Korea, North: Background & Geography
| Introduction | Korea, North |
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Background:
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Following World War II, Korea was split, with the northern half coming under Communist domination and the southern portion becoming Western-oriented. KIM Chong-il has ruled North Korea since his father and the country's founder, president KIM Il-song, died in 1994. After decades of mismanagement, the North relies heavily on international food aid to feed its population while continuing to expend resources to maintain an army of about 1 million. North Korea's long-range missile development and research into nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and massive conventional armed forces are of major concern to the international community. In December 2002, North Korea repudiated a 1994 agreement that shut down its nuclear reactors and expelled UN monitors, further raising fears it would produce nuclear weapons. |
| Geography | Korea, North |
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Location:
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Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea |
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Geographic coordinates:
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40 00 N, 127 00 E |
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Map references:
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Asia |
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Area:
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total: 120,540 sq km
water: 130 sq km land: 120,410 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Mississippi |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 1,673 km
border countries: China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, Russia 19 km |
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Coastline:
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2,495 km |
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Maritime claims - as described in UNCLOS 1982 (see Notes and Definitions):
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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 |
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Climate:
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temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer |
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Terrain:
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mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m
highest point: Paektu-san 2,744 m |
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Natural resources:
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coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower |
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Land use:
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arable land: 14.12%
permanent crops: 2.49% other: 83.39% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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14,600 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall |
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Environment - current issues:
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water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; water-borne disease; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
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Geography - note:
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strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia; mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated |