Chagang

Chagang Province 자강도
慈江道 Chagang-do
Map of North Korea with Chagang highlighted
Government	Province
Capital	Kanggye
Dialect	P'yŏngan
Region	Kwansŏ
Area	16,613 km²
Population  (2008)
- Population	1,299,830
Cities	3
Counties	15

Chagang (Chagang-do) is a province in North Korea; it is bordered by China to the north, Ryanggang and South Hamgyong to the east, South P'yŏngan to the south, and North P'yŏngan to the west. Chagang was formed in 1949, after being demarcated from North P'yŏngan. The provincial capital is Kanggye.

Geography

Chagang Province is located in the northwestern part of Korea. It is a mountainous province; with the mountainous area amounting to 98 per cent of its total area. The mean height above sea level is 750 meters and the slope of most regions is 15 to 40 degrees.

The province has a distinct continental climate under the influence of the Asian continent. It has very cold and long winters, and brief springs and falls. The climate is characterized by great differences in daily and yearly temperature. In summer, downpours of rain and hail are frequent. Thus thunder and lightning occur frequently.

The province has great mineral wealth, and is North Korea's main source of lead, zinc, gold, copper, molybdenum, tungsten, antimony, graphite, apatite, alunite, limestone, calcium carbonate, anthracite and iron ores. There are also crystals and valuable gems there.

Main Cities and economic activities

The province abounds in underground, forest and water resources. Before the Korean War, 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 the war.

Kanggye is the capital city of Chagang Province. One of the main economic timber processing factories of the province, and the country, is located in Kanggye.

Huichon is the most developed city in the province, though. Its development dates back to the Korean War, 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 factory, silk mill and a hard glassware factory. In Huichon there is the main North Korean University of Telecommunications.

Chagang was one of the less developed and isolated provinces in North Korea after liberation in 1945. The terrain made farming difficult and only slash-and-burn farmers tilled mountain plots to eke out a living.

Nowadays, farming activities are mainly linked with livestock activities. One example is Hungju Farm.

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  Huichon Hard Glassware Factory

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  Huichon Machine Tool Factory

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  Hungju Chicken 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 cities (si) and 15 counties (gun).

Cities

• Kanggye-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-gun (장강군; 長江郡)
• Chasŏng-gun (자성군; 慈城郡)
• Chŏnch'ŏn-gun (전천군; 前川郡)
• Ch'osan-gun (초산군; 楚山郡)
• Chunggang-gun (중강군; 中江郡)
• Hwap'yŏng-gun (화평군; 和坪郡)
• Kop'ung-gun (고풍군; 古豐郡)
• Rangrim-gun (랑림군; 狼林郡)
• Ryongrim-gun (룡림군; 龍林郡)
• Sijung-gun (시중군; 時中郡)
• Sŏnggan-gun (성간군; 城干郡)
• Songwŏn-gun (송원군; 松原郡)
• Usi-gun (우시군; 雩時郡)
• Wiwŏn-gun (위원군; 渭原郡)
• Tongsin-gun (동신군; 東新郡)

References

• 행정 구역 현황 (Haengjeong Guyeok Hyeonhwang) (in Korean only)
• Administrative divisions of North Korea (in simplified Chinese; used as reference for Hanja)
• Panorama Korea, Foreign Language Publishing House, Pyongyang, 1999.

See also

• List of Korea-related topics

External links

• The People's Korea: Chagang