Taebaek

Taebaek
태백시
Korean transcription(s)
 • Hangul태백시
 • Hanja
 • Revised RomanizationTaebaek-si
 • McCune–ReischauerT'aebaek-si
Location in South Korea
Coordinates: 37°10′04″N 128°59′27″E / 37.16778°N 128.99083°E / 37.16778; 128.99083
Country South Korea
State Gangwon
Administrative divisions8 dong
Area
 • Total
303.53 km2 (117.19 sq mi)
Population
 (2023)
 • Total
38,103
 • Density185/km2 (480/sq mi)
ClimateDwb

Taebaek (Korean태백; Korean pronunciation: [tʰɛ̝.bɛ̝k̚]) is a city in the state of Gangwon, South Korea. Its name is shared with that of the Taebaek Mountains. Situated at an elevation of 650 to 700 m (2,130 to 2,300 ft), Taebaek is the second highest city in South Korea, after Pyeongchang.

Etymology

Taebaek is derived from Taebaeksan, meaning "very bright."[1]

Attractions

Manggyeongsa Temple in Hyeol-dong, at an elevation of 1,460 meters on the Taebaek Mountains, is a temple built to enshrine the statue of the Bodhisattva of wisdom. It was built by Jajang, a Silla Dynasty monk. The "Dragon Spring" at the entrance of the temple is known as the highest spring in Korea.[2] Other attractions include Taebaek Coal Museum, Taebaek Paleozoic Museum, and 365 Safe Town. Gumunso is a famous natural landmark in Taebaek.

Climate

Climate data for Taebaek (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1985–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 12.2
(54.0)
20.1
(68.2)
21.6
(70.9)
29.7
(85.5)
32.6
(90.7)
35.0
(95.0)
35.7
(96.3)
35.6
(96.1)
31.8
(89.2)
26.9
(80.4)
22.6
(72.7)
15.2
(59.4)
35.6
(96.1)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 0.7
(33.3)
3.1
(37.6)
7.9
(46.2)
15.1
(59.2)
20.8
(69.4)
24.0
(75.2)
25.9
(78.6)
26.0
(78.8)
21.5
(70.7)
16.8
(62.2)
9.9
(49.8)
3.0
(37.4)
14.6
(58.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) −4.7
(23.5)
−2.5
(27.5)
2.4
(36.3)
8.9
(48.0)
14.5
(58.1)
18.1
(64.6)
21.4
(70.5)
21.3
(70.3)
16.2
(61.2)
10.5
(50.9)
4.2
(39.6)
−2.3
(27.9)
9.0
(48.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −9.6
(14.7)
−7.8
(18.0)
−2.9
(26.8)
2.9
(37.2)
8.4
(47.1)
12.9
(55.2)
17.7
(63.9)
17.7
(63.9)
11.7
(53.1)
5.0
(41.0)
−0.9
(30.4)
−7.1
(19.2)
4.0
(39.2)
Record low °C (°F) −21.7
(−7.1)
−20.3
(−4.5)
−16.8
(1.8)
−8.2
(17.2)
−2.1
(28.2)
0.5
(32.9)
5.6
(42.1)
8.3
(46.9)
1.0
(33.8)
−7.1
(19.2)
−15.2
(4.6)
−18.5
(−1.3)
−21.7
(−7.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 26.6
(1.05)
28.8
(1.13)
54.8
(2.16)
85.8
(3.38)
90.2
(3.55)
140.4
(5.53)
274.2
(10.80)
278.7
(10.97)
198.4
(7.81)
65.5
(2.58)
45.2
(1.78)
19.4
(0.76)
1,308
(51.50)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 7.2 6.5 9.9 9.5 9.0 11.2 16.3 16.0 12.0 7.2 8.1 6.2 119.1
Average snowy days 10.7 9.7 9.9 2.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 3.3 7.6 44.0
Average relative humidity (%) 59.1 58.4 59.2 55.4 59.4 71.2 78.3 79.9 79.3 70.5 63.6 58.4 66.1
Mean monthly sunshine hours 174.9 178.3 202.7 207.2 232.9 192.7 143.8 141.7 147.4 178.7 159.6 169.8 2,129.7
Percentage possible sunshine 54.0 56.2 53.4 54.6 50.4 42.8 30.5 39.5 48.8 57.4 51.6 53.4 48.6
Source: Korea Meteorological Administration (snow and percent sunshine 1981–2010)[3][4][5]

Transportation

Sister cities

Notable

  • Jo Mingyu, often spelled Cho Minkyu (born 19 November 1990) South Korean opera singer, the leader and leggero tenor of crossover vocal group Forestella

See also

References

  1. ^ "Origin of Taebaek". Taebaek.
  2. ^ Cin Woo Lee "Simply stunning: 33 incredible Korean temples" Archived 2012-04-17 at the Wayback Machine CNN Go. 10 February 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-12
  3. ^ "Climatological Normals of Korea (1991 ~ 2020)" (PDF) (in Korean). Korea Meteorological Administration. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 January 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  4. ^ 순위값 - 구역별조회 (in Korean). Korea Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  5. ^ "Climatological Normals of Korea" (PDF). Korea Meteorological Administration. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.