North Korea vs. South Korea
Geography
| North Korea | South Korea | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea | Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea |
| Geographic coordinates | 40 00 N, 127 00 E | 37 00 N, 127 30 E |
| Map references | Asia | Asia |
| Area | total: 120,538 sq km land: 120,408 sq km water: 130 sq km | total: 99,720 sq km land: 96,920 sq km water: 2,800 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly larger than Virginia; slightly smaller than Mississippi | slightly smaller than Pennsylvania; slightly larger than Indiana |
| Land boundaries | total: 1,607 km border countries (3): China 1352 km, South Korea 237 km, Russia 18 km | total: 237 km border countries (1): North Korea 237 km |
| Coastline | 2,495 km | 2,413 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 | territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the Korea Strait contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: not specified |
| Climate | temperate, with rainfall concentrated in summer; long, bitter winters | temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter; cold winters |
| Terrain | mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; wide coastal plains in west, discontinuous in east | mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Paektu-san 2,744 m lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m mean elevation: 600 m | highest point: Halla-san 1,950 m lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m mean elevation: 282 m |
| Natural resources | coal, iron ore, limestone, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, precious metals, hydropower | coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower potential |
| Land use | agricultural land: 21.8% (2018 est.) arable land: 19.5% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 1.9% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 0.4% (2018 est.) forest: 46% (2018 est.) other: 32.2% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 18.1% (2018 est.) arable land: 15.3% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 2.2% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 0.6% (2018 est.) forest: 63.9% (2018 est.) other: 18% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 14,600 sq km (2012) | 7,780 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall volcanism: Changbaishan (2,744 m) (also known as Baitoushan, Baegdu or P'aektu-san), on the Chinese border, is considered historically active | occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; low-level seismic activity common in southwest volcanism: Halla (1,950 m) is considered historically active although it has not erupted in many centuries |
| Environment - current issues | water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; waterborne disease; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation | air pollution in large cities; acid rain; water pollution from the discharge of sewage and industrial effluents; drift net fishing; solid waste disposal; transboundary pollution |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Law of the Sea | party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - note | strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia; mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated | strategic location on Korea Strait; about 3,000 mostly small and uninhabited islands lie off the western and southern coasts |
| Total renewable water resources | 77.15 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 69.7 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | population concentrated in the plains and lowlands; least populated regions are the mountainous provinces adjacent to the Chinese border; largest concentrations are in the western provinces, particularly the municipal district of Pyongyang, and around Hungnam and Wonsan in the east | with approximately 70% of the country considered mountainous, the country's population is primarily concentrated in the lowland areas, where density is quite high; Gyeonggi Province in the northwest, which surrounds the capital of Seoul and contains the port of Incheon, is the most densely populated province; Gangwon in the northeast is the least populated |
Source: CIA Factbook
