Korea, North Geography Profile 2013

Location

Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea

Geographic coordinates

40 00 N, 127 00 E

Map references

Asia

Area

total: 120,538 sq km
land: 120,408 sq km
water: 130 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Mississippi

Land boundaries

total: 1,671.5 km
border countries: China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, Russia 17.5 km

Coastline

2,495 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
note: military boundary line 50 nm in the Sea of Japan and the exclusive economic zone limit in the Yellow Sea where all foreign vessels and aircraft without permission are banned

Climate

temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer

Terrain

mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m
highest point: Paektu-san 2,744 m

Natural resources

coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower

Land use

arable land: 22.4%
permanent crops: 1.66%
other: 75.94% (2005)

Irrigated land

14,600 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources

77.1 cu km (1999)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 9.02 cu km/yr (20%/25%/55%)
per capita: 401 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards

late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall
volcanism: Changbaishan (elev. 2,744 m) (also known as Baitoushan, Baegdu or P'aektu-san), on the Chinese border, is considered historically active

Environment - current issues

water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; waterborne disease; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation

Environment - international agreements

party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note

strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia; mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated