Daegu (Korean: [tɛɡu]), (대구, 大邱, literally 'large hill') formerly spelled Taegu, and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea, the fourth largest after Seoul, Busan, and Incheon, and the third largest metropolitan area in the nation with over 2.5 million residents. The city is the capital and principal city of the surrounding Gyeongsangbuk-do province, although it is not legally part of the province.