Rason

Rason is a port city in North Korea with 196 954 inhabitants. Rason was called until 2000 Rajin - Sonbong and was until 2004 a city province under central government administration. Since 2010 she is a "Special City".

Rason 's industrial center, free trade zone, cultural center and transportation hub in an agricultural area. The largest municipality is Rajin - kuyŏk with 66 224 inhabitants.

• 3.1 Economics
• 3.2 traffic

Geography

Geographical location

The city is located in the northeast of North Korea, the East Sea ( Sea of ​​Japan ). It is located in the province of Hamgyŏng - pukto in the central part of Northeast Asia, bordering along the Tuman River to the People's Republic of China and Russia.

Of the total 196 954 158 337 inhabitants live in urban areas (80 percent) and 38 617 in rural areas ( 20 percent). The population density is only 247 people per square kilometer. In Hamburg there are 2.300 for comparison.

For the former city province include 108 square kilometers of arable land ( 13.5 percent), 543 square kilometers of forest (68 percent), 104 square kilometers of water (13 percent ), 20 square kilometers of industrially used land ( 2.5 percent) and 16 square kilometers of the country of residence (2.0 percent ). The remaining seven square kilometers (1.0 percent) for other purposes. Farmland and forest have a combined share of over 80 per cent of the total area of the metropolitan area.

Although the city is mostly mountainous, it has no high mountains or natural barriers. Approximately 230 square kilometers of the area have a slope of less than 20 percent. The length of the coastline is 120 kilometers. For the former city province include 21 islands, including the islands Taecho, Shihae, Pipa, Kulpo and Uam. It has with Westbonpo and Ostbonpo two of the largest natural lakes in the Korean peninsula.

The largest cities in the former city of the province were (as of 1 January 2005): Rajin 66 224 inhabitants, Sonbong 27,331 inhabitants, Tumangang 9,461 inhabitants and Ungsang 8,410 inhabitants.

Boroughs

Rason is divided into the city borough Rajin - kuyŏk ( 라진 구역 ;区域 罗 津) and the county Sonbong -kun ( 선봉군 ;先锋 郡).

Climate

Rason is situated in the temperate zone. The mean annual temperature of the city is 6.3 degrees Celsius, the average temperature in January, the coldest month, -8.8 degrees Celsius in August, the hottest month, 20.9 degrees Celsius. The daily average temperature ranges for 205 days over five degrees Celsius for 156 days over ten degrees Celsius and 121 days below zero degrees Celsius. The average annual sunshine rate is 53 percent, with the highest rate in July and the lowest in February.

The annual rainfall averages 770 mm, with most rainfall in June and July and the least in January and February. The precipitation in the spring has a share of 20-25 per cent of the total annual precipitation, summer 55-60 percent, 10-13 percent of the fall and winter than ten percent. The northwest and southeast winds have an average annual rate of 3.3 meters per second. The annual average relative humidity is 70 percent.

History

In December 1991, has been set up around the cities of Rajin and Sonbong a free trade zone. 1993 one solved the city of Rajin ( Rajin -si; 라진 시 ;罗 津市) and the county Sonbong ( Sonbong -gun; 선봉군 ;先锋 郡) from the province Hamgyŏng - pukto out and put them to greater community Rajin - Sonbong with an area of 798 square kilometers together, which is slightly larger than the bottom area of ​​the city of Hamburg.

The Province was founded in 1993 as a special administrative region under central government administration ( 직할시 ,直辖市, revised: jikhalsi, McCune - Reischer: chhikhalsi ) provided. In 2000, Rajin - Sonbong was then renamed Rason. In 2004 she was but reintegrated in the province Hamgyŏng - pukto. On 4 January 2010 she was awarded the title of a "Special City " ( 특별시 ,特别 市, revised: teukbyeolsi, McCune - Reischauer: Seoul ).

Economy and infrastructure

Economy

The free trade zone fits into the support program of the UNDP Tumen River for the Economic Development Area ( Treda ) on which the People's Republic of China, Russia, Mongolia and North and South Korea are involved. By the year 2025, the foreign company granted concessional terms, they make investments for transit trade, industry and tourism.

In Rason is the largest oil refinery in North Korea. There have been companies in the food and textile industry, wood and fish processing settled.

Traffic

The city is a transportation node with road and rail links to the south of the country and in the north to Russia and the People's Republic of China.

It has the Rajin port with an annual handling capacity of three million tonnes and the port Sonbong with a capacity of two to three million tons per year. These two deep-water ports do not freeze in winter, which guarantees operation throughout the year. Another six ports are located along the coast.

Because of its geographical proximity to the People's Republic of China the port of Rajin is a major container terminal. The Docks 3 and 4 were therefore leased and operated by China for 50 years. After North Korea's information can be handled simultaneously eight ships of 10,000 tons displacement and an additional five vessels of 5,000 tons displacement. However, it is at the transhipped goods mostly Chinese imports and exports and less about North Korean trade.