederacy of territorial polities in the Nakdong River basin of southern Korea, growing out of the Byeonhan confederacy of the Samhan period.
The traditional period used by historians for Gaya chronology is AD 42– ...
controlled the valley, until they were overrun by
Silla
Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms o ...
in 562. These states exploited the river's potential for navigation and commerce, operating a thriving trade in
armor and
weapon
A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, s ...
s with neighboring countries, including
Yamato period Japan. Through the Silla,
Goryeo
Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificat ...
, and
Joseon periods, the river continued to serve as a major transportation corridor in the
Gyeongsang region. It was especially used for transporting fresh seafood inland, such as
mackerel, which were salted and dried in order to prevent them from spoiling. The city of
Andong was the farthest inland the fish could be brought before going bad, so many people flocked there during the Joseon Dynasty to eat fish.
As a barrier to movement, the Nakdonggang River gained sudden prominence during the
Korean War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Korean War
, partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict
, image = Korean War Montage 2.png
, image_size = 300px
, caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...
. The southern length of the river formed the western portion of the
Pusan Perimeter
The Battle of the Pusan Perimeter ( ko, 부산 교두보 전투) was a large-scale battle between United Nations Command (UN) and North Korean forces lasting from August 4 to September 18, 1950. It was one of the first major engagements of th ...
, which the UN forces fought to maintain during the autumn of 1950. The bridge over the Nakdonggang River at
Waegwan was blown up on August 3, 1950 in an effort to prevent
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...
n forces from advancing on
Daegu
Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea.
It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...
. A large number of South Korean
refugees were killed in the explosion. Although some North Korean forces did cross the Nakdonggang River in places, for the most part the river still marks their furthest advance.
Nakdonggang river phenol contamination incident
In 1991, there were two incidents where
phenol
Phenol (also called carbolic acid) is an aromatic organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a white crystalline solid that is volatile. The molecule consists of a phenyl group () bonded to a hydroxy group (). Mildly acidic, it r ...
was leaked into the river from
Doosan Electronics. There were two leaks, the first thirty tons on March 14, 1991 and the second 1.3 tons on April 22. The phenol ended up at a water processing facility used for drinking water in
Daegu
Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea.
It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...
and began to smell after becoming
chlorophenol
A chlorophenol is any organochloride of phenol that contains one or more covalently bonded chlorine atoms. There are five basic types of chlorophenols (mono- to pentachlorophenol) and 19 different chlorophenols in total when positional isomerism is ...
when the water was sanitized with
chlorine
Chlorine is a chemical element with the symbol Cl and atomic number 17. The second-lightest of the halogens, it appears between fluorine and bromine in the periodic table and its properties are mostly intermediate between them. Chlorine i ...
.
Ecology
The Nakdonggang valley includes numerous floodplain wetlands, the most well-known of which are the Joonam Reservoirs near Changwon City and Upo Ramsar site, in
Changnyeong County, South Gyeongsang. These wetlands, while significantly degraded and overdeveloped, still provide habitat to a significant number of rare and threatened species, most especially birds (such as the Baikal Teal, ''Anas formosa'', and White-naped Crane, ''Grus vipio''), fish and plants. Despite being home to the bustling Port of
Busan
Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea ...
, the Nakdonggang
Estuary
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...
is also internationally important for waterbirds, despite recent ecologically-destructive developments including reclamation for housing and industry (e.g. the Busan New Port), the ongoing construction of a major bridge (the Miyeonji Bridge) and most recently the threatened construction of the Korean Grand Canal project.
The Nakdonggang and its tributaries also serve as a major source of
drinking water
Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, ...
for the inhabitants of the river basin and others nearby. However,
water pollution
Water pollution (or aquatic pollution) is the contamination of water bodies, usually as a result of human activities, so that it negatively affects its uses. Water bodies include lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers, reservoirs and groundwater. ...
due to domestic and
agricultural wastewater remains a serious concern.
Economic role
Although all but the southernmost reaches of the Nakdonggang River have ceased to serve as a major commercial waterway, the river continues to feed those dwelling near it, both directly through
fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from fish stocking, stocked bodies of water such as fish pond, ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. ...
and indirectly through
irrigation. Substantial amounts of
snails and
catfish
Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...
are taken from the waters and used in local cuisine.
Near
Andong, a series of massive hydroelectric dams have been constructed, creating a small chain of artificial lakes of which
Andong Lake is the largest. These lakes also support a substantial
recreational industry.
Bass fishing is especially popular, since the lakes have been artificially stocked with
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
.
In the early 2010s, the Nakdonggang River was to be part of former Korean president
Lee Myung Bak's canal project, the
Grand Korean Waterway. The project would link the Nakdong with the Han River to the north, creating a shipping canal spanning length of the country, from Seoul to Busan. Encountering considerable controversy nationwide as well as from residents along the Nakdonggang, the Waterway project was scrapped by the end of Lee's presidency.
Festival
Nakdonggang River Bicycle Festival - The Nakdong River Cultural Center hold bicycle festivals that everyone can enjoy the healthy leisure culture of local residents. It is composed of flat courses about 20Km in the vicinity of Eulsukdo and Nakdonggang River Cultural Center.
See also
*
Geography of South Korea
*
List of rivers of Asia
*
West Nakdong River
Notes
References
Bibliography
* .
{{coord, 35, 03, 06, N, 128, 55, 21, E, region:KR_type:waterbody_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title
Rivers of North Gyeongsang Province
Rivers of South Gyeongsang Province
Rivers of Busan