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Pyongyang

Capital of North KoreaPyongyang lies in the west-central part of North Korea, on a flat plain beside the Taedong River, about 50 km east of Korea Bay, an arm of the Yellow Sea.

Why it's the capital

Pyongyang has been a capital for a very long time: the Goguryeo kingdom moved its capital here in 427. It became the de facto capital of North Korea when the state was set up in 1948, and the 1972 Constitution made it the official capital.

Fun facts

  1. The name comes from two Sino-Korean words meaning "flat" and "land", and an old nickname, Ryugyong, means "Capital of Willows".
  2. The city's Arch of Triumph was inspired by the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, but it is larger.
  3. The Juche Tower, finished in 1982, is a granite spire about 170 m tall built from 25,550 granite blocks.

Finding it on the globe

Look at the west side of the Korean Peninsula: Pyongyang is north-northwest of Seoul, a short way inland from the Yellow Sea coast.

Sources: Wikipedia: Pyongyang