North Korea

Introduction & Quick Facts
Land
- Relief
- Drainage and soils
- Climate
- Plant and animal life
People
- Ethnic groups and languages
- Religion
- Settlement patterns
- Demographic trends
Economy
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing
- Resources and power
- Manufacturing
- Finance and other services
- Trade
- Transportation
Government and society
- Constitutional framework
- Local government
- Justice
- Security
- Health and welfare
- Housing
- Education
Cultural life
- The arts
- Press and broadcasting
History
- The Kim Il-Sung era
  - The 1950s and ’60s
  - From 1970 to the death of Kim Il-Sung
    - Domestic developments
    - International relations
    - Relations with the South
- North Korea under Kim Jong Il
  - Domestic priorities and international cooperation
  - Nuclear ambitions
  - Internal challenges and international relations
  - Relations with the South
- The rise and rule of Kim Jong-Un
  - Kim Jong-Un’s consolidation of power
  - Acceleration of North Korea’s nuclear program
  - Engagement with South Korea and the United States

References & Edit History Facts & Stats

Images

Political map of North Korea showing provincial boundaries, major cities, and neighboring countries China and South Korea. The map highlights the Demilitarized Zone along the southern border and includes a locator inset indicating North Korea's position in East Asia. Major cities such as Pyongyang, Nampo, and Hamhung are labeled, along with surrounding seas: the Yellow Sea to the west and the East Sea (Sea of Japan) to the east.

Pyongyang, North Korea: skyline

Map showing the location of North Korea in East Asia, highlighted in orange, with its capital Pyongyang marked. Surrounding countries include China, Russia, South Korea, Japan, and Mongolia, with nearby bodies of water such as the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and Sea of Japan.

Map of North Korea highlighting major physical features such as mountain ranges, peaks, highlands, and rivers. Labeled features include the Nangnim Mountains, Kaema Highlands, and notable peaks like Mount Paektu and Mount Kumgang. The map also shows surrounding bodies of water including the Yellow Sea and the East Sea (Sea of Japan), borders with China and South Korea, and marks the Demilitarized Zone along the southern border. An inset locator map shows North Korea's position in East Asia.

Tall, narrow waterfall cascades down a steep rocky cliff surrounded by green trees at Kuryong Waterfall, Mount Kumgang, North Korea.

North Korea: Ethnic composition

View from a hill overlooking the city of Kaesong, North Korea, showing a wide avenue, traditional-style building, North Korean flags, tall buildings, and distant hills.

North Korea: Urban-rural

At a Glance

default image

North Korea summary

North Korea: Media

country, Asia

Images

North Korea

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Political map of North Korea showing provincial boundaries, major cities, and neighboring countries China and South Korea. The map highlights the Demilitarized Zone along the southern border and includes a locator inset indicating North Korea's position in East Asia. Major cities such as Pyongyang, Nampo, and Hamhung are labeled, along with surrounding seas: the Yellow Sea to the west and the East Sea (Sea of Japan) to the east.

North Korea

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Pyongyang, North Korea: skyline

Pyongyang, North Korea: skyline

Skyline of Pyongyang, North Korea.

Ron McMillan/Gamma Liaison

Map showing the location of North Korea in East Asia, highlighted in orange, with its capital Pyongyang marked. Surrounding countries include China, Russia, South Korea, Japan, and Mongolia, with nearby bodies of water such as the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and Sea of Japan.

North Korea

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Map of North Korea highlighting major physical features such as mountain ranges, peaks, highlands, and rivers. Labeled features include the Nangnim Mountains, Kaema Highlands, and notable peaks like Mount Paektu and Mount Kumgang. The map also shows surrounding bodies of water including the Yellow Sea and the East Sea (Sea of Japan), borders with China and South Korea, and marks the Demilitarized Zone along the southern border. An inset locator map shows North Korea's position in East Asia.

Physical features of North Korea

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Mount Paektu

Mount Paektu

Crater lake at the summit of Mount Paektu, northern Yanggang province, North Korea.

Hiroji Kubota/Magnum Photos

Tall, narrow waterfall cascades down a steep rocky cliff surrounded by green trees at Kuryong Waterfall, Mount Kumgang, North Korea.

Kuryong Fall, North Korea

Kuryong Fall, Mount Kŭmgang, Kangwŏn province, North Korea.

