Geography of Korea North
| 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: 120,540 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) |
| 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, 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 |