The Taebaek Mountains are a mountain range in both North and South Korea. They form the main ridge of the Korean peninsula.
The Taebaek mountains are located to the east of the peninsula and run along the East Sea. Hwangnyong Mountain in North Korea with 1268 metres forms the northern end of the range. Busan lies at the southern end of the mountain range. This makes the mountain range a total length of over 500 kilometres, averaging about 1000 metres in height.
Prominent peaks of the range include Mt. Kŭmgang (1,638 m), Mt. Seorak (1,708 m), and Mt. Odae (1,563 m). To the east, the mountain range falls steeply into the sea, but to the west, there are more gentle slopes. Many spurs stretch southwest. The most important rivers of South Korea Han River and Nakdong River both originate in the Taebaek Mountains.
Economically the Taebaek mountains are important for the mining of iron, coal, tungsten, and limestone. Many of the slopes are extensively covered in forests.
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