Economic Activity

North Korea has a command economy completely controlled by the state. Because North Korean data concerning the North Korean economy is often untrustworthy, American analysts estimate that the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is around $40 billion dollars annually. This puts the GDP per capita at $1,800. 65% of Korea's population works in industry and services, while the remaining 35% is employed in agriculture. Most of Korea's major cities were built as manufacturing cities.

Citation:http://www.populationdata.net/images/cartes/asie/coree-du-nord-economie.jpg

Demographics

North Korea has a communist style government. Its capital is P'yongyang. The government of North Korea is very secretive, so much so that they are referred to as the "Hermit Nation", because of this cultural divergence little is known about their demographics. However, we do know that the population is around 22 million people, and 99% of the population over 15 is literate. Also, the government sets up state-controlled religious institutions to give the illusion of religious freedom to the people. There is no migration to or from the country; population growth rates are due solely to births and deaths. The life expectancy at birth for a North Korean is, on average, around 71 years.

Citations: http://1.usa.gov/40pMB5; http://wwmr.org/nkorea.htm

Culture

North Koreans have a significantly lower standard of living than developed countries. The wealthy elite in P'yongyang live lives similar to those of lower middle class Americans. Little can be said for certain about modern day Korean culture because of the strict policies regarding foreigners that are in place there. It is difficult for Americans to enter the country because of the hatred that all North Koreans seem to possess. However, the younger generation of North Koreans is becoming more apathetic to America than the previous generation. Also, increasing numbers of citizens are beginning to become connected to the outside world through television, music, and popular culture.

Citation: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/15/north-korea-pyongyang-secret-culture

Political Borders

The border between North and South Korea is the most heavily guarded and hostile in the world. The border stretches from the Pacific Ocean to the Korea Bay roughly along the thirty-eighth parallel north. Korea relies heavily on China for trade, but in late 2011, the North Korean government temporarily shut the border between the two countries in order to prepare for Kim Jong-Il's funeral.

Citations: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/episodes/border-jumpers/the-worlds-most-complex-borders/north-koreasouth-korea/2337/; http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204058404577110380555673036.html

Human-Environment Interactions

North Korea is a developing nation that has raw materials and resources such as coal, iron, copper, and zinc, but until recently, most of the economic activity in North Korea was primary. The country has made efforts to become more reliant on secondary and tertiary activities, but cannot even support itself agriculturally. North Korea has entered a sort of downward spiral in that their ecosystems are in horrible shape, but the country is not rich enough to spend much money on conservation and restoration efforts. So, farmers use whatever methods they can find to get food out of the poor soil, which, in turn, causes more damage to the ecosystem.

Citation:http://jayleneyinorthkorea.wikispaces.com/Human+Environment+Interaction

Ecosystems

North Korea's ecosystems are in terrible shape. However, due to the country's iron policies regarding foreign aid, the extent is not known. The tiny glimpse that Americans have been allowed to see of Korean rural areas is devastating. The soil is in poor condition due to the Koreans' desperate struggle to grow crops despite famines in the 1990's. Many countries show interest in giving North Korea aid, but distrust between nations causes tensions that hinder the progression of work efforts in the country.

Citation: http://sesync.org/sites/default/files/newsFiles/dprk_restoration.pdf

Climates

North Korea has a continental climate with four distinct seasons despite its proximity to the coast due to winds from Siberia that also serve to make the country bitterly cold in winter. Most of North Korea lies between 38 and 43 degrees north latitude. Summer in North Korea is short, humid, and rainy due to monsoon winds from the Pacific Ocean. Sixty per cent of all precipitation that occurs in North Korea comes between June and September. The most pleasant weather in North Korea comes in the spring and fall, when variable winds create mild temperatures and beautiful weather.

Citation: http://countrystudies.us/north-korea/21.htm