North Korea is a country 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 zone between North Korea and South Korea. The Amnok River and the Tumen River form the border between North Korea and the People's Republic of China. A section of the Tumen River in the far northeast is the border with Russia.

The country maintains a consistent economic growth rate of roughly 2% despite being isolationist and strongly restricting trade with foreign countries. The dominant industries are production and agriculture. Tourism is heavily regulated with all tourists being accompanied at all times, making visits to the country by westerners unpopular. Eastern tourists are generally more favourable due to the cheap holiday prices.

The ethnic makeup of North Korea is one of the most homogenous in the world, with only a small number of asian immigrants deviating from the Korean majority. Korean is the only official language and is spoken by almost everybody. Two thirds of the population are irreligious.

The country is widely and frequently criticised for its human rights record, which heavily restricts the religious, political and economic freedoms of its people. There are numerous reports of concentration camps which starve and rape those who have been incarcerated for political activism.