Ryanggang Province
Korean name
McCune-Reischauer	Ryanggang-do S: Yanggang-do
Revised Romanization	Ryanggang-do S: Yanggang-do
Hangul	량강도 (양강도)
Hanja	兩江道
Short name	Ryanggang (Yanggang; 량강/양강; 兩江)
Statistics
Population	n/a
Area	14,317 sq km
Government	Province
Capital	Hyesan
Administrative divisions	1 cities (Si), 11 counties (Kun)
Region	Kwannam
Dialect	Hamgyŏng
Location map

Ryanggang (Ryanggang-do) 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. In South Korean usage, "Ryanggang" is spelled and pronounced as "Yanggang." McCune-Reischauer romanization is one of the two most widely used Korean language romanization systems, along with the Revised Romanization of Korean, which replaced (a modified) McCune-Reischauer as the official romanization system in South Korea in 2000. ... Anthem: Aegukga (The Patriotic Song) Capital (and largest city) Seoul Korean Government Republic  - President Roh Moo-hyun  - Prime Minister Han Myung-sook Establishment    - Gojoseon October 3, 2333 BCa   - Liberation declared March 1, 1919 (de jure)   - Liberation August 15, 1945   - First Republic August 15, 1948   - United Nations Recognition December 12, 1948... The Revised Romanization of Korean (Korean: 국어의 로마자 표기법; 國語의 로마字 表記法) is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea. ... Anthem: Aegukga (The Patriotic Song) Capital (and largest city) Seoul Korean Government Republic  - President Roh Moo-hyun  - Prime Minister Han Myung-sook Establishment    - Gojoseon October 3, 2333 BCa   - Liberation declared March 1, 1919 (de jure)   - Liberation August 15, 1945   - First Republic August 15, 1948   - United Nations Recognition December 12, 1948... For other uses, see Hangul (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that Sino-Korean be merged into this article or section. ... Area is a physical quantity expressing the size of a part of a surface. ... In politics, a capital (also called capital city or political capital — although the latter phrase has a second meaning based on an alternative sense of capital) is the principal city or town associated with a countrys government. ... Hyesan is a city in the northern part of the northern Ryanggang province of North Korea. ... Korea has traditionally been divided into a number of unofficial regions that reflect historical, geographical, and dialect boundaries within the peninsula. ... Kwannam is the southern region of the Hamgyong provinces, North Hamgyong and South Hamgyong, North Korea. ... The Korean language is spoken in a number of different dialects around the Korean peninsula. ... Image File history File links NK-ryanggang. ... Administrative divisions of North Korea As of 2004, North Korea consisted of two directly-governed cities (Chikalshi; 직할시;直轄市), three special administrative regions with various designations, and nine provinces (Do, singular and plural; 도; 道). These 14 regions are, in turn, divided into a Special... North Hamgyŏng (Hamgyŏng-pukto) is a province of North Korea. ... South Hamgyŏng (Hamgyŏng-namdo) is a province of North Korea. ... Chagang (Chagang-do) is a province in North Korea. ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hyesan is a city in the northern part of the northern Ryanggang province of North Korea. ... Anthem: Aegukga (The Patriotic Song) Capital (and largest city) Seoul Korean Government Republic  - President Roh Moo-hyun  - Prime Minister Han Myung-sook Establishment    - Gojoseon October 3, 2333 BCa   - Liberation declared March 1, 1919 (de jure)   - Liberation August 15, 1945   - First Republic August 15, 1948   - United Nations Recognition December 12, 1948...

