Wikipedia
Changwon is the capital city of Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea. Changwon is the 8th most populated city in South Korea, with an established population of 1,089,039 people in 2010. It encompasses a land area of on the southeastern coast of South Korea. The population of southeastern Korea, including the city of Busan, is more than 6,478,000. Changwon is known as a heavy industrial city. The city only covers 7% of Gyeongsangnam-do province, also known as Gyeongnam, but holds 33.6% of its population; it also accounted for 38.5% of the total 2.1821 trillion won budget of the Gyeongnam province.
In 209 AD (Naehae 14), during the Three Kingdoms period, Changwon was named Gulja-gun, a province of the Silla kingdom. In 757 (Gyeongduk 16) Changwon was renamed Uian-gun during the reorganization of all Silla provinces.
In 1408 (Taejong 8) during the Joseon period, King Taejong established Changwon-bu. In 1415 (Taejong 15), King Taejong renamed Changwon-bu to Changwon-dohobu and it became the capital of the Gyeongnam province.
On April 1, 1974 Changwon was designated 'Industrial Base Development Area No. 92.' As a result, the city was developed and significantly expanded.
On July 1, 2010, the neighboring cities of Masan and Jinhae merged with the city to form a single larger urban area that makes up the current city of Changwon. These three constituent cities are located in the Masan Bay Area.