As of 2024, the population of North Korea is approximately 25.87 million, and its population density in 2023 was 208.9 people per km², about 40% of South Korea’s population density of 514.4 people per km². North Korea borders the East Sea to the east and the West Sea to the west. To the north, it shares borders with China’s northeastern region and Russia’s Vladivostok along the Yalu River and Tumen River. The easternmost point is Uam-dong in the Sonbong District of Rason Special City; the westernmost point is Maando (Bidanseom Island), Yongcheon County, North Pyongan Province; the southernmost point is Deungam-ri in Kangryong County, South Hwanghae Province; and the northernmost point is Pungseo-ri in Onsong County, North Hamgyong Province. The North Korea-China border is about 1,300 km long, mostly defined by river boundaries along the Yalu and Tumen rivers, except for Mount Paektu and some areas. North Korea shares about 16 km of its border with Russia to the east of Rason Special City, connected by a railway from Rason to Hasan. To the south, North Korea is bordered by the city of Kaesong and Jangpung County in North Hwanghae Province, and the counties of Cheorwon, Pyeonggang, Kimhwa, Changdo, Kumgang, and Goseong in Gangwon Province, separated from South Korea by the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
At the time of liberation in 1945, the administrative divisions of North Korea consisted of six provinces, nine cities, 89 counties, and 810 towns and townships. However, in December 1952, the administrative structure was reorganized from a four-tier system to a three-tier system. The four-tier system included the top tier (provinces, special cities, and special administrative regions); second tier (counties, cities, autonomous districts, and towns); third tier (administrative cities, non-autonomous districts); and fourth tier (townships, villages). The three-tier system includes the first tier (provinces, special cities, and special administrative regions); the second tier (cities, counties, districts, and wards); and the third tier (towns, neighborhoods, villages, and workers’ districts). Several administrative reorganizations have taken place since then, with significant changes including the recent elevation of Rason and Nampo to special cities for economic purposes. As of
2022, North Korea is composed of one directly governed city (Pyongyang), three special cities (Rason, Nampo, Kaesong), and nine provinces.
The terrain of North Korea is characterized by high mountains in the north and east and lower elevations in the south and west, forming a general east-to-west topographical gradient. Centered around the Nangnim Mountains that run north to south, there are several other mountain ranges, including the Kangnam, Jiknyeong, and Myohyang ranges to the west, and the Hamgyong Mountains spanning North and South Hamgyong Provinces. The Kaema Plateau is located north of the intersection of the Nangnim and Hamgyong mountains. Major rivers have developed along the direction of these mountain ranges, including the Yalu, Chongchon, and Taedong flowing west to the West Sea, and the Songcheon and Yonghung flowing east to the East Sea. Plains are formed in the lower reaches of each river, with the western plains including the Yongcheon, Jaeryong, Pyongyang, and Yeonbaek, and the eastern plains including the Hamhung and Yeongheung. Due to the east-to-west topographical gradient, rivers flowing to the West Sea, such as the Yalu, Taedong, Chongchon, and Yesong, show characteristics of meandering rivers with gentle slopes once they exit mountainous areas. In contrast, rivers flowing to the East Sea, such as the Tumen and Namdaecheon, maintain the form of straight-flowing rivers due to their shorter lengths.
North Korea is geologically diverse, with various mineral resources distributed throughout the region due to geological formations ranging from the Precambrian to the Cenozoic Era. It holds significant reserves of eight types of minerals—magnesite, tungsten, molybdenum, graphite, barite, gold, mica, and fluorite—ranking within the top 10 globally. North Korea also has large deposits of iron, silver, lead, zinc, copper, nickel, and cobalt. Generally, among North Korea’s mineral deposits, about 40 types are considered economically valuable.
The climate of North Korea is temperate but exhibits continental characteristics. Winters are extremely cold due to the influence of the cold, dry Siberian northwesterly winds, while summers are hot and humid under the influence of the Pacific southeasterly winds. Annual precipitation in North Korea ranges from about 600 to 1,500 mm, with 53–63% of the precipitation occurring intensively from June to August. The region generally receives less precipitation compared to South Korea, and there are significant regional variations in rainfall. North Korea was once rich in natural resources of ecological value.
Since the 1960s, deforestation has increased in North Korea due to policies such as the Fortification of the Entire Country, one of the four major military strategies, and the Five-Year Plan for Nature Reform starting in the 1970s, which led to terracing fields on mountain slopes, and the New Land Reclamation Project of the 1980s. The problem of deforestation became more severe in the 1990s due to the increased use of forest resources for food and fuel amidst economic difficulties.
The October 4th Declaration, a result of the inter-Korean summit in October 2007, agreed to proceed with cooperative projects in various fields, including agriculture, healthcare, and environmental protection. As a follow-up, both Koreas agreed to undertake forest restoration and pest control projects beginning in 2008, including the establishment and use of nurseries. However, the May 24th measures in 2010 halted inter-Korean forest cooperation, as well as forest restoration support projects by private organizations. After coming to power in 2012, Kim Jong Un emphasized forest restoration across North Korea and initiated the Forest Restoration Battle. When inter-Korean relations thawed, forest cooperation was selected as a priority task to implement the Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity, and Reunification of the Korean Peninsula, agreed upon at the inter-Korean summit on April 27, 2018. This resulted in a working-level meeting on July 4, 2018, for inter-Korean forest cooperation to implement the Panmunjom Declaration. These efforts have continued through the North-South Green Detente policy and the Inter-Korean Forest Cooperation Center, completed in Paju in 2020.