Anjwa-myeon (, is a ''myeon'' located in Shinan County, South Jeolla,

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. It has an area of 59.97 km² and its population in March 2022 was 3,071. The ''myeon'' is composed of 63 islands, 10 inhabited and 53 uninhabited. Its largest island is Anjwa Island ( which comprises the majority of its land area. This island is also the largest island of Shinan County. Its northern coast is connected by a bridge to neighboring Palgeum-myeon, while to west of the island lies Bigeum-myeon. To the southwest of the ''myeon'' lies Haui-myeon, whilst Jangsan-myeon lies to its southeast.

History

Anjwa Island itself was reclaimed from mudflats in 1917. Before then, it consisted of two islands, Anchang Island () to the west and Gijwa Island () to the east. The modern name of the island is formed as a

portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.

of these two names.

Administrative history

Three Kingdoms period The Three Kingdoms of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu dominated China from AD 220 to 280 following the end of the Han dynasty. This period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and followed by the Western Jin dynasty. Academically, the ...

: Mura County (),

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (; ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BCE to 660 CE. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. While the three kingdoms were in separate existence, Baekje had the h ...

* Joseon period: Najumok Jurisdiction () * 1896: Gijwa-myeon and Anchang-myeon, Jido County () * 1903: Gijwa-myeon and Anchang-myeon,

Jindo County Jindo County (''Jindo-gun'') is a county in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. It consists of the island of Jindo and several smaller nearby islands. Jindo Bridge connects Jindo county with Haenam county. Together with Jindo Island, Jindo Co ...

() * 1914: Gijwa-myeon and Anchang-myeon,

Muan County Muan County () is a county in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. In 2005, Muan County became the capital of South Jeolla following the transfer of the provincial office from its previous location in Gwangju to the village of Namak in Muan. M ...

() * 1917: Anjwa-myeon, Muan County * 1969: Anjwa-myeon, Shinan County ()

Geography

The three highest points of the ''myeon'' and of Anjwa Island are marked by Bongsan () at a height of 182m in the northwest of the island, and Daesan () at 151m and Hudongsan () also at 151m, in the southeast. The geology of the islands is principally that of acidic igneous rock. However, due to the

sedimentation Sedimentation is the deposition of sediments. It takes place when particles in suspension settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to th ...

caused by coastal currents as well as governmental land reclamation projects, along the eastern coast of Anjwa Island a plain has formed. The native tree flora include a species of

evergreen oak Live oak or evergreen oak is any of a number of oaks in several different sections of the genus ''Quercus'' that share the characteristic of evergreen foliage. These oaks are generally not more closely related to each other than they are to ot ...

camellia ''Camellia'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in tropical and subtropical areas in East Asia, eastern and South Asia, southern Asia, from the Himalayas east to Japan and Indonesia. There are ...

, evergreen spindle, and red machilus.

Administrative subdivisions

Anjwa-myeong has 25 ''ri''.

Economy

Land use is composed of of rice paddies, of agricultural fields, and of forest. Major agricultural products include rice, barley, beans, sweet potatoes, tobacco, and onions; additionally, jujubes are abundant as forest products. Anchovies, cutlassfish, octopus (including '' nakji'' and larger species), and croaker are caught in the coastal waters. Production of oysters, '' gim'' seaweed, ''

miyeok Wakame ''(Undaria pinnatifida)'' is a species of kelp native to cold, temperate coasts of the northwest Pacific Ocean. As an edible seaweed, it has a subtly sweet, but distinctive and strong flavour and satiny texture. It is most often served in ...

'' seaweed and salt are all active industries; local specialties include

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...

, '' gim'' seaweed, rice and ''

gamtae ''Ecklonia cava'', also called paddle weed, , ''noro-kajime'', or ''gamtae'' (), is an edible marine brown alga species found in the ocean off Japan and Korea. It is used as an herbal remedy in the form of an extract called ''Seanol'', a polyph ...

