Myeongnyang Strait () is a
strait
A strait is a water body connecting two seas or water basins. The surface water is, for the most part, at the same elevation on both sides and flows through the strait in both directions, even though the topography generally constricts the ...
separating the mainland of South Korea with the island
Jindo. It separates
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 ...
and
Haenam County
Haenam (''Haenam-gun'') is a county in South Jeolla Province, South Korea.
The capital of Haenam-gun is Haenam-eup (Haenam town).
The economy of the county is based mainly on agriculture, with rice and radish being the two most common crops.
Hist ...
, and is located in
South Jeolla Province
South Jeolla Province (), formerly South Chŏlla Province, also known as Jeonnam (), is a province in the Honam, Honam region, South Korea, and the Provinces of Korea, southernmost province in mainland Korea. South Jeolla borders the provinces of ...
. It is also called Uldolmok ().
Etymology
The strait's original name was the native Korean term Uldolmok, which refers to reported loud sounds made by its rapid currents. When that name is rendered in
Hanja
Hanja (; ), alternatively spelled Hancha, are Chinese characters used to write the Korean language. After characters were introduced to Korea to write Literary Chinese, they were adapted to write Korean as early as the Gojoseon period.
() ...
(Chinese characters), those characters can be read as "Myeongnyang", hence the current popular name.
Description
The strait is about wide at the narrowest point.
The average width is around .
It widens from east to west.
At high tide, the water speed reaches 11.5
knots
A knot is a fastening in rope or interwoven lines.
Knot or knots may also refer to:
Other common meanings
* Knot (unit), of speed
* Knot (wood), a timber imperfection
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Knots'' (film), a 2004 film
* ''Kn ...
and the depth reaches .
The strait has proved important at several points in Korean history. The seclusion it provided allowed the
Sambyeolcho Rebellion
The Sambyeolcho Rebellion (1270–1273) was a Korean rebellion against the Goryeo dynasty that happened near the end of the Mongol invasions of Korea. It was suppressed by Goryeo and the Yuan dynasty. After the rebellion, Goryeo became a vassa ...
to take refuge here in 1271. In 1597, during the
Imjin War
The Imjin War () was a series of two Japanese invasions of Korea: an initial invasion in 1592 also individually called the "Imjin War", a brief truce in 1596, and a second invasion in 1597 called the Chŏngyu War (). The conflict ended in 159 ...
, the Korean admiral,
Yi Sun-sin
Yi Sun-sin (; ; April 28, 1545 – December 16, 1598) was a Korean admiral and military general known for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Imjin War in the Joseon period. Yi's courtesy name was Yŏhae (여해), and he was po ...
, achieved a decisive victory in the
Battle of Myeongnyang
In the Battle of Myeongnyang, on October 26, 1597, the Korean Joseon Kingdom's navy, led by Admiral Yi Sun-sin, fought the Japanese navy in the Myeongnyang Strait, near Jindo Island, off the southwest corner of the Korean Peninsula.
With onl ...
although he was massively outnumbered by the Japanese fleet.
Tidal forces
The tidal force or tide-generating force is the difference in gravitational attraction between different points in a gravitational field, causing bodies to be pulled unevenly and as a result are being stretched towards the attraction. It is the d ...
mean that the currents of the Myeongnyang Strait reverse direction roughly every three hours.
, South Korea's longest
cable-stayed bridge
A cable-stayed bridge has one or more ''towers'' (or ''pylons''), from which wire rope, cables support the bridge deck. A distinctive feature are the cables or wikt:stay#Etymology 3, stays, which run directly from the tower to the deck, norm ...
,
was the first bridge to be constructed over the strait; it was completed in 1984.
There is also a memorial to
Yi Sun-sin
Yi Sun-sin (; ; April 28, 1545 – December 16, 1598) was a Korean admiral and military general known for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Imjin War in the Joseon period. Yi's courtesy name was Yŏhae (여해), and he was po ...
on the coast.
See also
*
Geography of South Korea
South Korea is located in East Asia, on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula located out from the far east of the Asian landmass. The only country that shares a land border with South Korea is North Korea, lying to the north with of ...
*
History of Korea
The Lower Paleolithic era on the Korean Peninsula and in Manchuria began roughly half a million years ago.
Christopher J. Norton, "The Current State of Korean Paleoanthropology", (2000), ''Journal of Human Evolution'', 38: 803–825.
The earl ...
*
Uldolmok Tidal Power Station
References
{{Authority Control
Landforms of South Jeolla Province
Straits of South Korea