Natural Environment

Terrain and Geographical Features

Terrain

Located in the northeastern corner of Gyeongsangnam-do Province, Miryang borders Ulju-gun in Ulsan and Cheongdo-gun in Gyeongsangbuk-do, surrounded by six cities and countries. The north, east, and west sides of the city feature high mountains and deep values, while Nakdonggang River flows to the south. The city is high in the northeast and low in the southwest, with east-west distance being greater than north-south distance. In the northwest, the main mountain of Miryang, Hwaaksan Mountain rises tall to protect the city from the cold northwesterly winds, and to the northeast other mountains such as Jaeyaksan (1,189m), and Gajisan (1,240m) Mountains are located, while Cheontaesan (631m) Mountain is in the south and Unmunsan (1,188m), Gumansan (785m), and Cheolmasan (630m) Mountains are in the west. Miryanggang River joints the main stream from north to south, enriching the soils in the estuary and developing agriculture in the area.

Geographical Features

The secondary branch of the Taebaeksanmaek Mountain Range progresses to the south to form Hwaaksan in the border between Gyeongsangbuk-do Province and Gyeongsangnam-do Province. Hwaaksan Mountain is the main mountain of the city, with other mountains such as Silhyesan, Jaeyaksan, Cheontaesan, and Maneosan to the east. In the west are Dorisan Mountain and Taebong Peak, and Jongnamsan and Deokdaesan Mountains protect the southern part of the city. Meanwhile, Nakdonggang River flows south from north to south to provide water to the western part of Miryang. While creating the western border for towns in Miryang such as Chodong, Hanam, and Samnangjin, various streams originate from Bigeumsan and Unmunsan Mountains, later merging with Dongcheonsu Stream from Jaeyaksan Mountain to become Eungcheongang (Namcheongang) River that intersects the center of Miryang before merging into Nakdonggang River. Naejincheon Stream, which originates from Hwaaksan Mountain, flows 12km to the southwest to merge into Nakdonggang River.

Climate

Miryang adjoins Gajisan Mountain to the northeast, and Hwaaksan Mountain to the northwest. With Jaeyaksan Mountain to the east and Jongnamsan Mountain to the southwest, the city is influenced by the trade wind in certain seasons, and because the city is surrounded by mountains on all sides, the annual average temperature is relatively warm at 12.9°C while the humidity is close to the national average at 69%. Annual wind speed average is 1.6m/sec, with the winter winds blowing from north-by-northwest and north-by-northeast, and summer winds weakly blowing from southeast and southwest, due to Jaeyaksan and Jongnamsan Mountains. Otherwise, the overall climate is close to the national average. In addition, the annual rainfall in Miryang is 1360mm, which places the city in southern plain climate with higher amounts of rain; the rainfall in the city in June, July, and August make up for 65% of the annual precipitation, forming the rainy season. In contrast, spring, summer, and winter are the dry seasons. Summers in Miryang are characteristic for its heavy rainfall and winters for its dryness. With the climate conditions explained above, Miryang is endowed with an environment optimal for farming and human life in general.

Features of Mountains and Rivers (Water Resource)

Mountains

The main mountain of Miryang, Jinsan Mountain, protects the city from cold northerly winds. Miryang hosts Jaeyaksan Mountain in the east with other mountains such as Gajisan, Chwiseosan, Sinbulsan, and Munboksan surrounding the area. Beginning from Gajisan Mountain, mountains such as Unmunsan, Eoksan, Gumansan, and Yukhwasan continue on to the west of the city. To the southwest of the city, Yeolwangsan, Dorisan, Jongnamsan, and Deokdaesan Mountains fence the city in and continues on towards Nakdonggang River. In the east, two branches stem out from Jaeyaksan Mountain, one of which continue onto Baekmasan, Hyangnobong, Geumhosan, and Cheontaesan Mountains to fall into Nakdonggang River at Jakwonhwan, while the other becomes Jeonggaksan and Seunghaksan Mountains to the west and develops into a part of Oyongsan and Gyeongjusan Mountains at Geumsu (Danjang-ri). Meanwhile, Jongnamsan and Deokdaesan Mountains are connected to Hwaaksan Mountain, and Yongdusan and Maneosan Mountains attach to Geumhosan Mountain.

Rivers (Water Resource)

The terrain of Miryang feature high mountains and deep valleys in the southeast and Nakdonggang River in the southwest, which means that all of the city's rivers and streams flow from northeast to southwest into Nakdonggang River. Among these rivers, Dongcheonsu Stream, which originates from Seognamsan Mountain in Eonyang, Ulsan, merges with Bukcheonsu Stream from Cheongdo to form Miryanggang River at the east of Chuhwasan Mountain. The merged river snakes around the towns towards the south into Nakdonggang River. The waters run 96km in total, while the total area of all rivers and streams including the branches is 1,476㎢. Compared to the length of the rivers, the total width is relatively larger, which means that fertile farmlands unfurl in various locations along the waters.