North Korea
North Korea (officially: North Korea), officially: the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, is a country located in eastern Asia, occupies the northern part of the Korean peninsula, overlooking the Gulf of Korea and the Sea of Japan, bordered by China To the north and South Korea to the south.
North Korea has a total area of 120,538 km2, according to 2016 statistics, and its population reached 25,115,311 people, and they speak Korean as an official language.
Pyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and has been the traditional administrative center of the Korean Empire since ancient times. Pyongyang is one of the largest industrial centers in the Republic.
Pyongyang means the vast and spacious lands and plains, the city was named after that for the easy lands that it contains, as it was previously called the city of willow because of the large presence of willow trees in it, and it was also known as the East Jerusalem; for the place it occupied in history, and as a protector of Christian followers, especially the Protestant denominations. . Pyongyang is the largest city in North Korea in terms of population, with a population of 2,999,466 people in 2014, and a population density of 1,617 people / km2, and it is the second largest city in North Korea in terms of area, with an area of 1,907 km2.
Geography of Pyongyang
Pyongyang is located in the northwest of North Korea, in the Taedong Basin, and the Taedong River passes through it. The city consists of flat plains in the west and low hills in the east, with a land height of 84 meters above sea level. Pyeongyang City is characterized by being agricultural land, used in the cultivation of rice, which plays an important role in the city’s economy, in addition to the presence of large farms to grow vegetables and fruits. As for the climate, Pyeongyang is characterized by a moderate climate in summer and cold in winter, with an average annual temperature of 10.2 degrees Celsius, the lowest temperature is -5.9 ° C recorded in January, while the highest temperature is 24.2 ° C recorded in August, and the average annual rainfall is 939.8 mm.
History of Pyongyang
Pyongyang has a long and long history, as it was the capital of the legendary Tangun family in 2333 BC. According to Korean legend, the modern city of Pyongyang was founded in 1122 BC, but there is no accurate historical information about the city in that period, where recorded history dates back For the city until the year 108 BC, when a Chinese commercial colony was established near the city, it was fortified later, and in 427AD, Pyongyang became the capital of the Koguryo Kingdom, but in 668 AD the Chinese occupied it.
When the koryo dynasty arrived again between 918-1392 CE, they made the city of Pyongyang their second capital, and in 1592 CE the city fell at the hands of the Japanese, and in the 16th century AD the city became a major base for attracting Christianity to Korea, and as a result more than 100 churches were built there. At the beginning of the 17th century AD, the city was destroyed by the Manchu people, but in the 1880’s, the city gained a special place because it contained more Protestant missionaries than any other Asian city.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the city suffered a lot of damage as a result of the succession of wars over it. During the first Japanese-Chinese war that took place between 1894-1895 AD, most of the city of Pyongyang was destroyed, and the plague spread to the city after the war ended, and in 1895 CE the city remained abandoned and destroyed. And during Japan’s occuAl Bahahn of the city between 1910-1945 AD, the city was built to be used as an industrial center, and during the Korean War between 1950-1953, the city was destroyed again as a result of air strikes, then the United Nations forces took over in 1950, but withdrew from it when the forces entered Chinese Communism War, and after 1953 AD the city was rebuilt with the help of the Soviet Union and China.
Pyongyang landmarks
Pyongyang includes a set of historical and touristic landmarks that reflect the long history that has arisen on its land. Among the most prominent of these are:
- Gucci tower: This tower represents the Gucci thought, and was opened on the 70th birthday of the President in 1982 AD, and it is made of 25,550 granite stones, which each represents a day in President Kim’s life until his 70th year. The tower is 170 meters long and provides a view of Pyeong City Yang complete.
- Victory War Museum: This museum was opened in 2013 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, and includes tanks damaged by the war, and weapons and aircraft used in it, and inside the museum’s cellar there is a statue of President Kim Il Sung, and next to the museum there is a memorial built in 1993 AD to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the end of the war.
- Arc de Triomphe: This arch is located at the location where President Kim Il Sung made his first speech to the Koreans after the end of the Japanese occuAl Bahahn in 1945 AD, and the length of the arc is 6 meters, which is the longest arc of victory in the world.
- Km Elsong SquareIt is the main square in Pyongyang, where huge military marches take place, and a group of buildings such as the Folk Studies Building is also surrounded by the square and is also the Gucci think-tank. It is the largest library in North Korea. The building also provides free lectures to Koreans over the age of 17, and surrounds The square also has the National Museum of Korea, the Museum of History of Central Korea, and other buildings.
- Arc of consolidationThe Arch of Unification was built in 2001 to commemorate the proposals for Korean reunification put forward by President Kim Il Sung, which are two women symbolizing the two Koreas, and together they carry a map of a unified Korea.
