North Korea Mountains
North Korea Mountains
a mountain system in the northern People’s Democratic Republic of Korea; the southeastern section of the Manchurian-Korean Mountains. The North Korea Mountains are approximately 600 km long and have widths to 200 km. Elevations generally range between 1,300 m and 1,500 m; the highest point is Mount Kwanmo (2,541 m). The mountains are bounded in the north by the valleys of the Yalu (Amnok-kang) and Tumen (Tuman-gang) rivers and extend as far south as the East Korea Mountains.
A complex system of mountain ranges of average and low elevation, the North Korea Mountains are composed primarily of granites, gneisses, and quartzites. Their slopes face the Sea of Japan and the Yalu and Tumen river valleys and are deeply cut by the gorges of rivers, which have considerable hydroelectric power potential. The mountains have deposits of iron near Musan and complex ores near Komdok. Broad-leaved forests predominate on the slopes to 1,500 m. Higher there are mixed and coniferous forests, and above 2,000 m there are tracts of dwarf stone pine and herbaceous vegetation.