country comparison to the world: 216
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 218
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)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (possibly inactive) (2002)
Internet country code:
.ki
Internet hosts:
41 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 212
Internet users:
2,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 209
Transportation ::Kiribati
Airports:
19 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 137
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 15
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 4 (2009)
Roadways:
total: 670 km (2000)
country comparison to the world: 189
Waterways:
5 km (small network of canals in Line Islands) (2007)
country comparison to the world: 109
Merchant marine:
total: 43
country comparison to the world: 76
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 (2009)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 26,377 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 18,129
females age 16-49: 20,643 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 1,264
female: 1,242 (2009 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
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Korea, North (East & Southeast Asia)
Introduction ::Korea, North
Background:
An independent kingdom for much of its long history, Korea was
occupied by Japan beginning 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 control. 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 outside
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. North Korea's history of regional military
provocations, proliferation of military-related items, long-range
missile development, WMD programs including nuclear weapons test in
2006 and 2009, and massive conventional armed forces are of major
concern to the international community.
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: 120,538 sq km
country comparison to the world: 98
land: 120,408 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, Desertification, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, 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:
22,665,345 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 50
Age structure:
0-14 years: 21.3% (male 2,440,439/female 2,376,557)
15-64 years: 69.4% (male 7,776,889/female 7,945,399)
65 years and over: 9.4% (male 820,504/female 1,305,557) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 33.5 years
male: 32.1 years
female: 34.9 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.42% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 160
Birth rate:
14.82 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 141
Death rate:
10.52 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 56
Net migration rate:
-0.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 91
Urbanization:
urban population: 63% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0.9% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 51.34 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 49
male: 58.64 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 43.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 63.81 years
country comparison to the world: 170
male: 61.23 years
female: 66.53 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.96 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 136
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 2 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: Nason-si, P'yongyang-si
Independence:
15 August 1945 (from Japan)
National holiday:
Founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), 9
September (1948)
Constitution:
adopted 1948; revised several times
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 9 April
2009, 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 in 2003 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
Premier KWAK Pom Gi (since 5 September 1998), Vice Premier O Su Yong
(since 13 April 2009), Vice Premier PAK Su Gil (since 18 September
2009), Vice Premier PAK Myong Su (since 4 September 2009), Vice
Premier RO Tu Chol (since 3 September 2003)
cabinet: Naegak (cabinet) members, except for Minister of People's
Armed Forces, are appointed by SPA
elections: last held in September 2003; date of next election NA
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 8 March 2009 (next due to be held in March 2014)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
NA; ruling party approves a list of candidates who are elected
without opposition; a token number of seats are reserved for 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. Large-scale military
spending draws off resources needed for investment and civilian
consumption. Industrial and power output have declined in parallel
from pre-1990 levels. Severe flooding in the summer of 2007
aggravated chronic food shortages caused by on-going systemic
problems including a lack of arable land, collective farming
practices, and persistent shortages of tractors and fuel.
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. Since 2002, the
government has allowed private "farmers' markets" 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. In May 2008,
the US agreed to give 500,000 metric tons of food to North Korea via
the World Food Program and US nongovernmental organizations;
Pyongyang began receiving these shipments in mid-2008. During the
October 2007 summit, South Korea also agreed to develop some of
North Korea's infrastructure, natural resources, and light industry,
but inter-Korean economic cooperation slowed in 2008 as Pyongyang
restricted tourism and manufacturing joint ventures in the North,
and food aid from South Korea was suspended. 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 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 96
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$26.2 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.7% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 107
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,800 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 189
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 23.3%
industry: 43.1%
services: 33.6% (2002 est.)
