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South Chungcheong is a province in the west of South Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the southwestern half of the former Chungcheong province, remained a province of Korea until the country's division in 1945, then became part of South Korea. The provincial capital is Daejeon, which is separately administered as a provincial-level Metropolitan City.
The province is part of the Hoseo region, and is bounded on the west by the Yellow Sea, on the north by Gyeonggi province, on the south by North Jeolla province, and on the east by North Chungcheong province.
One third of the province's area is under cultivation. Apart from agriculture marine products are of importance. There are 220 square kilometres of exposed beach which is used to produce salt by solar evaporation. There is coal mining, but gold and silver mines are also found in South Chungcheong, as is Monazite (a rare thorium bearing mineral) and zircon.
At 845 metres, Mount Gyeryong is the most notable elevation. It is located in a national park which is noted for its unique rock features. Apart from the stone formations there is a number of old temples. In 1978 the Taean Marine National Park was opened. It includes some of the country's best bathing beaches.
South Chungcheong is divided into 6 cities ("Si" or "Shi") and 9 counties ("Gun"). These 25 primary divisions are further divided into 22 towns, 147 townships and 37 wards. The city and county names below are given in English and Hangul.