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Curated category

Countries in East Asia

  • JapanThe name Japan appears in English for the first time in a book published in 1577, where it was spelled Giapan. This spelling came from a translation of a…
  • North KoreaThe Korean Peninsula rises like a sea in a heavy gale, according to early European visitors who marveled at its successive mountain ranges.
  • TaiwanThe island of Taiwan lies in a complex tectonic area between the Yangtze Plate to the west and north, the Okinawa Plate on the north-east, and the Philippine…
  • MongoliaIn 209 BC, Modu Shanyu united the Xiongnu tribes to form a confederation that would challenge the Qin dynasty. This empire stretched across the steppes and…
  • ChinaIn 221 BCE, King Zheng of Qin conquered six rival states to unify China under the first emperor. This ruler enacted legalist reforms that standardized…
  • South KoreaIn the early seventh century BC, Chinese records noted Gojoseon as the first kingdom on the Korean Peninsula. This ancient polity expanded to control much of…