North Korea is a country in Asia, with about 26.6 million people (2025) and an area of 120,540 square kilometres. Its capital is Pyongyang, and it shares land borders with 3 countries.
By Team Geography·Last reviewed
Flag of North KoreaNorth Korea in solid, land neighbours outlined, capital marked.
The app teaches each country through short hand written lenses: PLACE for physical geography, STORY for history and identity, NOW for the news, and THREAD for the ties between countries. Here is one of North Korea's 7, in full.
PLACELens 1 of 7
A mountainous peninsula divided at an arbitrary line
North Korea occupies the northern half of the Korean Peninsula, separated from South Korea by the Demilitarized Zone at roughly the 38th parallel. The country is about 80% mountainous, with the Hamgyong Range in the northeast and the Rangrim Mountains in the center leaving only narrow coastal plains and river valleys for agriculture. The Yalu River forms the border with China, and for most North Koreans that river represents the closest thing to an outside world.
More on Demilitarized Zone
The DMZ is a 250-kilometer-long, 4-kilometer-wide buffer zone established by the 1953 armistice. Despite its name, it is one of the most heavily fortified borders on Earth, with minefields, guard posts, and nearly two million soldiers deployed on both sides.
6 more lenses on North Korea in the app
STORY Juche is not just an ideology; it is the state itself
NOW Nuclear weapons changed what North Korea means to the world
THREAD North Korea sits at the intersection of four great powers
NOW The information seal is cracking, slowly
NOW A wartime economy at half GDP scale
NOW The Ninth Congress and a new five-year plan
Titles only. The app brings each lens back on a spaced repetition schedule set by how well you knew it: New, Hazy or Clear.
Compare North Korea with another country
Opens the country comparison tool with population, area, income and more side by side, every figure dated.
Common questions
What is the capital of North Korea?
The capital of North Korea is Pyongyang. Pyongyang lies at about 39.0 degrees north and 125.8 degrees east. North Korea is in Asia. It is home to about 26.6 million people. The world capitals quiz on this site tests every capital, and the printable capitals sheets cover each continent.
What is the population of North Korea?
About 26.6 million people live in North Korea, according to the World Bank figures for 2025. That makes it the 56th most populous of the 195 countries. With an area of 120,540 square kilometres, that is about 220 people per square kilometre.
What countries border North Korea?
North Korea shares land borders with 3 countries: China, Russia and South Korea. The map on this page outlines each of them around North Korea. The count includes only borders on land, not neighbours across a sea or a lake.
How big is North Korea?
North Korea covers 120,540 square kilometres, or about 46,541 square miles. That makes it the 99th largest of the 195 countries. The figure is total surface area, which includes inland water such as lakes and rivers. Its population of about 26.6 million gives a density of 220 people per square kilometre.
North Korea is a country in Asia, with about 26.6 million people (2025) and an area of 120,540 square kilometres. Its capital is Pyongyang, and it shares land borders with 3 countries.
Capital
Pyongyang
Continent
Asia
Population
26,571,036 2025, World Bank. 56th of 195.
Area
120,540 km² (46,541 sq mi) World Bank, surface area. 99th largest of 195.
Population density
220 people per km²
Land neighbours
3: China, Russia, South Korea
Official name
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
UN status
Member state
PLACE · from the Geography app
A mountainous peninsula divided at an arbitrary line
North Korea occupies the northern half of the Korean Peninsula, separated from South Korea by the Demilitarized Zone at roughly the 38th parallel. The country is about 80% mountainous, with the Hamgyong Range in the northeast and the Rangrim Mountains in the center leaving only narrow coastal plains and river valleys for agriculture. The Yalu River forms the border with China, and for most North Koreans that river represents the closest thing to an outside world.
Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/north-korea/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
Geography · Country report
North Korea
NameDate
Draw the flag
Colour North Korea on the map, then fill in what you find.
Capital
Continent
Population
Area
Languages
Currency
Neighbours
Landmarks
Rivers or mountains
Three things I learned
1
2
3
One question I still have
?
Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/north-korea/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
