The Suwoncheon 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 ...
is a tributary of the
Hwanggujicheon, which in turn empties into the
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula, and can be considered the northwestern part of the East China Sea. It is one of four seas named after common colour term ...
at
Asan Bay
Asan Bay is a South Korean bay in the Yellow Sea. Named after the city of Asan immediately to its south, it lies at the mouth of several rivers and separates the provinces of Gyeonggi-do
Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South ...
. Its source is on the slopes of
Gwanggyosan
Gwanggyosan (582 m) is a mountain in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It lies on the border of Suwon and Yongin, though the wider range extends north and so also borders Uiwang, Gwacheon, Seoul, and Seongnam.
The summit offers views across Suwo ...
on the border between
Yongin
Yongin () is a city in the Seoul Capital Area, the largest in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. With a population over 1 million, the city has developed rapidly since the 21st century, recording the highest population growth of any city in the count ...
and
Suwon
Suwon (, ) is the capital and largest city of Gyeonggi-do, South Korea's most populous province which surrounds Seoul, the national capital. Suwon lies about south of Seoul. It is traditionally known as "The City of Filial Piety". With a populati ...
, from where it forms the Gwanggyo Reservoir. It then runs south and through
Hwaseong's Hwahongmun to enter the old city of Suwon. It then runs through the centre of the old town and crosses the city walls once again near Paldalmun, crossing through Namsumun, a gate which was destroyed by a flood in 1922 and rebuilt in 2012. The stream has been covered for the rest of its journey through the city centre. On reemerging it then continues in a southerly direction before joining the Hwanggujicheon.
Flora and fauna
Notices alongside the upper reaches of the stream claim that it supports abundant plant life, including
irises,
alpine forget-me-nots,
Commelina communis
''Commelina communis'', commonly known as the Asiatic dayflower, is an herbaceous annual plant in the dayflower family. It gets its name because the blooms last for only one day. It is native throughout much of East Asia and northern parts of ...
and 95 species of aquatic plants. The stream is also said to support a variety of animal life, including
minnow
Minnow is the common name for a number of species of small freshwater fish, belonging to several genera of the families Cyprinidae and Leuciscidae. They are also known in Ireland as pinkeens.
Smaller fish in the subfamily Leusciscidae are ...
s,
pupfish
Pupfish are a group of small killifish belonging to ten genera of the family Cyprinodontidae of ray-finned fish. Pupfish are especially noted for being found in extreme and isolated situations. They are primarily found in North America, South ...
,
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, ...
,
Pseudorasbora parva
The stone moroko (''Pseudorasbora parva''), also known as the topmouth gudgeon, is a fish belonging to the Cyprinidae, Cyprinid family, native to Asia, but introduced and now considered an invasive species in Europe and North America. The fish's ...
,
Chinese mystery snail
The Chinese mystery snail, black snail, or trapdoor snail (''Cipangopaludina chinensis''), is a large freshwater snail with gills and an Operculum (gastropod), operculum, an Aquatic animal, aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Viviparidae.
...
s and
Ranatra chinensis.
Gallery
Image:Gwanggyo Reservoir - 2008-10-12.JPG, Gwanggyo Reservoir
Image:Suwoncheon from Gwanggyo Dam - 2008-11-02.JPG, From Gwanggyo Dam
Image:Fountain in Suwoncheon below Gwanggyo Reservoir - 2008-11-02.JPG, Fountain below Gwanggyo Dam
Image:Plant life in upper reaches of Suwoncheon - 2008-11-02.JPG, Plant life in upper reaches
Image:Path beside upper reaches of Suwoncheon - 2008-11-02.JPG, Path by upper reaches
Image:Upper reaches of Suwoncheon - 2008-11-02.JPG, Upper reaches
Image:Hwahongmun from path beside Suwoncheon - 2008-11-02.JPG, Approaching Hwahongmun
Image:Suwoncheon heading south from Hwahongmun - 2008-11-02.JPG, Heading south from Hwahongmun
Image:Suwoncheon by Hwahongmun.JPG, Heading south from Hwahongmun in winter
Image:Suwoncheon in Central Suwon.jpg, At the former site of Namsumun
See also
*
Rivers of Asia
*
Rivers of Korea
The Korean peninsula is mainly mountainous along its east coast, so most of its river water flows west, emptying into the Yellow Sea. Some of these rivers flow through lakes en route to the coast, but these are all artificial reservoirs, as ther ...
*
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 with a land border to South Korea is North Korea, lying to the north with of the border ...
Rivers of South Korea
{{SouthKorea-river-stub