Pyonggang is a kun

Administrative divisions of North Korea

The 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...

, or county, in Kangwon province, North Korea

North Korea

The Democratic People’s Republic of 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...

. It borders Sepo

Sepo

Sepo is a kun, or county, in Kangwon province, North Korea. It was created as a separate entity following the division of Korea.-Physical features:...

 to the north, Chorwon to the south, Ichon

Ichon (North Korea)

Ichon is a kun, or county, in northern Kangwon province, North Korea. The terrain is predominantly high and mountainous; the highest point is Myongidoksan, 1,585 meters above sea level. The county's borders run along the Masikryong and Ryongam ranges. The chief stream is the Rimjin...

 to the west, and Changdo

Changdo

Changdo is a kun, or county, in Kangwon province, North Korea. Originally part of Kimhwa, it was split off as a separate county in 1952.Changdo lies to the west of the Taebaek Mountains, in the Ryongso region of Kangwon, but is nonetheless quite rugged. The highest point is Okpatbong , 1240 m...

 to the east.

Physical features

A portion of the county is occupied by the Yongam wetland, which also crosses into Chorwon. Most of the county's terrain is mountainous, although there a few small expanses of level ground. The Kwangju Mountains and Machonryong Mountains pass through Pyonggang. The region is prone to heavy rains.

Political history

The Pyonggang area was known as Puyang hyŏn

Hyeon

The hyeon were administrative subdivisions of Korea during the Silla, Goryeo, and Joseon periods. They were typically slightly smaller than today's si and gun . They were abolished in the Gabo Reform of 1895.During the Goryeo period, there were about 335 Hyeon; during the Joseon period, 164....

 during the Goguryeo

Goguryeo

Goguryeo or Koguryŏ was an ancient Korean kingdom located in present day northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula, southern Manchuria, and southern Russian Maritime province....

 period, and as Kangpyong (강평) under Silla

Silla

Silla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and one of the longest sustained dynasties in...

. In the Goryeo

Goryeo

The Goryeo Dynasty or Koryŏ was a Korean dynasty established in 918 by Emperor Taejo. Korea gets its name from this kingdom which came to be pronounced Korea. It united the Later Three Kingdoms in 936 and ruled most of the Korean peninsula until it was removed by the Joseon dynasty in 1392...

 Dynasty, it was included in Tongju (동주); in the Joseon Dynasty

Joseon Dynasty

Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...

, it took its modern name.

Economy

The county is well-suited to agriculture, and rice farming is especially developed. In addition, the mines of Pyonggang extract gold, tungsten, nepheline

Nepheline

Nepheline, also called nephelite , is a feldspathoid: a silica-undersaturated aluminosilicate, Na3KAl4Si4O16, that occurs in intrusive and volcanic rocks with low silica, and in their associated pegmatites...

, zircon

Zircon

Zircon is a mineral belonging to the group of nesosilicates. Its chemical name is zirconium silicate and its corresponding chemical formula is ZrSiO4. A common empirical formula showing some of the range of substitution in zircon is 1–x4x–y...

, alunite

Alunite

Alunite 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. Delamétherie in 1797, this name was contracted by François Beudant in 1824 to alunite.Distinct crystals of...

, and diatomaceous earth

Diatomaceous earth

Diatomaceous earth also known as diatomite or kieselgur/kieselguhr, is a naturally occurring, soft, siliceous sedimentary rock that is easily crumbled into a fine white to off-white powder. It has a particle size ranging from less than 1 micrometre to more than 1 millimetre, but typically 10 to...

.

Transport

Pyonggang is served by road and rail, with the Kyongwon Line railroad and Kyongwon Highway both passing through the county. Pyonggang Station is on the Kangwon Line

Kangwon Line

The Kangwon Line is a railway line in North Korea, running from Pyonggang to Kowon....

.

See also

• Geography of North Korea
  Geography of North Korea
  North Korea is located in east Asia on the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. North Korea shares a border with three states, including China along the Amnok River, Russia along the Duman River, and South Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone...
  
  
• Administrative divisions of North Korea
  Administrative divisions of North Korea
  The 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...
  
  
• Kangwon (North Korea)