Chagang (
Chagang-do) is an
provinceThe administrative divisions of North Korea are organized into three hierarchical levels. Many of the units have equivalents in the system of South Korea. At the highest level are nine provinces, two directly-governed cities, and three special administrative divisions. The second-level divisions...
in
North KoreaNorth Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , is a state in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer area between North Korea and South Korea...
; it is bordered by
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
on the north,
RyanggangRyanggang is a province in North Korea. The province is bordered by China on the north, North Hamgyong on the east, South Hamgyong on the south, and Chagang on the west. Ryanggang was formed in 1954, when it was separated from South Hamgyŏng. The provincial capital is Hyesan...
and
South HamgyongSouth Hamgyŏng is a province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the southern half of the former Hamgyŏng Province, remained a province of Korea until 1945, then became a province of North Korea...
on the east,
South P'yŏnganSouth P'yŏngan is a province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the southern half of the former P'yŏngan Province, remained a province of Korea until 1945, then became a province of North Korea...
on the south, and
North P'yŏnganNorth P'yŏngan is a province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former P'yŏngan Province, remained a province of Korea until 1945, then became a province of North Korea. Its capital is Sinŭiju...
to the west. Chagang was formed in 1949, when it was separated from North P'yŏngan. The provincial capital is
KanggyeKanggye is the provincial capital of Chagang, North Korea and has a population of 209,000. Because of its strategic importance, derived from its topography, it has been of military interest from the time of the Joseon Dynasty .- Geography :...
.
Chagang Province is located in the northwestern part of
KoreaKorea is a civilization and formerly unified nation currently divided into two states. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it borders China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait....
. It is the most mountainous province; the mountainous area amounts to 98 per cent of the whole area of the province.
Chagang (
Chagang-do) is an
provinceThe administrative divisions of North Korea are organized into three hierarchical levels. Many of the units have equivalents in the system of South Korea. At the highest level are nine provinces, two directly-governed cities, and three special administrative divisions. The second-level divisions...
in
North KoreaNorth Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , is a state in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer area between North Korea and South Korea...
; it is bordered by
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
on the north,
RyanggangRyanggang is a province in North Korea. The province is bordered by China on the north, North Hamgyong on the east, South Hamgyong on the south, and Chagang on the west. Ryanggang was formed in 1954, when it was separated from South Hamgyŏng. The provincial capital is Hyesan...
and
South HamgyongSouth Hamgyŏng is a province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the southern half of the former Hamgyŏng Province, remained a province of Korea until 1945, then became a province of North Korea...
on the east,
South P'yŏnganSouth P'yŏngan is a province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the southern half of the former P'yŏngan Province, remained a province of Korea until 1945, then became a province of North Korea...
on the south, and
North P'yŏnganNorth P'yŏngan is a province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former P'yŏngan Province, remained a province of Korea until 1945, then became a province of North Korea. Its capital is Sinŭiju...
to the west. Chagang was formed in 1949, when it was separated from North P'yŏngan. The provincial capital is
KanggyeKanggye is the provincial capital of Chagang, North Korea and has a population of 209,000. Because of its strategic importance, derived from its topography, it has been of military interest from the time of the Joseon Dynasty .- Geography :...
.
Geography
Chagang Province is located in the northwestern part of
KoreaKorea is a civilization and formerly unified nation currently divided into two states. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it borders China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait....
. It is the most mountainous province; the mountainous area amounts to 98 per cent of the whole area of the province. The mean height above sea level is 750 metres and the slope of most regions is 15 to 40 degrees.
The province has a distinct continental climate under a very great influence of the
AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the earth's total surface area and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.Asia is traditionally defined as part of the...
n continent. It is very cold in winter and the cold lasts for a long time. The climate is characterized by the great difference of daily and yearly temperature. Temperature rapidly rises in spring and rapidly falls in autumn. So spring and autumn pass quickly. In summer, downpours of rain and hail are frequent. Thus thunder and lightning occur frequently.
The province has not only many mountains but also many rivers and abounds in so many useful minerals as to be one of the main sources of resources of the country. It abounds in
leadLead is a main-group element with symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal, also considered to be one of the heavy metals. Lead has a bluish-white color when freshly cut, but tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed to air...
,
zincZinc , also known as spelter, is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
,
goldGold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. It has been a highly sought-after precious metal for coinage, jewelry, and other arts since the beginning of recorded history. The metal occurs as nuggets or grains in rocks, in veins and in alluvial deposits. Gold is...
,
copperCopper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29.It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is rather soft and malleable and a freshly-exposed surface has a pinkish or peachy color...
,
molybdenumMolybdenum , is a Group 6 chemical element with the symbol Mo and atomic number 42. The free element, which is a silvery metal, has the sixth-highest melting point of any element. It readily forms hard, stable carbides, and for this reason it is often used in high-strength steel alloys...
,
tungstenTungsten , also known as wolfram , is a chemical element with the chemical symbol W and atomic number 74.A steel-gray metal, tungsten is found in several ores, including wolframite and scheelite...
,
antimonyAntimony is a chemical element with the symbol Sb and atomic number 51. A metalloid, antimony has four allotropic forms. The stable form of antimony is a blue-white metalloid. Yellow and black antimony are unstable non-metals...
,
graphiteThe mineral graphite is one of the allotropes of carbon. It was named by Abraham Gottlob Werner in 1789 from the Greek γραφειν : "to draw/write", for its use in pencils, where it is commonly called lead, as distinguished from the actual metallic element lead...
,
apatiteApatite is a group of phosphate minerals, usually referring to hydroxyapatite, fluorapatite, chlorapatite and bromapatite, named for high concentrations of OH
−, F
−, Cl
− or...
,
aluniteAlunite, or alumstone, is a sulfate mineral that was first observed in the 15th century in Monti della Tolfa, north of Rome, where it was mined for the manufacture of alum. First called aluminilite by J.C. Delametherie in 1707, this name was contracted by François Beudant in 1824 to...
,
limestoneLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the mineral calcite . The deposition of limestone strata is often a by-product and indicator of biological activity in the geologic record...
,
calcium carbonateCalcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula CaCO
3. It is a common substance found in rock in all parts of the world, and is the main component of shells of marine organisms, snails, pearls, and eggshells. Calcium carbonate is the active ingredient in agricultural...
, anthracite and
ironIron is a metallic chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a group 8 and period 4 element and is therefore classified as a transition metal. Iron and iron alloys are by far the most common metals and the most common ferromagnetic materials in everyday use...
ores. There are also crystals and valuable
gemsGems or GEMS can refer to:*gemstones, or*GEMS, "General Economic & Market Simulator", an advanced ESG authored by DFA Capital Management Inc., which is used in stochastic financial projections....
there.
Main Cities and economic activities
The province abounds in underground, forest and water resources. Before liberation, Chagang province was an isolated land with only two primitive mines, one timber mill and a distillery.
Nowadays, it has power, machine, chemical, light, mining and timber industries. Its total industrial output is 1000 times as much as just before liberation.
KanggyeKanggye is the provincial capital of Chagang, North Korea and has a population of 209,000. Because of its strategic importance, derived from its topography, it has been of military interest from the time of the Joseon Dynasty .- Geography :...
is the capital city of Chagang Province. One of the main economic
timber processing factories of the province, and the country, is hosted in Kanggye.
HuichonHŭich'ŏn is a city in the southern part of Chagang Province, North Korea. The population is 163,000 .-History:Hŭich'ŏn was merely a dusty town in the mountainous area before liberation. But it has become a large machine and electronic base...
is the most developed city in the province, though. Its development dates back to the
Korean WarThe Korean War is a war that started between North Korea and South Korea on 25 June 1950 and paused with an armistice signed 27 July, 1953...
, when it became one of the cities of industrial relocation, as it was isolated and far from the main battlefields.
Nowadays, Huichon has several industries, such as a huge
machine tool factoryThe Korea General Machinery Trading Corporation is a large North Korean machine company. The company is headquartered in the Tongdaewon District near the capital, Pyongyang.The company imports steel, chemical raw stock, and machine tools...
,
silk mill and a
hard glassware factory. In Huichon there is the main North Korean
University of TelecommunicationsThe Huichon University of Telecommunications is located in Huichon, Chagang, North Korea, founded on September 1, 1959.It is equipped with modern TV broadcasting equipment, computers and other sophisticated electronic facilities and materials to be used for education and scientific research.In...
.
Chagang was one of the less developed and isolated provinces in
North KoreaNorth Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , is a state in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer area between North Korea and South Korea...
after the liberation. Farming was complicated because; only slash-and-burn farmers tilled mountain plots to eke out their living.
Nowadays, farming activities are mainly linked with livestock activities. One example is Hungju Farm.
Small and Medium-size Power Stations
The province has been converted into a power base for the country, with the construction of Kanggye Youth Power Station, Unbong Power Station, Jangjagang Power Station and other large hydroelectric power stations.
The province has built since the 90s many small and medium-sized power stations, as a duty of the local authorities. Log-dam, water-course, raft and sluice were among the efficient methods practised in their construction.
Small hydraulic turbines, with a capacity of 2 kW to 70 kW, were developed by local technicians to dramatically increase the generating capacity.
Administrative divisions
Chagang is divided into 3
citiesA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement, particularly a large urban settlement. Although there is no agreement on technical definitions distinguishing a city from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status...
