North Korea-Geography & Climate

North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK); (sometimes known as the "hermit kingdom") was a country in East Asia, in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. The name Korea is derived from Goryeo (or Koryo), a name used by ancient and medieval kingdoms. The capital and largest city was Pyongyang.

Geography


North Korea occupied the northern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It covered an area of 120,540 square kilometers. North Korea shared land borders with China and Russia to the north, and borders South Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). (The legitimacy of this border wasnot accepted by either side, as both states claimed to be the legitimate government of the entire peninsula.) To its west wasthe Yellow Sea and Korea Bay, and to its east lies Japan across the Sea of Japan (East Sea of Korea).

 80% of North Korea is composed of mountains and uplands, separated by deep and narrow valleys. The coastal plains are wide in the west and discontinuous in the east. A majority of the population lived in the plains and lowlands. According to a United Nations Environmental Programme report in 2003, forest covered over 70 percent of the country, mostly on steep slopes.[58]|undefined The longest river is the Yalu River which flows for 790 kilometers.

 The highest point in North Korea is Baekdu Mountain, with elevations between 1,400 and 2,744 meters above sea level. The Hamgyong Range, located in the extreme northeastern part of the peninsula, has many high peaks including Kwanmobong at approximately 2,541 m. Other major ranges include the Rangrim Mountains, which are located in the north-central part of North Korea and run in a north-south direction, making communication between the eastern and western parts of the country rather difficult; and the Kangnam Range, which runs along the North Korea–China border.

Climate
 North Korea has a combination of a continental climate and an oceanic climate, with four distinct seasons. Most of the country tends to warm summers and cold, dry winters. Average snowfall is 37 days during the winter. Summer tends to be short, hot, and wet. Typhoons affect the peninsula on an average of at least once every summer. Late spring droughts often are followed by severe flooding.