40 00 N, 127 00 E

Map references:

Asia

Area:

total: 120,540 sq km land: 120,410 sq km water: 130 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Mississippi

Land boundaries:

total: 1,673 km border countries: China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, Russia 19 km

Coastline:

2,495 km

Maritime claims:

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

Climate:

temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer

Terrain:

mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m highest point: Paektu-san 2,744 m

Natural resources:

coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 22.4% permanent crops: 1.66% other: 75.94% (2005)

Irrigated land:

14,600 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

77.1 cu km (1999)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 9.02 cu km/yr (20%/25%/55%) per capita: 401 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall

Environment - current issues:

water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; waterborne disease; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note:

strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia; mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated

People
Korea, North

Population:

23,479,088 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 22.9% (male 2,733,352/female 2,654,186) 15-64 years: 68.2% (male 7,931,484/female 8,083,626) 65 years and over: 8.8% (male 751,401/female 1,325,040) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 32.7 years male: 31.2 years female: 34.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.732% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

14.61 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

7.29 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.57 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 21.86 deaths/1,000 live births male: 23.46 deaths/1,000 live births female: 20.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 72.2 years male: 69.45 years female: 75.08 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: