gyeongju

Gyeongju is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang province in South Korea covering 1,324 km2 with a population of 269,343 people according to the 2008 census. Gyeongju is 370 km southeast of Seoul, and 55 km east of the provincial capital, Daegu. while to the east lies the coast of the East Sea. Numerous low mountains—outliers of the Taebaek range—are scattered around the city. Gyeongju was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla (57 BC – 935 AD) which ruled most of the Korean Peninsula between the 7th and 9th centuries. A vast number of archaeological sites and cultural properties from this period remain in the city.