Seoul covers an area of 605 sq km (234 sq mi), extending 37 km (23 mi) east to west and 30 km (19 mi) north to south. The city is surrounded by mountains, the highest of which is Pukhan-san Mountain, 836 m (2743 ft) above sea level.
At the beginning of the Choson (Yi) dynasty in 1392, Seoul was built surrounded by a fortified wall with four main gates and four secondary gates: a main gate at each of the cardinal points of the compass and a secondary gate between. Little of the original stone wall still exists, and only two of the main gates and one of the secondary gates remain standing. There is also a bell tower in Namsan Park that contains a large bronze bell cast in 1468.
Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Seoul Information info
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