Tanch'ŏn () is a port city in northeastern

South Hamgyŏng South Hamgyong Province (, ''Hamgyŏngnamdo''; ) is a province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the southern half of the former Hamgyong Province, remained a province of Korea until 1945, then became a province of North Kor ...

province, North Korea. It has a population of approximately 360,000. Tanch'ŏn borders the Sea of Japan (East Sea of Korea), into which the Namdae River flows.

Administrative divisions

Tanch'ŏn is divided into 39 '' tong'' (neighbourhoods) and 39 '' ri'' (villages):

Economy

There are extensive mineral resources in the area, including cobalt,

magnesite Magnesite is a mineral with the chemical formula (magnesium carbonate). Iron, manganese, cobalt, and nickel may occur as admixtures, but only in small amounts. Occurrence Magnesite occurs as veins in and an alteration product of ultramafic ro ...

, and

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the fo ...

. The city is known for its chemical production, textiles, metal ware, machinery and smelting. The

Komdok mine The Komdok mine(검덕광업연합기업소) is one of the largest lead and zinc mines in North Korea and in the world. The mine is located in Kumgol-dong, Tanchon. The mine has estimated reserves of 266 million tonnes of ore 0.88% lead and 4.21% z ...

is located in Kumgol-1 dong. The

Taehung mine The Taehung Youth Hero Mine(대흥청년영웅광산) is one of the largest magnesium mines in North Korea and in the world. The mine is located in the center of the country in South Hamgyong Province South Hamgyong Province (, ''Hamgyŏngnamd ...

is located in South Hamgyong Province. The area is also home to the large Tanchon Power Station (under construction as of April 2020), consisting of hundreds of kilometres of waterway tunnels and a planned six power stations, that has been under construction since 2017. ;Technology The City of Tanch'ŏn is featured in the PC game Tradewinds.

Transport

Tanch'ŏn is situated on the

P'yŏngra Line The P'yŏngra Line is an electrified standard-gauge trunk line of the Korean State Railway in North Korea, running from P'yŏngyang to Rason, where it connects with the Hambuk Line.Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), I ...

and the Hŏch'ŏn Line of the Korean State Railway.Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), In 2012 the city's port was renovated and upgraded. Tanch'ŏn port was reconstructed, and a ceremony marking the completion was taken place in December 2012. In the ceremony, a joint congratulatory message sent by the

Central Committee Central committee is the common designation of a standing administrative body of Communist party, communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, of both ruling and nonruling parties of former and existing socialist states. In such party org ...

of the Workers’ Party of Korea and the Cabinet was read to the officials and members of shock brigades who performed labor feats in the construction of the port. A trolleybus line runs within Tanchon from next to

Kumgol station Kŭmgol station is a railway station in Kŭmgol 1-dong, greater Tanch'ŏn city, South Hamgyŏng province, North Korea, on the Kŭmgol Line of the Korean State Railway The Korean State Railway (), commonly called the State Rail () is the ...

in Kumgol 1-dong to Kumgol 3-dong with a length of over 6 km. The line was opened in 1986 to serve the Komdok mining region though there have been no trolleybuses seen on satellite imagery since 2011.

Wildlife

The population of Chinese gorals in Tanch'ŏn has been designated North Korean natural monument #293.

Climate

Tanchon has a humid continental climate ( Köppen climate classification: ''Dfa'').

References

External links

*
City profile of Tanchon
Cities in South Hamgyong Port cities and towns in North Korea {{NorthKorea-geo-stub