natural resources. Commercially viable phosphate deposits were
exhausted at the time of independence from the UK in 1979. Copra and
fish now represent the bulk of production and exports. The economy
has fluctuated widely in recent years. Economic development is
constrained by a shortage of skilled workers, weak infrastructure,
and remoteness from international markets. Tourism provides more
than one-fifth of GDP. Private sector initiatives and a financial
sector are in the early stages of development. Foreign financial aid
from UK, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and China equals more than
10% of GDP. Remittances from seamen on merchant ships abroad account
for more than $5 million each year. Kiribati receives around $15
million annually for the government budget from an Australian trust
fund.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$348 million (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$67 million (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
2% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$3,600 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 8.9%
industry: 24.2%
services: 66.8% (2004)
Labor force:
7,870 economically active, not including subsistence farmers (2001
est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 2.7%
industry: 32%
services: 65.3% (2000)
Unemployment rate:
2% official rate; underemployment 70% (1992 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $55.52 million
expenditures: $59.71 million (FY05)
Fiscal year:
NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
0.2% (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products:
copra, taro, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, vegetables; fish
Industries:
fishing, handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate:
0.7% (1991 est.)
Electricity - production:
10 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
9.3 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
232.4 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
259.1 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
-$21 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$17 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities:
copra 62%, coconuts, seaweed, fish
Exports - partners:
US 22.8%, Belgium 21.5%, Japan 14.3%, Samoa 7.8%, Australia 7.5%,
Malaysia 6.7%, Taiwan 5.6%, Denmark 4.6% (2006)
Imports:
$62 million c.i.f. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, miscellaneous manufactured
goods, fuel
Imports - partners:
Australia 33%, Fiji 27.1%, Japan 18.1%, NZ 6.9% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
$27.84 million largely from UK and Japan (2005)
Debt - external:
$10 million (1999 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Currency (code):
Australian dollar (AUD)
Currency code:
AUD
Exchange rates:
Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285
(2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003)
Communications
Kiribati
Telephones - main lines in use:
4,500 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
700 (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: generally good quality national and
international service
domestic: wire line service available on Tarawa and Kiritimati
(Christmas Island); connections to outer islands by HF/VHF
radiotelephone; wireless service available in Tarawa since 1999
international: country code - 686; Kiribati is being linked to the
Pacific Ocean Cooperative Telecommunications Network, which should
improve telephone service; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat
(Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (may be inactive) (2002)
Radios:
17,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (possibly inactive) (2002)
Televisions:
1,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.ki
Internet hosts:
9 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Internet users:
2,000 (2007)
Transportation
Kiribati
Airports:
19 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 15
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 4 (2007)
Roadways:
total: 670 km (2000)
Waterways:
5 km (small network of canals in Line Islands) (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 43
by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 18, chemical tanker 3, petroleum
tanker 6, refrigerated cargo 14
foreign-owned: 31 (China 15, Hong Kong 4, South Korea 2, Singapore
4, Taiwan 5, Turkey 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Betio
Military
Kiribati
Military branches:
no regular military forces (constitutionally prohibited); Police
Force (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 26,377 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 17,577 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 1,247
female: 1,226 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
NA
Military - note:
Kiribati does not have military forces; defense assistance is
provided by Australia and NZ
Transnational Issues
Kiribati
Disputes - international:
none
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Korea, North
Introduction
Korea, North
Background:
An independent kingdom for much of its long history, Korea was
occupied by Japan in 1905 following the Russo-Japanese War. Five
years later, Japan formally annexed the entire peninsula. Following
World War II, Korea was split with the northern half coming under
Soviet-sponsored Communist domination. After failing in the Korean
War (1950-53) to conquer the US-backed Republic of Korea (ROK) in
the southern portion by force, North Korea (DPRK), under its founder
President KIM Il Sung, adopted a policy of ostensible diplomatic and
economic "self-reliance" as a check against excessive Soviet or
Communist Chinese influence. The DPRK demonized the US as the
ultimate threat to its social system through state-funded
propaganda, and molded political, economic, and military policies
around the core ideological objective of eventual unification of
Korea under Pyongyang's control. KIM's son, the current ruler KIM
Jong Il, was officially designated as his father's successor in
1980, assuming a growing political and managerial role until the
elder KIM's death in 1994. After decades of economic mismanagement
and resource misallocation, the DPRK since the mid-1990s has relied
heavily on international aid to feed its population while continuing
to expend resources to maintain an army of approximately 1 million.