© Mieszko9—iStock/Getty Images

View from a hill overlooking the city of Kaesong, North Korea, showing a wide avenue, traditional-style building, North Korean flags, tall buildings, and distant hills.

Kaesŏng, North Korea

Kaesŏng, North Korea.

© Simon Holmes—Moment/Getty Images

Kanggye

Kanggye

Timber-processing factory, Kanggye, N.Kor.

Dprk48

Hundreds of performers in yellow costumes dance in formation at the Arirang Festival in Pyongyang, North Korea, with a colorful sunrise mural and mountains in the background.

North Korea: Arirang Festival

Performers at the Arirang Festival in Pyongyang, North Korea.

© nndrln/Shutterstock.com

Large bronze statue of Kim Il-sung with one arm raised, standing in front of a government building in Pyongyang as people bow and lay flowers at the base.

statue of Kim Il-Sung

Statue of Kim Il-Sung at the Korean Revolution Museum, Pyongyang, North Korea.

© Pvince73/Shutterstock.com

demilitarized zone

demilitarized zone

Bridge crossing the military demarcation line between North and South Korea, P'anmunjŏm,...

Filzstift

USS Pueblo Navy ship docked in port at Pyongyang, North Korea, with GER 2 painted on the bow and a gangway connecting the ship to the paved dock.

USS Pueblo

Captured U.S. Navy ship USS Pueblo docked at Pyongyang, North Korea.

© Znm/Dreamstime.com

Portrait of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il wearing glasses and a gray collared shirt, looking forward with a neutral expression.

Kim Jong Il

Kim Jong Il, c. 2001.

© Jonas Ekstromer—AFP/Getty Images

South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung, left, speaks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il during a lunch in Pyongyang after a summit on June 15, 2000.

Kim Dae-Jung and Kim Jong Il

South Korean Pres. Kim Dae-Jung (left) with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang,...

© Yonhap—EPA/Shutterstock.com

Kim Jong-Un and Kim Jong Il

Kim Jong-Un and Kim Jong Il

Kim Jong-Un (center right) and his father, Kim Jong Il (center), at a military parade...

Miguel Toran—EPA/Shutterstock.com

South Korean Park Yang-gon and his North Korean brother Park Yang Soo embrace each other, foreheads touching and eyes closed, visibly emotional during a family reunion.

North Korea; South Korea

Park Yang-Gon (left) of South Korea and his brother, Park Yang-Soo of North Korea,...

© Park Hae-Mook-Korea Pool/Getty Images

People seated at Seoul Railway Station watch a TV news broadcast about North Korea's fifth nuclear test, with a soldier standing nearby and a Samsung sign above the screen.

broadcast about North Korean nuclear test

South Koreans at a railway station in Seoul watching a news broadcast about North...

© Woohae Cho/Getty Images

Kim Jong-Un walks in front of a large group of people in suits who are clapping, with tiered stands and colorful buildings in the background.

Kim Jong-Un, 2016

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un attending an event with participants in the 7th Congress...

© KCNA Handout—AFP/Getty Images

Rows of drummers in white shirts and red ties play large red drums in unison during a parade at Kim Il Sung Square

Parade and festivities for the 7th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea

Drummers participating in a parade following the culmination of the 7th Congress...

© Linda Davidson—The Washington Post/Getty Images

Azimuthal projection map centered on North Korea, showing concentric range circles for North Korean ballistic missiles. The circles illustrate the maximum reach of four missile types: Hwasong-6 (500 km), Hwasong-7 (1,200-1,500 km), Hwasong-16B (5,500 km), and Hwasong-17 (15,000 km), covering regions from East Asia to much of the globe, including the United States and Europe.

North Korean ballistic missile capabilities

Map showing the range of North Korean ballistic missiles and the regions that could...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Kim Jong-Un

Kim Jong-Un

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, 2017.

KCNA/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock.com

Korea, North

Korea, North

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Interactives

North Korea: Ethnic composition

North Korea: Ethnic composition

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

North Korea: Urban-rural

North Korea: Urban-rural

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

North Korea: Age breakdown

North Korea: Age breakdown

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

North Korea: Major import sources

North Korea: Major import sources

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

North Korea: Major export destinations

North Korea: Major export destinations

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

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