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North Korea, [c] officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ( DPRK ), [d] is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu (Amnok) and Tumen rivers, and South Korea to the south at the Korean Demilitarized Zone. [e] The country's western border is ...
- Overview
- Relief
- Drainage and soils
- Climate
- Plant and animal life
North Korea has a generally cool continental climate. The winter season is from December to March; mean temperatures range between 20 °F (−7 °C) in the south and −10 °F (−23 °C) in the north. The summer is warm from June to September, with mean July temperatures in the upper 60s F (about 20 °C).
What type of economy does North Korea have?
North Korea has a command economy. The state controls all means of production, and the government sets priorities and goals in economic development.
What is North Korea's ethnic composition?
The North Korean population, which has been largely isolated since 1945, is almost entirely Korean, with a small number of Chinese constituting the only other significant ethnic group.
When did North Korea conduct its first underground test of a nuclear device?
Mountains and valleys characterize most of North Korea. The Kaema Highlands in the northeast have an average elevation of 3,300 feet (1,000 metres) above sea level and form the topographic roof of the entire Korean peninsula. Mount Paektu (9,022 feet [2,750 metres]), the highest mountain in North Korea and on the peninsula, rises at the northern edge of this plateau in the Changbaek (Changbai) Mountains along the Sino-Korean border; it is an extinct volcano topped by a large crater lake. The Nangnim Mountains run from north to south through the middle of the country, forming a divide between the eastern and western slopes of the peninsula. The Kangnam and Myohyang ranges and Mounts Ŏnjin and Myŏrak, all structural extensions of the Nangnim Mountains, extend parallel to each other toward the southwest. Large river-valley plains have developed between the western mountains; they merge along the narrow, irregular coastal plain on the west coast. The Hamgyŏng Mountains, extending from the Nangnim Mountains to the northeast, form a steep slope between the Kaema Highlands and the East Sea. The T’aebaek Mountains extend from southeastern North Korea into South Korea along the eastern coast; one peak, Mount Kŭmgang (5,374 feet [1,638 metres]), is renowned for its scenic beauty.
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The longest river of North Korea is the Yalu, in Korean called the Amnok. It rises on the southern slope of Mount Paektu and flows southwestward for some 500 miles (800 km) to its mouth on Korea Bay. The Tumen (Tuman) River also begins at Mount Paektu but runs northeastward for about 325 miles (520 km) to the East Sea. There are no large streams along the east coast except for the Tumen River, and all the significant rivers, such as the Yalu, Ch’ŏngch’ŏn, Taedong, Chaeryŏng, and Yesŏng, drain to the Yellow Sea. The relatively large valley plains of the western rivers are major agricultural regions.
More than three-fifths of the soils are locally derived from the weathering of granitic rocks or various kinds of schists (crystalline rocks). The soils are generally brownish, abundant in sandy materials, and low in fertility. Well-developed reddish brown soils derived from limestone are found in North Hwanghae province and the southern part of South P’yŏngan province. Podzols (ash-gray forest soil) have developed in the Kaema Highlands as a result of the cold climate and coniferous forest cover there. Although most of the soils are infertile and lack organic content, the valleys and coastal plains have relatively rich alluvial soils.
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North Korea has a generally cool continental climate. The winter season, from December to March, is long and cold; mean temperatures in January range between about 20 °F (−7 °C) in the south and −10 °F (−23 °C) in the northern interior. The summer, from June to September, is warm, with mean July temperatures above the upper 60s F (about 20 °C) in most places. Accordingly, the annual range of temperatures is large—about 54 °F (30 °C) at P’yŏngyang and about 77 °F (43 °C) at Chunggang (Chunggangjin), where the lowest temperature in the Korean peninsula, −46.5 °F (−43.6 °C), has been recorded. Because of ocean currents and the mountain ranges bordering the narrow coastal lowlands, winter temperatures on the east coast are some 5 to 7 °F (3 to 4 °C) higher than those of the west coast.
Most of the country receives about 40 inches (1,000 mm) of precipitation annually. The northern inland plateau, however, receives only about 24 inches (610 mm) and the lower reaches of the Taedong River valley 32 inches (810 mm), while the upper Ch’ŏngch’ŏn River area averages between about 48 and 52 inches (1,220 and 1,320 mm) yearly. Some three-fifths of the annual precipitation falls in the four months from June to September; this heavy concentration of rainfall is related to the humid summer monsoon from the Pacific Ocean, which also produces occasional typhoons (tropical cyclones). Only a small portion of the total precipitation occurs in winter, generally as snow; snowfall can be locally heavy, as in the T’aebaek Mountains. There are about 200 frost-free days along the coast but fewer than 120 in the northern Kaema Highlands.
Vegetation on the highlands, especially around Mount Paektu, consists of coniferous trees such as the Siberian fir, spruce, pine, and Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis). The western lowlands were originally covered by temperate mixed forests with many types of plants, but continuous deforestation has left only remote patches of the original forests. Most of the lowlands are now cultivated, except for some of the hills that are covered with small pine groves mixed with oaks, lindens, maples, and birches. Along streams that are subject to flooding or where the ground is too stony for cultivation, reeds, sedges, wild mulberry trees, and Italian poplars are found. Common river fish include carp and eels.
Because of deforestation, the populations of deer, mountain antelope, goats, tigers, and leopards have greatly decreased and are restricted to the remote forests. In the plains, however, it is still possible to see wild pigeons, herons, cranes (which nest near areas of human habitation), and many migratory waterfowl, which alight in the rice fields.
In 1948, when the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was established, Kim Il-Sung became the first premier of the North Korean communist regime. In 1949 he became chairman of the Korean Workers’ Party (KWP), created from communist parties founded earlier. Until his death in 1994, Kim ruled the country with an iron hand by promoting a ...
May 8, 2022 · By Jean Mackenzie,BBC Seoul correspondent. BBC. Kim Jong-un is testing North Korea's weapons with renewed urgency, as South Korea prepares to inaugurate a new, hard-line president. After years of ...
Oct 25, 2022 · North Korea has over the past month launched several ballistic missiles. Periods of tension with North Korea come and go, but the situation on the Korean peninsula right now is the most volatile ...
Mar 12, 2024 · Watch: A rare glimpse inside the hidden village in Korea's DMZ. The tiny village of Taesung - home to 138 people - sits in the strip of no man's land between North and South Korea. Asia. 7 Mar 2024.
Oct 25, 2022 · North Korea has launched several missiles, flown warplanes and fired artillery near the border with South Korea, in response to US-led military exercises. Experts say Kim Jong-un may be preparing for a nuclear test or an attack, to get the US to lift sanctions and recognise his country as a nuclear state.
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