National Atlas of Korea I
South Korea · National Geographic Information Institute · 2014
Related Reviews & Articles
Teaching spatial thinking with the national atlas of korea: a valuable resource for advanced placement human geography
Gregory Chu; Jongnam Choi; Chul Sue Hwang; Doug Andersen; Kenneth H. Keller; Michael Robinson; Kelly Swanson · 2016
This article introduces the second edition of The National Atlas of Korea, published in December 2014 by the National Geographic Information Institute (NGII) of South Korea, and explores its value as a resource for teaching Advanced Placement Human Geography (APHG) in the United States. The article begins by outlining the atlas's publication background and accessibility, noting that it comprehensively presents South Korea's geography and its social, economic, political, global, and historical attributes, and also includes unique and otherwise unavailable demographic, urbanization, and economic data about North Korea. The atlas is organized into five chapters covering territory, government and local autonomy, transformation and development of the land, Korea in the world, and maps of Korea. The third chapter is highlighted as the core for geography and social studies instruction, detailing South Korea's planning and development since the 1953 armistice, with a wealth of single-variable, bivariate, and multivariate maps that serve as a treasure trove for APHG curricula. The central focus of the article is on how to effectively use these maps in the classroom to cultivate spatial thinking skills. The authors distinguish between map reading (extracting information) and map analysis (visualizing patterns and posing new questions), and elaborate on several key techniques of spatial thinking, including visualization and pattern recognition, asking "what if" questions, analyzing geographic attributes, establishing spatial associations, and generating hypotheses. Using specific map examples, such as the growth of commuters in the Capital Region, the article demonstrates how to guide students in recognizing patterns, asking "why" questions, and conducting further spatial analysis and hypothesis generation. The article concludes by emphasizing the atlas's immense teaching value, mentioning the accompanying curriculum articulation document, and underscoring that the atlas is freely downloadable, making it an indispensable resource for U.S. geography and social studies teachers.
Teaching spatial thinking with the national atlas of korea in U.S. secondary level education
Gregory H. Chu; Chul Sue Hwang; Jongnam Choi · 2017
Spatial thinking, defined by the U.S. National Research Council (NRC) as a way of thinking that integrates spatial concepts, representation tools, and reasoning processes, is a key competency in K-12 geography education. However, secondary classrooms often lack well-designed resources to teach these elements. This paper documents a project that utilized the National Atlas of Korea—a freely accessible, content-rich atlas—to develop geography lesson plans for U.S. secondary education. Four experienced geography teachers were invited to design four "AP Human Geography" (APHG) lesson plans that integrate spatial concepts, thematic map interpretation, and reasoning processes, covering topics such as urban planning and urbanization, cultural diffusion, population dynamics, and development. Since the fall of 2015, these lesson plans have been implemented 19 times in secondary classrooms and 2 times in university classrooms, reaching over 800 students in Utah, Georgia, Minnesota, and Tennessee. Qualitative observations from teachers indicate that students were able to comprehend thematic maps of varying complexity, identify spatial patterns and associations, and enhance their spatial reasoning, critical thinking, and collaborative learning skills; they also gained background knowledge about Korean geography and culture. Additionally, a companion APHG curriculum alignment document helped teachers connect atlas resources to course standards. This project demonstrates that national atlases can serve as effective tools for teaching spatial thinking and provide reusable materials for APHG courses. Future efforts will expand the lesson plans by utilizing newly published volumes on the physical and human geography of Korea.
Reviews: The National Atlas of Korea, Volume I: National Territory
Aimée C. Quinn · 2018
This review evaluates The National Atlas of Korea, Volume I: National Territory, a 170-page volume edited by Jeong-Rock Lee et al., published in 2014 by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport and the National Geographic Information Institute of the Republic of Korea. The atlas, the first in a planned five-volume series, synthesizes cartographic, photographic, and statistical materials to present Korea's territorial history, government structure, land transformation, and global position. Organized into four sections—"Territory," "Government and Local Autonomy," "Transformation and Development of the Land," and "Korea in the World"—the volume employs GIS and data-mining technologies to document Korea's socioeconomic development and territorial integrity since ancient times, while emphasizing themes of national resilience and post-independence modernization. The reviewer highlights the atlas's visual richness and comprehensive administrative data, but also notes that the new technologies are underutilized in cross-referencing layers of data. Overall, the volume serves as an authoritative national self-representation, aiming to circulate an accurate understanding of Korea's physical and human geography to international audiences. The review also informs readers of free online access and limited print distribution.
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