Page last updated on February 3, 2014

Location:
Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea

Geographic coordinates:
40 00 N, 127 00 E

Map references:
Asia

Area:
total: 120,538 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 99
land: 120,408 sq km
water: 130 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Mississippi

Land boundaries:
total: 1,671.5 km
border countries: China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, Russia 17.5 km
[see also: Land boundaries country ranks ]

Coastline:
2,495 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

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
More Climate Details

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
[see also: Elevation extremes - lowest point country ranks ]
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: 19.08%
[see also: Land use - arable land country ranks ]
permanent crops: 1.7%
other: 79.22% (2011)

Irrigated land:
14,600 sq km (2003)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Total renewable water resources:
77.15 cu km (2011)
[see also: Total renewable water resources country ranks ]

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 8.66 cu km/yr (10%/13%/76%)
[see also: Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) - total country ranks ]
per capita: 360.6 cu m/yr (2005)

Natural hazards:
late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall
volcanism: Changbaishan (elev. 2,744 m) (also known as Baitoushan, Baegdu or P'aektu-san), on the Chinese border, is considered historically active

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, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, 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