South Gyeongsang Province

The name derives from Korean Gyeongsang 'joyous furthermore'; from gyeong (Korean 경, Hanja 慶) 'celebrate', and sang (Korean 상, Hanja 尚) 'append to'. The name derives from the names of the principal cities of Gyeongju (경주; 慶州) and Sangju (상주; 尙州).

In 1407, for military purposes, the administrative districts were reorganized, with Gyeongsang-do being divided into Gyeongsangjwa-do (or Gyeongsangjwa Province; left) and Gyeongsangwu-do (or Gyeongsangwu Province; right) as the reference points of the Nakdonggang River.^[2]

Before 1895, the area corresponding to modern-day South Gyeongsang Province was part of Gyeongsang Province, one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon dynastic kingdom. In 1895, southern Gyeongsang was replaced by the districts of Jinju in the west and Dongnae (modern-day Busan) in the east. In 1896, they were merged to form South Gyeongsang Province.

The provincial capital was originally at Jinju; it moved in 1925 to Busan. During the Japanese rule over Korea, the province was known as Keishōnan-dō. In 1948, South Gyeongsang Province became part of South Korea. In 1963, Pusan separated from South Gyeongsang Province to become a Directly Governed City (Jikhalsi). In 1983, the provincial capital moved from Pusan to Changwon. In 1995, Pusan became a Metropolitan City (Gwangyeoksi), and Ulsan separated from South Gyeongsang Province to become a Metropolitan City in 1997.

The province is part of the Yeongnam region, on the north by North Gyeongsang Province, on the west by North Jeolla Province and South Jeolla Province, and on the south by the Korea Strait far from Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. Most of the province is drained by the Nakdong River and its tributaries. The total area of the province is 10,533 square kilometres (4,067 sq mi).^[3]

The tail of the Taebaek Mountains reaches the east of the Province, and the Nakdonggang River flows in the middle of the mountain range. The Province is bordered by the Sobaek Mountains and Honam to the west. The central lowland spreads along the Nakdonggang River basin. The Nakdonggang River is collecting tributaries of Gyeongsangnam-do to develop the Gimhae Delta Plain near the downstream. Jirisan, Deogyusan, and Bagunsan are lined up in the west.^[4]

The Nakdong delta plain around Gimhae is one of the best granaries in South Korea. Agricultural products form Gyeongsangnam-do include rice, beans, potatoes, and barley. The area is renowned for its cotton, sesame, and fruits which are grown along the southern seaside. A number of marine products are caught. The province is one of the country's leading fisheries.

Largest cities in South Gyeongsang Province Citypopulation[7]
	Rank		Municipal pop.
Changwon Gimhae	1	Changwon	1,029,389	Jinju Yangsan
	2	Gimhae	552,427
	3	Jinju	352,403
	4	Yangsan	351,206
	5	Geoje	246,965
	6	Tongyeong	127,984
	7	Sacheon	111,184
	8	Miryang	103,228
	9	Haman	65,279
	10	Geochang	59,595

The largest cities in the region are Busan and Ulsan, which are separately administered as provincial-level Metropolitan Cities. Apart from the capital Changwon, other large or notable cities include Gimhae and Jinju.

Gyeongsangnam-do is the home of Haeinsa, a Buddhist temple that houses the Tripitaka Koreana and attracts many tourists. It is in the national park around Jirisan (1,915 m) on the border with Jeollabuk-do. The temple was first built in 802.

Changnyeong County contains three major tourist attractions for the province: Upo Wetland, the natural hotsprings of Bugok, and Hwawangsan.

Yangsan-si contains two major temples for the province: Tongdosa and Naewon Temple

Beginning in 2002, the Tongyeong International Music Festival is one of the most important music events in Asia. Held every spring, the festival consists of stages from well-known classical music figures and aspiring musicians. It aims to foster young composers and performers.^[8]

Jinhae Naval Port Festival, one of the biggest cherry blossom festivals in South Korea, is held in Jinhae.^[9]

The Haman Water Fireworks Festival takes place around Buddha's Birthday in April every year. It is one of the cultures that has existed since the Joseon Dynasty. It originated from the heart of praying for peace in the country.^[10]

The Jinju National Museum opened in 1984 as the first national museum in South Gyeongsang Province. Visitors can experience cultural heritages in the Province, including Gaya.^[11]

Haeinsa, one of Korea's top three temples, was built by two monks in 802. The temple houses various treasures along with Woodblocks of national treasures, including the Tripitaka Koreana and Janggyeong Panjeon.^[12]

• Destination
• 
  Haeinsa
• 
  Jinju National Museum
• 
  Yeonji Park in Gimhae

Gyeongsangnam-do is divided into 8 cities (si) and 10 counties (gun). The names below are given in English, hangul, and hanja.

Map	#	Name	Hangul	Hanja	Population (2012)[13]	Subdivisions
	— Specific City —
	1	Changwon	창원시	昌原市	1,106,081	5 ilban-gu — 2 eup, 6 myeon, 54 haengjeong-dong
	2	Gimhae	김해시	金海市	531,383	1 eup, 6 myeon, 12 haengjeong-dong
	— City —
	3	Jinju	진주시	晉州市	341,221	1 eup, 15 myeon, 15 haengjeong-dong
	4	Yangsan	양산시	梁山市	274,770	1 eup, 4 myeon, 8 haengjeong-dong
	5	Geoje	거제시	巨濟市	245,972	9 myeon, 10 haengjeong-dong
	6	Tongyeong	통영시	統營市	143,039	1 eup, 6 myeon, 8 haengjeong-dong
	7	Sacheon	사천시	泗川市	117,968	1 eup, 7 myeon, 6 haengjeong-dong
	8	Miryang	밀양시	密陽市	109,967	2 eup, 9 myeon, 5 haengjeong-dong
	— County —
	9	Haman County	함안군	咸安郡	70,443	2 eup, 8 myeon
	10	Geochang County	거창군	居昌郡	63,536	1 eup, 11 myeon
	11	Changnyeong County	창녕군	昌寧郡	64,297	2 eup, 12 myeon
	12	Goseong County	고성군	固城郡	58,553	1 eup, 13 myeon
	13	Namhae County	남해군	南海郡	48,899	1 eup, 9 myeon
	14	Hapcheon County	합천군	陜川郡	50,713	1 eup, 16 myeon
	15	Hadong County	하동군	河東郡	51,235	1 eup, 12 myeon
	16	Hamyang County	함양군	咸陽郡	41,155	1 eup, 10 myeon
	17	Sancheong County	산청군	山淸郡	36,079	1 eup, 10 myeon
	18	Uiryeong County	의령군	宜寧郡	31,027	1 eup, 12 myeon

Gyeongnam Regional Government Complex was built to integrate government agencies in Changwon and Masan. It was completed in March 2013.^[14]

• Yamaguchi Prefecture (July 26, 1987)
• Kedah (July 3, 1989)
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• Shandong (September 8, 1993)
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• Chun Doo-hwan, Former South Korean President
• Kim Young-sam, Former South Korean President
• Roh Moo-hyun, Former South Korean President
• Moon Jae-in, Former South Korean President
• Winter (Kim Min-jeong), a member of K-pop girl group, Aespa
• Koo In-hwoi, South Korean businessman and the founder of LG Group

• Igeum-dong site - complex archaeological site in Sacheon-si
• Gyeongsang National University
• Tongyeong International Music Festival
• North Gyeongsang Province

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gyeongsangnam-do.

• South Gyeongsang travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Official website (in English)