Labor force:
20 million
country comparison to the world: 31
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
expenditures: $2.98 billion (2005)
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:
20.9 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 71
Electricity - consumption:
17.49 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 70
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
120.7 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 110
Oil - consumption:
16,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 130
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 175
Oil - imports:
13,890 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 130
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl
country comparison to the world: 192
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 173
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 169
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 82
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 157
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 163
Exports:
$1.684 billion (2007)
country comparison to the world: 136
Exports - commodities:
minerals, metallurgical products, manufactures (including
armaments), textiles, agricultural and fishery products
Exports - partners:
South Korea 45%, China 35%, India 5% (2007)
Imports:
$3.055 billion (2007)
country comparison to the world: 140
$2.879 billion (2006)
Imports - commodities:
petroleum, coking coal, machinery and equipment, textiles, grain
Imports - partners:
China 46%, South Korea 34%, Thailand 6%, Russia 4% (2007)
Debt - external:
$12.5 billion (2001 est.)
country comparison to the world: 80
Exchange rates:
North Korean won (KPW) per US dollar - 140 (2007), 141 (2006), 170
(December 2004), market rate: North Korean won per US dollar - 3,400
(October 2008)
Communications ::Korea, North
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.18 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 71
Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate system; currently mobile cellular
telephone services are available in Pyongyang only
domestic: fiber-optic links installed between cities; telephone
directories unavailable; mobile cellular service, initiated in 2002,
suspended in 2004; Orascom Telecom, an Egyptian company, launched
mobile service on December 15, 2008 for the Pyongyang area only
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)
Television broadcast stations:
4 (includes Korean Central Television, Mansudae Television, Korean
Educational and Cultural Network, and Kaesong Television targeting
South Korea) (2003)
Internet country code:
.kp
Internet hosts:
3 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 227
Transportation ::Korea, North
Airports:
79 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 70
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 37
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: 4 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 42
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 17
914 to 1,523 m: 14
under 914 m: 8 (2009)
Heliports:
22 (2009)
Pipelines:
oil 154 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 5,235 km
country comparison to the world: 34
standard gauge: 5,235 km 1.435-m gauge (3,500 km electrified) (2006)
Roadways:
total: 25,554 km
country comparison to the world: 104
paved: 724 km
unpaved: 24,830 km (2006)
Waterways:
2,250 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2008)
country comparison to the world: 39
Merchant marine:
total: 167
country comparison to the world: 39
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:
males age 16-49: 6,225,747
females age 16-49: 6,188,270 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 4,104,964
females age 16-49: 4,492,374 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 191,759
female: 184,641 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
NA
Transnational Issues ::Korea, North
Disputes - international:
risking arrest, imprisonment, and deportation, tens of thousands of
North Koreans cross into China to escape famine, economic privation,
and political oppression; North Korea and China dispute the
sovereignty of certain islands in Yalu and Tumen rivers; Military
Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone has
separated North from South Korea since 1953; periodic incidents in
the Yellow Sea with South Korea which claims the Northern Limiting
Line as a maritime boundary; North Korea supports South Korea in
rejecting Japan's claim to Liancourt Rocks (Tok-do/Take-shima)
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: undetermined (flooding in mid-2007 and famine during
mid-1990s) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: North Korea is a source country for men, women,
and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and
commercial sexual exploitation; the most common form of trafficking
involves North Korean women and girls who cross the border into
China voluntarily; additionally, North Korean women and girls are
lured out of North Korea to escape poor social and economic
conditions by the promise of food, jobs, and freedom, only to be
forced into prostitution, marriage, or exploitative labor
arrangements once in China
tier rating: Tier 3 - North Korea does not fully comply with minimum
standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making
significant efforts to do so; the government does not acknowledge
the existence of human rights abuses in the country or recognize
trafficking, either within the country or transnationally; North
Korea has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)
Illicit drugs:
for years, from the 1970s into the 2000s, citizens of the Democratic
People's Republic of (North) Korea (DPRK), many of them diplomatic
employees of the government, were apprehended abroad while
trafficking in narcotics, including two in Turkey in December 2004;
police investigations in Taiwan and Japan in recent years have
linked North Korea to large illicit shipments of heroin and
methamphetamine, including an attempt by the North Korean merchant
ship Pong Su to deliver 150 kg of heroin to Australia in April 2003
page last updated on November 12, 2009
======================================================================
@Korea, South (East & Southeast Asia)
Introduction ::Korea, South
Background: