Pyŏktong County is a
''kun'', or county, in northern
North P'yŏngan
North Pyongan Province (Phyŏnganbukto; , also spelled North P'yŏngan), is a western province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former P'yŏng'an Province, remained a province of Korea until 1945, th ...
province,
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
. It lies in the valley of the
Yalu River
The Yalu River, known by Koreans as the Amrok River or Amnok River, is a river on the border between North Korea and China. Together with the Tumen River to its east, and a small portion of Paektu Mountain, the Yalu forms the border between ...
, and borders China to the north. Within North Korea, it is bounded by
Tongch'ang in the south,
Ch'angsŏng in the west, and
Usi USI or Usi may stand for:
* Usi (food), a starch dish of the Urhobo people of Nigeria
* Uši, an album by Czech band Uz jsme doma
* Usi County, a county in westernmost Chagang province, North Korea
* USI Tech, a suspected ponzi scheme
* USI Wirel ...
county in
Chagang
Chagang Province (Chagangdo; ) is a province in North Korea; it is bordered by China's Jilin and Liaoning provinces to the north, Ryanggang and South Hamgyong to the east, South Pyongan to the south, and North Pyongan to the west. Chagang was f ...
province to the east. It was separated from Usi in 1952, as part of a nationwide reorganization of local government.
Geography
The terrain is steep and mountainous, with the
Kangnam and
Pinandŏk ranges both passing through the county. The highest point is
Piraebong, at 1470 metres. There are various small streams, including the Tongch'ŏn (동천), Songgyech'ŏn (송계천), and Namch'ŏn (남천). These are used to transport cut lumber; and the Namch'ŏn is also used to generate hydroelectric power. Due to the rugged terrain, only seven percent of Pyoktong's area is cultivated, while 80% is
forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
ed.
Administrative divisions
Pyŏktong county is divided into 1 ''
ŭp'' (town) and 19 ''
ri'' (villages):
Climate
The average year-round temperature is 7.1 °C, plunging to a mean of -12.5 °C in January and rising to 23 °C in August. The climate is relatively dry, with an average annual rainfall of 992 mm.
Economy
Forestry is the chief local industry. The farms produce
maize
Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...
,
soybean
The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses.
Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu an ...
s, sweet potatoes, potatoes,
gochu peppers, and
hops
Hops are the flowers (also called seed cones or strobiles) of the hop plant ''Humulus lupulus'', a member of the Cannabaceae family of flowering plants. They are used primarily as a bittering, flavouring, and stability agent in beer, to whi ...
. Livestock are also raised; Pyŏktong ranks second nationwide in sheep production.
See also
*
Geography of North Korea
North Korea is located in East Asia in the Northern half of Korea, partially on the Korean Peninsula. It borders three countries: China along the Yalu (Amnok) River, Russia along the Tumen River, and South Korea to the south.
Topography and dra ...
*
Administrative divisions of North Korea
The administrative divisions of North Korea are organized into three hierarchical levels. These divisions were created in 2002. Many of the units have equivalents in the system of South Korea. At the highest level are nine provinces and fou ...
References
*
External links
*
{{coord missing, North Korea
Counties of North Pyongan