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| [[Image:Map of Dokdo.png|right|thumb|300px|{{#ifexist:Template:Map of Dokdo.png/credit|{{Map of Dokdo.png/credit}}<br/>|}}Coordinates: 37° 14´ N, 131° 52´ E<ref name="koreapdf">[http://www.korea.net/news/issue/attach/45_9095_1_en.pdf Part I: Profile of Dokdo]</ref>]]
| | '''Dokdo''' is a group of volcanic islets in the Sea of Japan, occupied by South Korea and claimed by Japan. The ecology consists of a moderate maritime climate with a diverse marine life, a large presence of birds, and some vegetation. For more information, see [[Dokdo (Takeshima)/Debate Guide|the Debate Guide]] and [[Dokdo (Takeshima)/Gallery|the Gallery]]. |
| '''Dokdo''' is a small group of volcanic rocks located in the Sea of Japan. South Korea administers the islets as an area of the Ulleung County, Northern Gyeongsang Province. The 56-acre (226600 m<sup>2</sup>) formation consists of two main islands that house a lighthouse, a helicopter pad, and a small police force. Because the rocks shelter various species of fish, birds, plants, and insects, the South Korean government has designated the islets as a nature reserve and enforces measures to protect the islets from the visiting tourists. The sovereignty over Dokdo has been contested by Japan over historical and legal grounds and remains one of the more serious disputes between South Korea and its former colonial ruler. Since at least 1905, the islands were called in Japanese '''Takeshima''' (竹島), meaning the "bamboo island". The Korean name has many different transliterations in English, including "Tok-do", "Dok-to", and "Tok Islets" (<span style="font-family: Batang, Serif">독도</span>), all of which equate to "rocky island". The islets have two English titles: '''Liancourt Rocks''' and '''Hornet Rocks'''. "Liancourt" has its origin in the name of the French whaling ship that first encountered and charted the islets in 1849. | |
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| == Geography ==
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| [[Image:Dokdo zoomin.png|left|thumb|300px|{{#ifexist:Template:Dokdo zoomin.png/credit|{{Dokdo zoomin.png/credit}}<br/>|}}A detailed map of Dokdo.]] | |
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| Dokdo lies in the Sea of Japan as a part of an underwater volcano that erupted repeatedly<ref name="cenozoic">{{cite web
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| | title = Geographical and Geological Features of Dokdo
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| | publisher = Truth of Dokdo
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| | url = http://www.truthofdokdo.or.kr/eng/html/story_geography1.html
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| | accessdate = 2007-09-03 }}</ref> from 4.6 to 2.5 million years ago.<ref name="nat">[http://atlas.ngii.go.kr/english/explanation/natural_1_7.jsp Volcanic Landforms], The National Atlas of Korea, retreived 2008-05-10</ref> The underwater Dokdo volcano stands 2 km high on its base with a diameter of 20 ~ 25 km and rises to a guyot<ref name-"adsabs">[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2007AGUFM.V43D1644K A study on the geophysical characteristics of the summit of the Dokdo volcano in the East Sea (Japan Sea)]</ref> summit that is 10 km wide.<ref name="click">[http://www.clickkorea.org/Dokdo/02.htm History and Culture of Dokdo Islands, Geographical understanding], hosted by the Korea Foundation</ref> The islets on top of this summit consist mostly of trachyte and trachyandesite differentiated from the parental alkali basalt magma of the underwater volcano.<ref name="kang">[http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=6&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgeo.khu.ac.kr%2Fmarinesympo%2Ffiles%255C2006Program%26Papers%2F7.Kang.pdf&ei=aC44SOz_DZiQ8wSX8fDYDQ&usg=AFQjCNFr46idnhLHamsB46U15sfcIPQ8pw&sig2=gD3ptoiKZ5LgcoVSoT2Smw Gravity modeling for understanding internal structure of seamounts], Kang Mohee et al, date accessed: 2008-05-24</ref> Samples of these rocks reveal that Dokdo is the oldest existing island in Korea ([[Awaji Island]] is the oldest in Japan)<ref name="oldestjapan">{{cite conference
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| | title = 2003 iEARN Conference News
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| | location = Yumebutai Awaji International Conference site
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| | url = http://www.jearn.jp/2003conference/news/0721.html
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| | accessdate = 2007-09-03 }}</ref>; the second oldest island in Korea is Ulleungdo,<ref name="SNU">{{cite web
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| | title = The Territorial Sovereignty over Dokdo Islets(Liancourt Rocks) and the Cairo Declaration in 1943
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| | publisher = Seoul National University