North Korea's history of regional military provocations,
proliferation of military-related items, and long-range missile
development - as well as its nuclear, chemical, and biological
weapons programs and massive conventional armed forces - are of
major concern to the international community. In December 2002,
following revelations that the DPRK was pursuing a nuclear weapons
program based on enriched uranium in violation of a 1994 agreement
with the US to freeze and ultimately dismantle its existing
plutonium-based program, North Korea expelled monitors from the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In January 2003, it
declared its withdrawal from the international Non-Proliferation
Treaty. In mid-2003 Pyongyang announced it had completed the
reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel rods (to extract weapons-grade
plutonium) and was developing a "nuclear deterrent." Beginning in
August 2003, North Korea, China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, and the
US have participated in the Six-Party Talks aimed at resolving the
stalemate over the DPRK's nuclear programs. North Korea pulled out
of the talks in November 2005. It test-fired ballistic missiles in
July 2006 and conducted a nuclear test in October 2006. North Korea
returned to the Six-Party Talks in December 2006 and subsequently
signed two agreements on denuclearization. The 13 February 2007
Initial Actions Agreement shut down the North's nuclear facilities
at Yongbyon in July 2007. In the 3 October 2007 Second Phase Actions
Agreement, Pyongyang pledged to disable those facilities and provide
a correct and complete declaration of its nuclear programs. Under
the supervision of US nuclear experts, North Korean personnel
completed a number of agreed-upon disablement actions at the three
core facilities at the Yongbyon nuclear complex by the end of 2007.
North Korea also began the discharge of spent fuel rods in December
2007, but it did not provide a declaration of its nuclear programs
by the end of the year.
Geography
Korea, North
Location:
Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the
Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea
Geographic coordinates:
40 00 N, 127 00 E
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total: 120,540 sq km
land: 120,410 sq km
water: 130 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Mississippi
Land boundaries:
total: 1,673 km
border countries: China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, Russia 19 km
Coastline:
2,495 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
note: military boundary line 50 nm in the Sea of Japan and the
exclusive economic zone limit in the Yellow Sea where all foreign
vessels and aircraft without permission are banned
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, magnesite, 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)
Total renewable water resources:
77.1 cu km (1999)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 9.02 cu km/yr (20%/25%/55%)
per capita: 401 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional
typhoons during the early fall
Environment - current issues:
water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; waterborne
disease; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note:
strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia;
mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated
People
Korea, North
Population:
23,479,088 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 22.9% (male 2,733,352/female 2,654,186)
15-64 years: 68.2% (male 7,931,484/female 8,083,626)
65 years and over: 8.8% (male 751,401/female 1,325,040) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 32.7 years
male: 31.2 years
female: 34.2 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.732% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
14.61 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
7.29 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
NA (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.57 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 21.86 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 23.46 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 20.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.2 years
male: 69.45 years
female: 75.08 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Korean(s)
adjective: Korean
Ethnic groups:
racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few
ethnic Japanese
Religions:
traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, some Christian and
syncretic Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way)
note: autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent;
government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of
religious freedom
Languages:
Korean
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99%
Education expenditures:
NA
Government
Korea, North
Country name:
conventional long form: Democratic People's Republic of Korea
conventional short form: North Korea
local long form: Choson-minjujuui-inmin-konghwaguk
local short form: Choson
abbreviation: DPRK
Government type:
Communist state one-man dictatorship
Capital:
name: Pyongyang
geographic coordinates: 39 01 N, 125 45 E
time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 4 municipalities (si,
singular and plural)
provinces: Chagang-do (Chagang), Hamgyong-bukto (North Hamgyong),
Hamgyong-namdo (South Hamgyong), Hwanghae-bukto (North Hwanghae),
Hwanghae-namdo (South Hwanghae), Kangwon-do (Kangwon),
P'yongan-bukto (North P'yongan), P'yongan-namdo (South P'yongan),
