38th parallel north

38th parallel north
South Korean and UN troops withdraw behind the 38th parallel in the Korean War.
Korean name
Hangul 삼팔선 Hanja 三八線 Revised Romanization Sampalseon McCune- Reischauer Samp'alsŏn

The 38th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 38 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. The 38th parallel north has been especially important in the recent history of Korea.

Contents 1 Geography 2 Korea 3 See also 4 Further Reading 5 External links

Geography

Starting at the Prime Meridian heading eastwards, the parallel 38° north passes through:

Country, territory or sea	Notes
Mediterranean Sea
Italy	Island of Sicily and a small amount of the mainland
Mediterranean Sea	Ionian Sea
Greece
Aegean Sea	Including the Greek islands of Petalioi and Euboea
Turkey
Iran
Caspian Sea
Turkmenistan
Iran
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan
Tajikistan
Afghanistan
Tajikistan
China
Yellow Sea
North Korea
South Korea
Sea of Japan
Japan	Islands of Sado and Honshū
Pacific Ocean
United States	California Nevada Utah Colorado Kansas Missouri Illinois Indiana Kentucky West Virginia Virginia
Chesapeake Bay
United States	Maryland Virginia
Atlantic Ocean	Passing between São Miguel and Pico islands in the Azores ( Portugal)
Portugal
Spain
Mediterranean Sea

Korea

The 38th parallel was first suggested as a dividing line for Korea in 1902^{[citation needed]}. Russia was attempting to pull Korea under its control, while Japan had just secured recognition of its rights in Korea from the British. In an attempt to prevent any conflict, Japan proposed to Russia that the two sides split Korea into separate spheres of influence along the 38th parallel. However, no formal agreement was ever reached, and Japan later took full control of Korea.

After the surrender of Japan in 1945, the parallel was established as the boundary by Dean Rusk and Charles Bonesteel of the US State-War Navy Coordinating Committee in Washington, during the night 10-11 August 1945 4 days before the complete liberation of Korea. The parallel divided the peninsula roughly in the middle. In 1948, the dividing line became the boundary between the newly independent countries of North and South Korea. After the ceasefire that effectively ended the Korean War (1950-1953), a new border was established through the middle of the Demilitarized Zone, which cuts across the 38th parallel at an acute angle, from southwest to northeast. The 38th Parallel was also the place where the cease-fire was called to end the fighting.

See also: Division of Korea and Panmunjeom

See also

• 38th parallel structures
• Circle of latitude
• Category:Lines of latitude
  • commons:Category:Lines of latitude

Further Reading

• Oberdorfer, Don. The Two Koreas: A Contemporary History. (1997)

External links

• Latitude 38 Magazine (sailing)

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