Administrative divisions of North Korea
North Korea is divided into 11 first-level administrative divisions:
Largest cities in North Korea
| # | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PyongyangCapital | 3,300,000 |
| 2 | Nampo | 1,127,000 |
| 3 | Hamhung | 773,000 |
| 4 | Chongjin | 672,614 |
| 5 | Sunchon | 400,629 |
| 6 | Kaesong | 338,155 |
| 7 | Wonsan | 329,207 |
| 8 | Kanggye | 299,514 |
| 9 | Sinuiju | 288,112 |
| 10 | Hyeson | 227,461 |
Pyongyang is the largest urban area in North Korea with about 3,300,000 people.
Terrain, rivers & lakes
Highest terrain in North Korea: ≈ 2,736 m — read from the global elevation model, so summit heights are approximate. The physical map paints elevation bands from green lowlands to brown highlands.
🌊 Rivers
- Tumen
- Yalu
🏞️ Lakes
- Supung Reservoir
Ethnic groups in North Korea
racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese
Regionally, Korean is the most common ethnic group across most of the 11 divisions.
Source: CIA World Factbook · regional dominance compiled by Glostats from censuses and surveys
Religions in North Korea
traditionally Buddhist and Confucian, some Christian and syncretic Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way)
Regionally, none is the most common religious group across most of the 11 divisions.
Source: CIA World Factbook · regional dominance compiled by Glostats from censuses and surveys
Languages in North Korea
Korean
Regionally, Korean is the most common language group across most of the 11 divisions.
Source: CIA World Factbook · regional dominance compiled by Glostats from censuses and surveys
Explore more
India
China
Indonesia
Pakistan
Bangladesh
Japan
Philippines
VietnamSources: boundaries, cities, rivers and lakes from Natural Earth (public domain, 1:10m); elevation from the AWS Open Data terrain tiles (SRTM/GMTED); ethnic, religious and language shares from the CIA World Factbook; regional dominance compiled by Glostats from national censuses and surveys. Page generated 2026-10-19. More about our data.