Seoul is a beautiful city. The term "SEOUL" originated in China, with a history older than that of "Hanseong". In Chinese historical books, it was referred to as "Su Wu", which means "capital", and its pronunciation is extremely similar to "SEOUL". Its total area is 605.5 square kilometers. The entire city of Seoul is surrounded by mountains and hills with an elevation of about 500 meters, and 40% of the urban area consists of mountains and rivers. The northern part of the city has a higher terrain.