(
si) and 15
countiesA county is a land area of local government within a country. A county may have cities and towns within its area. Originally, in continental Europe, a county was the land under the jurisdiction of a count .Counts are called earls in post-Celtic Britain, Ireland and France—the term is from Old...
(
gun).
Cities
- Kanggye
Kanggye is the provincial capital of Chagang, North Korea and has a population of 209,000. Because of its strategic importance, derived from its topography, it has been of military interest from the time of the Joseon Dynasty .- Geography :...
-si (강계시; 江界市; made into "si" from "gun" December 1949)
- Hŭich'ŏn-si (희천시; 熙川市; made into "si" October 1967)
- Manp'o-si (만포시; 滿浦市; made into "si" October 1967)
Counties
- Changgang
Changgang is a kun, or county, in north-central Chagang province, North Korea. Originally part of Kanggye, it was made a separate county in 1949...
-gun (장강군; 長江郡)
- Chasŏng
Chasŏng is a county in Chagang Province, North Korea. It is located at coordinates . The city is immediately south of the Chinese-North Korean border. Its approximate population to 7 km from the city center is 8,317. The average altitude is 1279 feet, or 389 meters. Nearby cities and towns...
-gun (자성군; 慈城郡)
- Chŏnch'ŏn
Chonchon is a kun, or county, in central Chagang province, North Korea. Originally part of Kanggye, it was made a separate county in 1949. The terrain is high and mountainous; the highest point is Sungjoksan, 1984 m above sea level...
-gun (전천군; 前川郡)
- Ch'osan
Chosan is a kun, or county, in Chagang province, North Korea. It borders the People's Republic of China to the north.The terrain slopes downward from the Kangnam Mountains in the south to the Yalu River in the north. The highest peak is Namhaetaesan . Some 20% of the land is arable, with animal...
-gun (초산군; 楚山郡)
- Chunggang
Chunggang is a kun, or county, in northern Chagang province, North Korea. It was originally part of Huchang county in Ryanggang, and for that reason older sources still identify it as being part of Huchang. The county seat was originally known as Chunggangjin , but is now known as Chunggang ŭp...
-gun (중강군; 中江郡)
- Hwap'yŏng
Hwapyong is a kun, or county, in Chagang province, North Korea. It was incorporated as a new county as part of a general reorganization of local government in December 1952. Previously it had been part of Chasong and Huchang....
-gun (화평군; 和坪郡)
- Kop'ung
Kopung is a kun, or county, in Chagang province, North Korea. Prior to the division of Korea, it was part of Chosan county.-Geography:Most of Kopung is mountainous, but lower in the west. The Kangnam and [Chogyuryong ranges pass through the county. The chief streams are the Chungman River and the...
-gun (고풍군; 古豐郡)
- Rangrim
Rangrim is a kun, or county, on the eastern flank of Chagang province, North Korea. It was created in 1952 from portions of Changgang and Changjin, as part of a general reorganization of local government. Originally part of South Hamgyong, it was transferred to Chagang province in 1954...
-gun (랑림군; 狼林郡)
- Ryongrim
Ryongrim is a kun, or county, in southeastern Chagang Province, North Korea. It borders Rangrim, Changjin, Chonchon, Tongsin, Taehung, and Songgan counties. The county is mainly alpine territory...
-gun (룡림군; 龍林郡)
- Sijung
Sijung is a kun, or county, in Chagang province, North Korea. It borders Kanggye and Changgang to the east, Manpo to the north and west, and Wiwon to the south...
-gun (시중군; 時中郡)
- Sŏnggan
Songgan is a kun, or county, in central Chagang province, North Korea. It borders Rangrim to the east, Wiwon to the west, Kanggye to the north and Chonchon and Ryongrim to the south...
-gun (성간군; 城干郡)
- Songwŏn
Songwon is a kun, or county, in southwestern Chagang province, North Korea. It borders Usi and Kopung counties to the north, Tongsin to the east, and Huichon to the south, as well as North Pyongan's Tongchang county to the west...
-gun (송원군; 松原郡)
- Usi
Usi is a kun, or county, in westernmost Chagang province, North Korea. It looks across the Yalu River into the People's Republic of China. Within North Korea, it borders Chosan and Kopung to the east, Songwon to the south, and North Pyongan's Pyoktong county to the west...
-gun (우시군; 雩時郡)
- Wiwŏn
Wiwon is a kun, or county, in northern Chagang province, North Korea. It stands across the Yalu River from the People's Republic of China. It was originally part of North Pyongan province, but was annexed to Chagang in 1954...
-gun (위원군; 渭原郡)
- Tongsin
Tongsin is a kun, or county, in southern Chagang province, North Korea. It borders Ryongrim and Chonchon to the north, the counties of Taehung and Yongwon in South Pyongan to the south and east, and Huichon and Songwon to the west and southwest...
-gun (동신군; 東新郡)
External links