Along the northern border with China runs the Yalu River and the Tumen River. In between the rivers, and the source of both, is Mount Paektu, a mountain revered by both the Koreans and Manchurians as the mythic origin of each people. The North Korean government claims that Kim Jong-il was born there when his parents were at a Communist resistance camp at the mountain. The North Korean-Chinese border for 20 miles east of the mountain is "dry, remote and mountainous, barely patrolled," making it one of the crossing areas for refugees from North Korea into China, although most, including refugees from Ryanggang itself, prefer to cross over the Tumen River.^[1] The Amnok River, or the Yalu River, is a river on the border between China and North Korea. ... The Tumen River, also known as the Duman River (in Korean), is a river in northeast Asia, on the border between China and North Korea in its upper reaches, and between North Korea and Russia in its lower stretches. ... Baitou (Paektu) Mountain is a mountain on the border between China and North Korea. ... Kim Jong-il (also written as Kim Jong Il [1]) (Korean: 김정일) (born February 16, 1941) is the leader of Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, a position he has held since 1994. ... The Tumen River, also known as the Duman River (in Korean), is a river in northeast Asia, on the border between China and North Korea in its upper reaches, and between North Korea and Russia in its lower stretches. ...

Although all of North Korea is economically depressed, Ryanggang province, along with neighboring North Hamgyong and South Hamgyong provinces, are the poorest, forming North Korea's "Rust Belt" of industrialized cities with factories now decrepit and failing. The worst hunger of the 1990s famine years occurred in these three provinces, and most refugees into China come from the Rust Belt region.^[1]

An explosion and mushroom cloud was reportedly detected in Kimhyŏngjik-gun on September 9, 2004, the 56th anniversary of the creation of North Korea. This was reported a few days later on September 12. See Ryanggang explosion. [2] The atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan on August 9, 1945 A mushroom cloud is a distinctive mushroom-shaped cloud of smoke, flame, or debris resulting from a very large explosion. ... Kimhyŏngjik County is a kun of Ryanggang Province, North Korea. ... September 9 is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Portal:Currentevents September 12 is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years). ... On September 9, 2004, there was an event suspected to be a large explosion in North Koreas second northernmost province of Ryanggang. ...

Administrative divisions

Ryanggang is divided into 1 city ("Si") and 11 counties ("Kun").

• Hyesan-si (혜산시; 惠山市)
• Kapsan-gun (갑산군; 甲山郡)
• Kimjŏngsuk-gun (김정숙군; 金貞淑郡)
• Kimhyŏnggwŏn-gun (김형권군; 金亨權郡)
• Kimhyŏngjik-gun (김형직군; 金亨稷郡)
• Paegam-gun (백암군; 白岩郡)
• Poch'ŏn-gun (보천군; 普天郡)
• P'ungsŏ-gun (풍서군; 豊西郡)
• Samjiyon-gun (삼지연군; 三池淵郡)
• Samsu-gun (삼수군; 三水郡)
• Taehongdan-gun (대홍단군; 大紅湍郡)
• Unhŭng-gun (운흥군; 雲興郡)

Hyesan is a city in the northern part of the northern Ryanggang province of North Korea. ... Kapsan is a kun, or county, in Ryanggang province, North Korea. ... Kimjongsuk is a kun, or county, in Ryanggang province, North Korea, along the Yalu River. ... Kimhyonggwon is a kun, or county, in southeastern Ryanggang province, North Korea. ... Kimhyŏngjik County is a kun of Ryanggang Province, North Korea. ... Paegam is a kun, or county, in Ryanggang province, North Korea. ... Pochon is a kun, or county, in Ryanggang province, North Korea. ... Pungso is a kun, or county, in Ryanggang province, North Korea. ... Samjiyŏn, or Samjiyŏn-kun, is a district in Ryanggang province, North Korea. ... Samsu is a kun, or county, in Ryanggang province, North Korea. ... Taehongdan is a kun, or county, in Ryanggang province, North Korea. ... Unhung is a kun, or county, in Ryanggang province, North Korea. ...

References and notes

1. ^ ^{a b} [1] Onishi, Norimitsu, "Tension, Desperation: The China-North Korean Border", October 22, 2006. The information cited in this footnote comes from the captions to the large illustrated map published with the newspaper article and available online with it.

• 행정 구역 현황 (Haengjeong Guyeok Hyeonhwang) (in Korean only)
• Administrative divisions of North Korea (in simplified Chinese; used as reference for Hanja)

October 22 is the 295th day of the year (296th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 70 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• List of Korea-related topics