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| | url = http://plaza.snu.ac.kr/~bigbear1/m3-2-a1.htm
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| | accessdate = 2007-09-03 }}</ref> which formed 2 million years after Dokdo from the same hot spot, with similar igneous composition to Dokdo.<ref name="cenozoic"/> Due to sedimentation, the 2 islands (''Seo-do'' and ''Dong-do'' in Korean, ''Otoko-jima'' and ''Onna-jima'' in Japanese; both literally meaning ''western island'' and ''eastern island'', respectively)<ref name="EastWest">{{cite web
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| | title = Special Report: Tokdo-Takeshima Dispute
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| | publisher = Pride of Korea - Dokdo
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| | date = 2001-07-06
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| | url = http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=2&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourdokdo.com%2Freport%2Fdokdo.doc&ei=V3_bRv-7EKXAggSbzInkCQ&usg=AFQjCNHM_57PahcL5TDUy-KdkJf_I06ciQ&sig2=Q4dexuV6Icvowqqp20g3gA
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| | accessdate = 2007-09-02 }}</ref><ref name="mofaname">[http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/asia-paci/takeshima/index.html The Issue of Takeshima], The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, date accessed: 2008-05-24</ref> that make up most of the island cluster above water split 2 million years ago,<ref name="cenozoic"/> and are now positioned 151 meters apart from each other.<ref name="net">Korea.net (1999–2006). [http://www.korea.net/News/Issues/issueDetailView.asp?board_no=5727 Dokdo: A Profile]. Retrieved [[9 January]], 2006.</ref> The western islet is steeper and larger than the eastern islet, and it is the tallest islet in the cluster.<ref name="corea">[http://www.dokdocorea.com/news-view.htm?p=2&n=5 Dokdocorea.com], date accessed: 2008-05-23</ref> 87 smaller rocks scatter around the two main islands within a radius of a few kilometers,<ref name="ngii">
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| | title = Dokdo of Korea
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| | publisher = National Geographic Information Institute
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| | url = http://www.ngii.go.kr/jsp/ngii_eng/html/main/data/data_02.html
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| | accessdate = 2007-09-02 }}</ref> and more than 30 of such geographical features have been named by the South Korean government ministries.<ref name="name">[http://www.dynamickorea.go.kr/news/issues/issueDetailView.asp?board_no=15428&menu_code=A Ten reefs around Dokdo to receive names], Korea.net</ref>
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| == Climate & Ecology ==
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| Dokdo has a moderate maritime climate created by the warm<ref name="click"/> and cold ocean currents that collide nearby the islands.<ref name="koreapdf"/> The average year-round temperature is 12°C, and the coldest and the hottest extremes occur in January (1°C) and August (23°C) respectively. The average yearly rainfall is 1,240 mm, and in the winter the islands experience a heavy snowfall. In a year, there are only about 50 clear days, more than 160 days are cloudy or foggy, and rain or snow falls on the remaining 150 days.<ref name="gov">http://www.dokdo.go.kr/</ref>
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| Dokdo's ecosystem is influenced heavily by its climate and geography. Because of the strong, salty sea winds (with an average velocity of 4.3m/s)<ref name="gov"/>, the barren soil, and the lack of fresh water, vegetation grows poorly on the islets. There were originally only a few types of plants on the islets, but many more have been transplanted to Dokdo from the mainland since the S. Korean occupation. The islands can undergo severe drought if no rain or snow falls for a while because the thin layer of soil cannot retain much water and the amount of water produced by the moss that covers the islands is very little.<ref name="koreapdf"/> The However, due to its central location in the Sea of Japan, Dokdo is an important bird-breeding area and also a popular rest stop for the birds flying in the north-south direction. The black-tailed gulls that nest and breed on the islets between May and August<ref name="yahoo">[http://kr.news.yahoo.com/service/news/shellview.htm?linkid=4&articleid=2007061512000499001 독도 비상! 갈매기 1만마리 '똥폭탄' 공습], Kim Hye-mi, ''Yonhap News'', 2007-06-15, date accessed: 2008-05-27</ref> consist the largest group of the avian populations in Dokdo.<ref name="empas">[http://news.empas.com/show.tsp/cp_kt/20060529n07424/?kw=kite%20%3Cb%3E%26%3C%2Fb%3E Dokdo Becomes Habitat for Rare Species], Kim Rahn, Korea Times, 2006-05-29, date accessed: 2008-05-27</ref> The areas around Dokdo, where the North Korean Cold Current and the Tsushima Warm Current collide, and where planktons are abundant, contain a diverse marine life including the Pacific white-sided dolphins, octopus, pollack, saury, abalone, turbo, and sea cucumber.<ref name="plank">[http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200503/200503200011.html Dokdo Islets a Treasure Trove of Resources], Chosun Ilbo, 2005-03-20, date accessed: 2008-05-27</ref><ref name="click05">[http://www.clickkorea.org/Dokdo/05.htm History and Culture of Dokdo Islands, Ecological Environment] hosted by the Korea Foundation</ref> Also, in 2007 a coral colony was found near Dokdo for the first time in the Sea of Japan.<ref name="monument">[http://www.korea.net/News/issues/issueDetailView.asp?board_no=16727&menu_code=A Protection of rare species puts brighter Korean stamp on Dokdo], Korea.net, 2007-06-13, date accessed: 2008-05-27</ref> Currently, Dokdo is inhabited by 107 species of birds, 49 species of plants (of which 19 are alien species), and 93 species of insects;<ref name="enmin">[http://eng.me.go.kr/docs/news/press_view.html?seq=334&page=3&mcode= Ministry of Environment Conducts Survey on Dok-do’s Ecosystem], Press Release, 2006-06-01, date accessed: 2008-05-27</ref> and as many as 160 different species of seaweeds and 100 species of fish live in the surrounding waters.<ref name="koreapdf"/>
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| As much as the Dokdo's ecosystem is healthy and diverse, it is equally delicate and vulnerable. A study in 2006 found that the 2 mammal species that were previously reported on Dokdo, the stellar sea lions and the fur seals, have completely disappeared from the islands.<ref name="empas"/> The study also discovered in Dokdo 8 species that are endangered in Korea,<ref name="enmin"/> including the falcon, the Siberian honey buzzard, the owl, the black kite, the Japanese murrelet, and the swan. The researchers expressed concerns about the possible harms on the islands' ecosystem that the 19 alien plant species could inflict as invasive species.<ref name="empas"/>
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| The South Korean government has implemented in the past several programs and policies concerning Dokdo's environment, in order to protect the rich ecosystem and to strengthen South Korea's sovereignty over the islets.<ref name="monument"/> In 1982, the government designated Dokdo as a Natural Monument No. 336<ref name="monument"/> and prohibited visitors from setting foot on the islets. However, in March 2005, the government lifted the visitation ban<ref name="visitation">[http://www.korea.net/News/news/NewsView.asp?serial_no=20050330035&part=101&SearchDay= 60 travelers make first visit to Dokdo as visitation ban is lifted], Korea.net</ref> and allowed up to 70 visitors to the East Islet a day<ref name="foot">[http://www.korea.net/news/issues/issueDetailView.asp?board_no=12365 Admissions to Enter], Korea.net</ref> after the governing council of the Shimane Prefecture in Japan designated February 22nd as the ''Takeshima Day''.<ref name="allow">[http://www.korea.net/News/Issues/issueDetailView.asp?board_no=6402 Gov't ready to open wider Dokdo to tourists], Korea.net, 2005-03-17</ref> In the same month, the South Korean government expanded the limit to allow up to 140 persons on Dokdo per day,<ref name="atjapan">[http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/GC23Dh03.html Japan-South Korea ties on the rocks], Takahashi, Kosuke, ''Asia Times'', 2005-03-23</ref><ref name="chosunvisit">[http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200503/200503220011.html Gov't to Allow 140 Visitors to Dokdo A Day], ''Chosun Ilbo'', 2005-03-22</ref> which the Ministry of Environment claimed would have zero compromise on the protection of Dokdo''s environment. The concrete facilities on the islands that had been built carelessly without planning were renovated to accommodate tourism and to better suit the environment.<ref name="donga1">[http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?bicode=040000&biid=2005032488848 Dokdo Tour to be Permitted Starting from April 30], Chae-hyun, Kwon, ''Donga Ilbo'', 2005-03-23</ref><ref name="donga2">[http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?bicode=040000&biid=2005032140678 “There Is No Takeshima,” Dokdo’s Rallying Cry], ''Donga Ilbo'', 2005-03-20, date accessed: 2008-05-29</ref> The S. Korea's Ministry of Environment monitors the islets' ecosystem through biannual surveys and 4-season studies every 5 years.<ref name="enmin"/> In 2007, the provincial government of North Gyeongsang launched a new project to make the areas of Dokdo into a "clean zone" by 2010.<ref name="clean">[http://www.korea.net/News/issues/issueDetailView.asp?board_no=16474&menu_code=A "Clean Zone" to embrace Dokdo"], Korea.net, 2007-05-01, date accessed: 2008-05-28</ref>
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| ==Notes==
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