North Korea is a country located in East Asia and occupies the northern part of the Korean Peninsula that juts out from the mainland of Asia between the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea. North Korea occupies about 55 percent of this peninsula and borders China and Russia in the north and South Korea in the south. The country’s capital is P’yŏngyang and is an important industrial and transportation center close to the country’s west coast. North Korea is a communist dictatorship ruled by Kim Jong-Un, at the time of writing (2015), who is the son of Kim Jong II. In practice, this means that the country has a society that is characterized by surveillance and a military presence. The country is in conflict with neighboring South Korea and also with the United States.
A little history
After World War II, Korea was to be re-established as a country after the land was occupied by Japan. With two clear lines, one communist in the north and one nationalist in the south, two different republics were proclaimed in 1948. Since both South Korea and North Korea considered themselves to represent the Korean people, a war broke out in 1950 and even though armed fighting ended in 1953, no peace agreement was ever reached. North Korea initially received strong support from the Soviet Union and then from China. The country remains a dictatorship that glorifies the country’s leaders and pursues a policy that has led to food shortages and very severe famine.
Geography and climate
North Korea is thus located on the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. Locally, the country is called Chosŏn, but in South Korea, North Korea is called Pukhan, which could be translated as Northern Han. Major cities in the country are Hamhung, Wonsan, Sinuiju, Kaesong, Nampo and Chongjin. The country has been divided into nine different provinces and the capital Pyongyang. At a lower level, areas are governed in accordance with cities, districts and counties. Most of North Korea consists of mountains and valleys. The highest mountain is called Mount Paektu and is 2,750 meters high. This is an inactive volcano with a large lake in the crater. Through the middle of the country, the Nangnim mountain range extends, thus creating a natural division of the eastern and western sides of the peninsula.
In North Korea, according to Bridgat, the climate is normally cool continental. The winter period is between December and March and is cold with temperatures in the northern parts of the country drop to −23 ° C. During the summer it is hot and it is around 20 ° C in most parts of the country. On the east coast it is a few degrees warmer than on the east coast, which has to do with sea currents and mountain ranges.
Animals and nature
North Korea was once a country with a lot of forest, but it has managed to cut down so much of the original forest areas that this has affected animal populations. Deer, antelopes, goats, tigers and leopards have decreased in number and now have to make do with the remaining forest areas. The border country between North and South Korea has become something of a nature reserve. The area has not been touched since the fighting in 1953 and has returned to the ecological systems that existed here before the war. Here are forests and wetlands that are visited by migrating birds. Here is also the Asian black bear and lynx.