Yanggang-do (Yanggang)
municipalities: Kaesong-si (Kaesong), Najin Sonbong-si
(Najin-Sonbong), Namp'o-si (Namp'o), P'yongyang-si (Pyongyang)
Independence:
15 August 1945 (from Japan)
National holiday:
Founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), 9
September (1948)
Constitution:
adopted 1948; completely revised 27 December 1972, revised again in
April 1992, and September 1998
Legal system:
based on Prussian civil law system with Japanese influences and
Communist legal theory; no judicial review of legislative acts; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
17 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: KIM Jong Il (since July 1994); note - on 3 September
2003, rubberstamp Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) reelected KIM Jong
Il chairman of the National Defense Commission, a position accorded
nation's "highest administrative authority"; SPA reelected KIM Yong
Nam president of its Presidium also with responsibility of
representing state and receiving diplomatic credentials
head of government: Premier KIM Yong Il (since 11 April 2007); Vice
Premiers KWAK Pom Gi (since 5 September 1998), JON Sung Hun (since 3
September 2003), RO Tu Chol (since 3 September 2003), THAE Jong Su
(since 16 October 2007)
cabinet: Naegak (cabinet) members, except for Minister of People's
Armed Forces, are appointed by SPA
elections: last held in September 2003 (next to be held in September
2008)
election results: KIM Jong Il and KIM Yong Nam were only nominees
for positions and ran unopposed
Legislative branch:
unicameral Supreme People's Assembly or Ch'oego Inmin Hoeui (687
seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 3 August 2003 (next to be held in August 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
NA; ruling party approves a list of candidates who are elected
without opposition; some seats are held by minor parties
Judicial branch:
Central Court (judges are elected by the Supreme People's Assembly)
Political parties and leaders:
major party - Korean Workers' Party or KWP [KIM Jong Il]; minor
parties - Chondoist Chongu Party [RYU Mi Yong] (under KWP control),
Social Democratic Party [KIM Yong Dae] (under KWP control)
Political pressure groups and leaders:
none
International organization participation:
ARF, FAO, G-77, ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, IOC, IPU, ISO,
ITSO, ITU, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none; North Korea has a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none; note - Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang represents the US as
consular protecting power
Flag description:
three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue;
the red band is edged in white; on the hoist side of the red band is
a white disk with a red five-pointed star
Economy
Korea, North
Economy - overview:
North Korea, one of the world's most centrally directed and least
open economies, faces chronic economic problems. Industrial capital
stock is nearly beyond repair as a result of years of
underinvestment and shortages of spare parts. Industrial and power
output have declined in parallel from pre-1990 levels. Due in part
to severe summer flooding followed by dry weather conditions in the
fall of 2006, the nation suffered its 13th year of food shortages
because of on-going systemic problems including a lack of arable
land, collective farming practices, and persistent shortages of
tractors and fuel. During the summer of 2007, severe flooding again
occurred. Large-scale international food aid deliveries have allowed
the people of North Korea to escape widespread starvation since
famine threatened in 1995, but the population continues to suffer
from prolonged malnutrition and poor living conditions. Large-scale
military spending draws off resources needed for investment and
civilian consumption. Since 2002, the government has 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 tried to reverse some of
these policies by forbidding private sales of grains and
reinstituting a centralized food rationing system. By December 2005,
the government terminated most international humanitarian assistance
operations in North Korea (calling instead for developmental
assistance only) and restricted the activities of remaining
international and non-governmental aid organizations such as the
World Food Program. External food aid now comes primarily from China
and South Korea in the form of grants and long-term concessional
loans. During the October 2007 summit, South Korea also agreed to
develop some of North Korea's infrastructure and natural resources
and light industry. Firm political control remains the Communist
government's overriding concern, which will likely inhibit the
loosening of economic regulations.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$40 billion
note: North Korea does not publish any reliable National Income
Accounts data; the datum shown here is derived from purchasing power
parity (PPP) GDP estimates for North Korea that were made by Angus
MADDISON in a study conducted for the OECD; his figure for 1999 was
extrapolated to 2007 using estimated real growth rates for North
Korea's GDP and an inflation factor based on the US GDP deflator;
the result was rounded to the nearest $10 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$25.96 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
-1.1% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,700 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 23.3%
industry: 43.1%
services: 33.6% (2002 est.)
