Due in part to severe summer flooding followed by dry weather conditions in the fall of 2006, the nation has suffered its 12th year of food shortages because of on-going systemic problems, including a lack of arable land, collective farming practices, and chronic shortages of tractors and fuel.

In 2004, the government formalized an arrangement whereby private "farmers' markets" were allowed to begin selling a wider range of goods. It also permitted some private farming on an experimental basis in an effort to boost agricultural output. In October 2005, the government reversed some of these policies by forbidding private sales of grains and reinstituting a centralized food rationing system.

Area:
total: 120,540 sq km
land: 120,410 sq km
water: 130 sq km

Climate:
temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer

Terrain:
mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m
highest point: Paektu-san 2,744 m

Natural resources:
coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnetite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 22.4%
permanent crops: 1.66%
other: 75.94% (2005)

Irrigated land:
14,600 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall.

Environmental Issues:
water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; waterborne disease; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation.