Country · Asia
North Korea
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
North Korea is a country in Eastern Asia. Its capital city is Pyongyang. About 25.5 million people live there, in an area of 120 538 square kilometres.
Picture credit: Uwe Brodrecht (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Uwe Brodrecht (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Uwe Brodrecht (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Christophe95 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Jan Engelhardt (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is North Korea?
North Korea lies in Eastern Asia, on the continent of Asia.
It sits in the northern half of the world, roughly 4 453 km from the equator.
It shares a border with 3 countries: China, South Korea and Russia.
How big is North Korea?
North Korea covers 120 538 square kilometres.
That is about 2.9 times the size of Switzerland.
Among the world's countries that makes it the 97th largest.
Spread out evenly, that is roughly 212 people per square kilometre.
Who lives in North Korea?
About 25.5 million people live in North Korea.
That is the 52nd biggest population in the world.
People here speak Korean.
They pay with the North Korean won (₩).
On average, people born here can expect to live about 71 years.
The land of North Korea
The land in North Korea sits on average 400 metres above sea level.
It lies between the tropics and the poles, which is the single biggest reason its weather is the way it is.
What makes North Korea different?
A dish the country is known for: Galbi and Kimchi.
Websites from here often end in .kp.
North Korea and the rest of the world
Out of every thousand people alive on Earth, about 3 live in North Korea.
It takes up about 0.09 % of all the land that countries stand on.
Within Asia it is the 29th largest of 46 countries, and the 21st most populated.
That is busier than the world average of roughly 60 people per square kilometre.
North Korea and its neighbours
Russia, its largest neighbour, is about 141.8 times bigger.
Russia has more people: 144.5 million against 25.5 million.
Questions children ask
What is the capital of North Korea?
The capital of North Korea is Pyongyang. It is the city where the country's government works from.
How many people live in North Korea?
About 25.5 million people live in North Korea, which makes it the 52nd most populated country in the world. (Source: World Bank, 2018.)
Which countries border North Korea?
North Korea borders China, South Korea and Russia — 3 neighbours in total.
How big is North Korea?
North Korea covers 120 538 square kilometres, making it the 97th largest country in the world. That is about 2.9 times the size of Switzerland.
Which continent is North Korea in?
North Korea is in Asia, in the part called Eastern Asia.
Where these numbers come from
Borders and outlines: Natural Earth. Names, capitals, areas, languages and currencies: ISO 3166 data (world-countries). Population: World Bank, 2018. Every derived figure on this page (ranks, density, distance from the equator) is calculated from those values.
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