Labor force:
20 million
note: estimates vary widely (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 37%
industry and services: 63% (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $2.88 billion $NA
expenditures: $2.98 billion $NA
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
NA%
Agriculture - products:
rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; cattle, pigs, pork, eggs
Industries:
military products; machine building, electric power, chemicals;
mining (coal, iron ore, limestone, magnesite, graphite, copper,
zinc, lead, and precious metals), metallurgy; textiles, food
processing; tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
21.72 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
18.18 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 29%
hydro: 71%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
141 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
24,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2006)
Oil - imports:
10,520 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - proved reserves:
NA bbl
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2007)
Exports:
$1.466 billion f.o.b. (2006)
Exports - commodities:
minerals, metallurgical products, manufactures (including
armaments), textiles, agricultural and fishery products
Exports - partners:
South Korea 32%, China 29%, Thailand 9% (2006)
Imports:
$2.879 billion c.i.f. (2006)
Imports - commodities:
petroleum, coking coal, machinery and equipment, textiles, grain
Imports - partners:
China 27%, South Korea 16%, Thailand 9%, Russia 7% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
$372 million
note: approximately 65,000 metric tons in food aid through the World
Food Program appeals in 2007, plus additional aid from bilateral
donors and non-governmental organizations (2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$12.5 billion (2001 est.)
Currency (code):
North Korean won (KPW)
Currency code:
KPW
Exchange rates:
North Korean won (KPW) per US dollar - 140 (2007), 141 (2006), 170
(December 2004), market: North Korean won per US dollar -
2,500-3,000 (December 2006)
Communications
Korea, North
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.18 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate system; currently no mobile cellular
telephone services
domestic: fiber-optic links installed between cities; telephone
directories unavailable; mobile cellular service, initiated in 2002,
terminated in 2004; in January 2008 Orascom Telecom, an Egyptian
company, announced that it had been granted a commercial license to
provide mobile telephone services in North Korea
international: country code - 850; satellite earth stations - 2 (1
Intelsat - Indian Ocean, 1 Russian - Indian Ocean region); other
international connections through Moscow and Beijing (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 17 (including 11 stations of Korean Central Broadcasting Station;
North Korea has a "national intercom" cable radio station wired
throughout the country that is a significant source of information
for the average North Korean citizen; it is wired into most
residences and workplaces and carries news and commentary), FM 14,
shortwave 14 (2006)
Radios:
3.36 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
4 (includes Korean Central Television, Mansudae Television, Korean
Educational and Cultural Network, and Kaesong Television targeting
South Korea) (2003)
Televisions:
1.2 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.kp
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Internet users:
NA
Transportation
Korea, North
Airports:
77 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 36
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 22
1,524 to 2,437 m: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 3 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 41
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 19
914 to 1,523 m: 13
under 914 m: 7 (2007)
Heliports:
23 (2007)
Pipelines:
oil 154 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 5,235 km
standard gauge: 5,235 km 1.435-m gauge (3,500 km electrified) (2006)
Roadways:
total: 25,554 km
paved: 724 km
unpaved: 24,830 km (2006)
Waterways:
2,250 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 167
by type: bulk carrier 11, cargo 121, carrier 1, chemical tanker 4,
container 3, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 19, refrigerated
cargo 4, roll on/roll off 1
foreign-owned: 19 (Egypt 1, Greece 1, Lebanon 1, Lithuania 1,
Romania 4, Syria 1, UAE 8, Yemen 2)
registered in other countries: 2 (Mongolia 1, Panama 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam (Hamhung), Kimch'aek, Kosong, Najin,
Namp'o, Sinuiju, Songnim, Sonbong (formerly Unggi), Ungsang, Wonsan
Military
Korea, North
Military branches:
North Korean People's Army: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force; civil
security forces (2005)
Military service age and obligation:
17 years of age (2004)
Manpower available for military service: