Ten fun facts about Pyongyang

Fact 1
The name of the city, Pyongyang, literally translates out to "Flat Land".

Fact 2
One of the historic names of the city was once "Ryugyong", which translates out to 'capital of willows'. This was because of the abundance of willow trees.

Fact 3
The Ryugyong Hotel is the tallest building in North Korea but has been referred to as the 'Hotel of Doom' because of it's 26 year long construction process and the fact that it has still not been opened as of 2013.

Fact 4
The Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, which is a mausoleum for a previous president and his son, is the only building to house the remains of multiple people.

Fact 5
Since the technology is not as advanced and cars are rare, the traffic lights in the city are manually controlled rather than automatic.

Fact 6
Pyongyang was not originally the capital of North Korea, it was Seoul. In 1948, it was promoted to the capital.

Fact 7
The city is home to the Arch of Triumph, modeled after the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, and is the second tallest triumphal arch in the world.

Fact 8
In 1955, evidence was found in a village that shows inhabitants dating as early as the prehistoric times.

Fact 9
There are approximately 1.2 million military personnel in the city of Pyongyang.

Fact 10
It is the largest city in the country with a population of 3,255,388 as of 2008.