North Korea’s Enigmatic Capital Pyongyang | Worlds Revealed: Geography & Maps at The Library Of Congress
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North Korea’s Enigmatic Capital Pyongyang
March 22, 2016 by Carlyn Osborn
Today’s guest post is by Ryan Moore, a Cartographic Specialist in the Geography & Map Division. This is Ryan’s second post for Worlds Revealed and you can read his first one here.
The North Korean capital city Pyongyang has both a storied and troubled history. Among the reasons it fascinates, plain curiosity rises to the top of list, because the North Korean government has largely closed off the country from the rest of world since the end of the Korean War in 1953. Correspondingly, accurate maps of the city available outside the so-called “Hermit Kingdom” are few and far between.
Pyongang is located in the western portion of the nation at 39°1′10″N 125°44′17″E Its name means “flat land” and the city and surrounding coastal plains are an exceptional geographic feature in the nearly entirely mountainous country. The city’s origins date back to 1122 BC. It was built along the Taedong River and over time steadily occupied both sides. Sprawling towards the base of mountains on the outskirts, the city has an area of 1,233 square miles, where a municipal population of some 3.2 million reside. Its inhabitants are believed to be persons most favored by the dynastic government that is generally characterized as totalitarian regime. Grand buildings and monuments, such as the 105-story pyramid-esque Ryugyong Hotel and the Juche Tower with its burning eternal flame, celebrate the power of the government are strategically situated throughout the city for the greatest visual impact.