Korea, Democratic People's Republic of (DPRK) - Location, size, and extent

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), often called North Korea, occupies the northern 55% of the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. It has an area of 120,540 sq km (46,541 sq mi), extending 719 km (447 mi) NNE – SSW and 371 km (231 mi) ESE – WNW . Comparatively, the area occupied by DPRK is slightly smaller than the state of Mississippi. It is bordered on the N by China, on the NE by the Russia, on the E by the Sea of Japan / East Sea (including East Korea Bay), known in Korea as the East Sea, on the S by the Republic of Korea (ROK), and on the S and W by the Yellow Sea and Korea Bay, with a total land boundary length of 1,673 km (1,040 mi) and a coastline of 2,495 km (1,550 mi). A demilitarized zone (DMZ), 4,000 m (13,100 ft) wide, covering 1,262 sq km (487 sq mi), and located north and south of the 38th parallel, separates the DPRK from the ROK, which occupies the southern part of the Korean Peninsula.

The DPRK's capital city, P'yongyang, is located in the southwestern part of the country.