North Korea
Asia ยท Capital: Pyongyang
How it is run: North Korea is a member of the United Nations, so it gets one vote in the General Assembly. Use the research links below to find out exactly who makes the laws there.
North Korea is home to 26.6 million people in Eastern Asia, where people speak Korean.
Numbers that tell a story ๐ข
๐ฅ People
26.6 million people
That is 0.3% of everybody alive (counted in 2025).
๐บ๏ธ Land
120,538 kmยฒ
Roughly the size of Italy or the state of Arizona.
๐๏ธ How crowded
About 220 people per square kilometre โ busy towns with countryside in between.
๐ Size in its region
21st most people in Asia
29th largest by land in Asia.
๐ฃ๏ธ Official languages
Korean
๐ฐ Money
North Korean won (โฉ)
Life here today ๐ฉบ
These come from World Bank open data โ the same numbers governments use when they argue about budgets.
โค๏ธ How long people live
73.7 years on average
Doctors, clean water and food supply all change this number over time.
๐ข Living in cities
64.2% of people
Many people still live in villages and farming towns.
๐ Kids under 15
18.9% of the population
A fairly balanced mix of young and old.
Everyday details ๐งญ
๐ Phone code
+850
Dial this before the number to call from another country.
๐ Websites end in
.kp
๐ง People here are called
North Korean
๐ท๏ธ Name at home
์กฐ์
Also written: Democratic People's Republic of Korea, DPRK, ์กฐ์ ๋ฏผ์ฃผ์ฃผ์์ธ๋ฏผ๊ณตํ๊ตญ.
๐ Coast or inland
Has a coastline
๐๏ธ UN voting group
Asia and the Pacific Group
Countries in the same group often plan votes together.
Neighbours & borders ๐ค
North Korea touches 3 neighbours by land. Neighbours share rivers, roads and usually a lot of trade.
Say its name around the world ๐ฃ๏ธ
Countries have different names in different languages. Try these with a penpal.
Spanish
Corea del Norte
French
Corรฉe du Nord
Arabic
ููุฑูุง ุงูุดู ุงููุฉ
Chinese
ๆ้ฒ
Japanese
ๅๆ้ฎฎ
Russian
ะกะตะฒะตัะฝะฐั ะะพัะตั
Portuguese
Coreia do Norte
German
Nordkorea
Put it in perspective ๐
- India โ the most populated country in Asia โ has about 55.1ร as many people as North Korea.
- North Korea covers roughly 1,148 times the area of Hong Kong Island.
- If everyone in North Korea lined up shoulder to shoulder, the line would stretch about 13,286 km.
Fast facts ๐ง
Fact of the day: Because of where North Korea sits, the school day there starts many hours before or after yours does.
๐ท๏ธ Official name
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
๐๏ธ Capital
Pyongyang
๐ Region
Asia ยท Eastern Asia
๐ค Country code
KP
๐๏ธ UN status
UN member state
๐ฉ Independence
Independent country
More about North Korea ๐
๐งญ Where on the map
40.0ยฐ N, 127.0ยฐ E
๐ Half of the world
Northern & Eastern hemisphere
๐ฐ๏ธ Clock check
Roughly UTC+8 โ when it is noon in London it is about 20:00 in Pyongyang.
- ๐ฐ๐ต is the flag of North Korea. Its country code โ the short name used on the internet and at the Olympics โ is KP.
- North Korea sits in the temperate zone, the belt where most of the world's farms and big cities are.
- Because of where North Korea sits, the school day there starts many hours before or after yours does.
- North Korea is an independent country, meaning it makes its own laws.
- North Korea sits in Eastern Asia, in the northern and eastern half of the globe.
Countries nearby ๐ค
Talk about it ๐ฌ
- North Korea has 1 official language. How would your school day change if lessons were taught in more than one language?
- North Korea can trade by sea. What should a country protect first: its ports, its fishing waters, or its beaches?
- If North Korea spoke at the General Assembly tomorrow, what one problem should its delegate ask the world to help fix?
Quick quiz ๐งช
Guess first, then tap to check your answer.
What is the capital of North Korea?
Pyongyang
Which money do people spend in North Korea?
North Korean won (โฉ)
How many countries share a land border with North Korea?
3 โ China, South Korea, Russia.
Roughly how many people live in North Korea?
26.6 million people
Keep researching ๐
Everything here is a starting point. These trusted sites, databases and libraries will take you further โ and they are the kind of sources a teacher will accept in a report.
Start here โ kid-friendly encyclopedias ๐
Short articles written for students, with maps and photos you can use in a report.
Official data & government sources ๐๏ธ
Primary sources. Cite these when your teacher asks for real data.
News & current policy ๐ฐ
Use two different outlets before you decide what you think.
Your library card ๐ซ
Libraries give you books, databases and librarians โ all free.
Library tip: Ask your school or public librarian for their online databases (like Gale in Context or EBSCO Explora). Your library card unlocks them for free at home, and they are already checked by adults for school use.