In 1995, the city of Gyeongju and Gyeongju County were put together. There are 53 other small and medium-sized cities with about 300,000 or less people in South Korea. Today, Gyeongju is not only influenced by its history–it is influenced by the economic, demographic and social changes in South Korean culture. Its economy is mostly based on tourism. Manufacturing has also developed because Gyeogju is near large industrial cities such as Ulsan and Pohang. It is also connected to railways and highways that are often used by tourists.