North Hwanghae is divided into 2 cities ("si") and 18 counties ("kun").

Three of these counties (Chunghwa, Kangnam, and Sangwon) were added to the province in 2010 after being split from Pyongyang.

Kaesong also houses the Koguryo-era Taehungsan Fortress, built to protect the kingdom's capital at Pyongyang and enclosing the famous Kwanum Temple.

Nearby to Sariwin is the famous Jongbangsan Fortress, another Koguryo satellite for the defense of Pyongyang.

This fortress encompasses the 9th-century Songbulsa Buddhist temple, one of the oldest and most picturesque in the country.