PYONGYANG

The name Pyongyang means "flat land" or "cozy place". The city has about 2 million inhabitants. Pyongyang is situated at the Taedong River. Northwest of the city are hills.

The capital of the DPR Korea seems to have been built to impose. The enormous Juche Tower and buildings like the Koryo Hotel can be seen from far away. The city is the best-kept and most modern place in North Korea, and as such also a ‘showcase’. There are a lot of high-rise buildings, wide roads, many imposing monuments, al lot of them dedicated to the big leader Kim Il Sung.

Although it is a big city, there is not much life to be seen. Even in some of the rather new apartment buildings there is no light to be seen at nighttime, as if nobody is living there. Also during the daytime there are not many people on the streets. There is hardly any streetlife. There are hardly any vendors, only a few foodstalls, to be seen. Even many of the shops are quiet.

One immediately notices how clean the city is. Streets are being wiped constantly, mainly by small groups of women. There is only a little traffic and that also helps keeping the streets clean. There is hardly any pollution by traffic. One sees packed busses, many of them trolley busses, not many cars, but also not many bicycles. A lot of people go by foot.

During a city tour the guides will show their guests the things the DPRK is proud of: so the emphasis will be on the big monuments that should testify to the superiority of the Korean version of communism. It is exploring the architecture of a grand political anachronism, and at the same time it is meeting the people of a very special nation.

History

About 2000 years ago in today's Rangnang District a small town developed. After Koguryo established its capital in this place the first walls were built. In 427 Koguryo moved the citadel to today's Taesong District. That is considered to be the founding year of Pyongyang. During the 6th century the city walls were re-build. After that the city comprised the present center and Pyongchon District. 16-km long walls in which there were 16 gates protected the city.

The walled city had a circumference of 16 km and had 16 gates. Actually the city was divided in four parts: the inner fort (of which Taedong Gate was the east gate), the central fort (of which Pothong Gate was the west gate), the outer fort in the middle and the northern fort.

Geography

Pyongyang is located in the low land in the northwest of the Korean Peninsula. It has an area of 2,630 sq km. The height is 84 m. It has plains, Pyongyang Plan (950 km2 and Suna Plain (190 km2); mountains, Moran Hill (95m), Mt. Ponghwa (196m), Jangsu Peak on Mt. Taesong (270m) and Mt. Ryongak (292m); and rivers, Taedong River, Pothong River, Sunhwa River, Nam River, Hapjang River and Sangwon River.