World Natural Heritage Sites
Jeju Island is an oval shaped island about 73km x 31km, totaling some 1,848km2. At a height of 1,950 meters, Hallasan Mountain towers over the island at its center. Its volcanic origins give Jeju a variety of unique topographic features, making the entire island a "volcano museum." Some 368 volcanic cones, or oreum, dot the island. There are an estimated 160 subterranean lava caves/tubes scattered all through the island.
According to the UNESCO World Natural Heritage website: “The idea of creating an international movement for protecting heritage emerged after World War I. The 1972 Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage developed from the merging of two separate movements: the first focusing on the preservation of cultural sites, and the other dealing with the conservation of nature.”
In June 2007, the World Heritage Committee unanimously named Jeju as one of the Natural Heritage Sites in Korea under the name of Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes. This covers some 10 areas including Hallasan National Park, Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak, and the Geomunoreum Lava Tube System.
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