'' (also known as paddle weed).

Transportation

Regular passenger ferries link Anjwa-myeon to

Mokpo Mokpo (; ) is the List of cities in South Korea, third largest and most densely populated city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea, located at the southwestern tip of the Korean Peninsula, close to Yudal mountain. Mokpo has frequent high-speed ...

on the mainland of South Korea, as well as between the islands that make up the ''myeon''. There are also road bridges that connect Anjwa Island to other ''myeon'', with Local Route 805 being the principal trunk road leading out from National Route 2. This local route currently finishes on Jara Island (), one of the southernmost parts of the ''myeon''. However, the more touristy smaller islands of the ''myeon'' are only connected to Anjwa Island by footbridge.

Education

Anjwa Island has one middle school, located in Changma-ri. The ''myeon'' has several elementary schools.

Purple Islands

Anjwa-myeon also includes Banwol Island (, ) and Bakji Island (also known as Parkji Island, ), which have been given the name the ''Purple Isles'' or the ''Purple Islands''. Each of these islands forms a ''ri'' in its own right within Anjwa-myeon. Banwol Island historically depended on fishing and agriculture, with both deep-sea fishing and marsh fishing being practiced. The traditional cultivation of

kohlrabi Kohlrabi (; pronounced in English; scientific name ''Brassica oleracea'' Gongylodes Group (horticulture), Group), also called German turnip or turnip cabbage, is a Biennial plant, biennial vegetable, a low, stout cultivar of wild cabbage. It is ...

as well as the abundance of native bellflowers inspired a

purple Purple is a color similar in appearance to violet light. In the RYB color model historically used in the arts, purple is a secondary color created by combining red and blue pigments. In the CMYK color model used in modern printing, purple is ...

-themed rebrand for the region in 2015, with 400 buildings in the region painting their roofs purple, as well as telephone boxes. The planting of 21,500 m² of

lavender ''Lavandula'' (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of perennial flowering plants in the sage family, Lamiaceae. It is native plant, native to the Old World, primarily found across the drier, warmer regions of the Mediterranean ...

fields, as well as fields of ''

Aster Aster or ASTER may refer to: Biology * ''Aster'' (genus), a genus of flowering plants ** List of ''Aster'' synonyms, other genera formerly included in ''Aster'' and still called asters in English * Aster (cell biology), a cellular structure shap ...

'' daisies, lily magnolia,

lilac ''Syringa'' is a genus of 12 currently recognized species of flowering woody plants in the olive family or Oleaceae called lilacs. These lilacs are native to woodland and scrub from southeastern Europe to eastern Asia, and widely and commonly ...

hollyhock ''Alcea'' is a genus of over 80 species of flowering plants in the mallow family Malvaceae, commonly known as the hollyhocks. They are native to Asia and Europe. The single species of hollyhock from the Americas, the Iliamna rivularis, streamban ...

and purpletop vervain have contributed to the aesthetic and environmental appeal of the region throughout the seasons. Since the initial revitalization efforts in 2018, more than 490,000 visitors had come to the island as of 2021. Because of the close association of the color purple with the fandom of South Korean boy band

BTS BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010. The band consists of Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook, who co-write or co-produce much of their material. Originally a hip hop group, they ...

, photo zones dedicated to the group and a sculpture of the catchphrase 'I purple you' are found on the island. Banwol Island is connected to Bakji Island and thence to Anjwa Island by a large two-section wooden pedestrian bridge called the "Purple Bridge" () due to its color. This has also been referred to as Cheonsa Bridge or Angel Bridge (, , ), not be confused with a suspension road bridge of much greater dimensions, also located in Shinan County. The bridge was first built to honor the wishes of Kim Mae-geum, a resident of Bakji Island, "to walk on two feet onto the mainland".

References

{{Reflist Towns and townships in South Jeolla Province Sinan County, South Jeolla