Jeolla (Jeolla-do) was one of the eight provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Jeolla was located in the southwest of Korea. The provincial capital was Jeonju.
History
During the Goryeo dynasty, the Provinces of Gangnam and Haeyang were merged to form Jeollaju Province (Jeollaju-do; 전라주도; 全羅州道). In the early 15th century (the early Joseon Dynasty), the province's name was shortened to Jeolla. The name derived from the names of the principal cities of Jeonju (전주; 全州) and Naju (나주; 羅州). (The "n"s (ㄴ) in "Jeonju" and "Naju" are assimilated to "l"s (ㄹ) according to a phonetic rule in Korean.)
In 1895, the province was replaced by the Districts of Jeonju (Jeonju-bu; 전주부; 全州府) in the northwest, Naju (Naju-bu; 나주부; 羅州府) in the southwest, Namwon (Namwon-bu; 남원부; 南原府) in the east, and Jeju (Jeju-bu; 제주부; 濟州府) on Jeju Island.
In 1896, Jeonju and northern Namwon Districts were merged to form North Jeolla Province, and Naju, Jeju, and southern Namwon Districts were merged to form South Jeolla Province.
Geography
Jeolla Province was bounded on the north by Chungcheong Province, on the east by Gyeongsang Province, on the south by the East China Sea, and on the west by the Yellow Sea.
The region is bordered on the east by the Sobaek Mountains and is drained by the Yeongsan, Seomjin and Mangyeong River. The largest city in the region is Gwangju. Apart from Jeonju and Naju, other cities of note include Iksan (formerly Iri), Gunsan, Mokpo, Namwon, Suncheon, and Yeosu.
The regional name for Jeolla was Honam, which is still frequently used today.
See also
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