pork, eggs
Exports: $840 million (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities: minerals, metallurgical products, agricultural and
fishery products, manufactures (including armaments)
partners: China, Japan, South Korea, Germany, Hong Kong, Russia
Imports: $1.27 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities: petroleum, grain, coking coal, machinery and equipment,
consumer goods
partners: China, Japan, Hong Kong, Germany, Russia, Singapore
External debt: $8 billion (1992 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA
note: small amounts of grant aid from Japan and other countries
Currency: 1 North Korean won (Wn) = 100 chon
Exchange rates: North Korean won (Wn) per US$1 - 2.15 (May 1994),
2.13 (May 1992), 2.14 (September 1991), 2.1 (January 1990), 2.3
(December 1989)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Transportation
--------------
Railways:
total: 4,915 km
standard gauge: 4,250 km 1.435-m gauge (3,397 km electrified; 159 km
double track)
narrow gauge: 665 km 0.762-m gauge (1989)
Highways:
total: 30,000 km
paved: 4,500 km
unpaved: 25,500 km
Waterways: 2,253 km; mostly navigable by small craft only
Pipelines: crude oil 37 km
Ports: Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam (Hamhung), Kimch'aek, Kosong,
Najin, Namp'o, Sinuiju, Songnim, Sonbong (formerly Unggi), Ungsang,
Wonsan
Merchant marine:
total: 88 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 712,480 GRT/1,140,923
DWT
ships by type: bulk 9, cargo 71, combination bulk 1, oil tanker 3,
passenger 2, passenger-cargo 1, short-sea passenger 1
note: North Korea owns an additional 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
totaling approximately 34,782 DWT operating under the registries of
Hondurus and Poland (1995 est.)
Airports:
total: 49
with paved runways over 3 047 m: 2
with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 15
with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 2
with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 1
with paved runways under 914 m: 2
with unpaved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 4
with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 5
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 12
with unpaved runways under 914 m: 6 (1994 est.)
Communications
--------------
Telephones: 30,000 (1990 est.)
Telephone system: system is believed to be available principally
for government business
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
and 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean Region); other international
connections through Moscow and Beijing
Radio broadcast stations: AM 18, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios: 3.5 million
Television broadcast stations: 11
Televisions: 400,000 (1992 est.)
Defense
-------
Branches: Korean People's Army (includes Army, Navy, Air Force),
Civil Security Forces
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49: 6,844,035
males fit for military service: 4,143,713
males reach military age (18) annually: 194,922 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $5 billion to $7
billion, 25% to 33% of GDP (1995 est.)
======================================================================
@Korea, South
------------
Map
---
Location: 37 00 N, 127 30 E -- Eastern Asia, southern half of the
Korean Peninsula bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea,
south of North Korea
Flag
----
Description: white with a red (top) and blue yin-yang symbol in
the center; there is a different black trigram from the ancient I
Ching (Book of Changes) in each corner of the white field
Geography
---------
Location: Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula
bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea, south of North Korea
Geographic coordinates: 37 00 N, 127 30 E
Map references: Asia
Area:
total area: 98,480 sq km
land area: 98,190 sq km
comparative area: slightly larger than Indiana
Land boundaries:
total: 238 km
border country: North Korea 238 km
Coastline: 2,413 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: not specified
territorial sea: 12 nm; 3 nm in the Korea Strait
International disputes: Demarcation Line with North Korea;
Liancourt Rocks claimed by Japan
Climate: temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter
Terrain: mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west
and south
lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m
highest point: Halla-san 1,950 m
Natural resources: coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead,
hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 21%
permanent crops: 1%
meadows and pastures: 1%
forest and woodland: 67%
other: 10%
Irrigated land: 13,530 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues: air pollution in large cities; water pollution from
the discharge of sewage and industrial effluents; drift net fishing
natural hazards: occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods;
earthquakes in southwest
international agreements: party to - Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test
Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94; signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Law
of the Sea
People
------
Population: 45,482,291 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 23% (male 5,531,032; female 4,962,915)
15-64 years: 71% (male 16,374,678; female 15,910,846)
65 years and over: 6% (male 1,014,649; female 1,688,171) (July 1996
est.)
Population growth rate: 1.02% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 16.24 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 5.66 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.14 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.11 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.6 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.02 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 8.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.26 years
male: 69.65 years
female: 77.39 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.77 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Korean(s)
adjective: Korean
Ethnic divisions: homogeneous (except for about 20,000 Chinese)
Religions: Christianity 48.6%, Buddhism 47.4%, Confucianism 3%,
pervasive folk religion (shamanism), Chondogyo (Religion of the
Heavenly Way) 0.2%
Languages: Korean, English widely taught in high school
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)
total population: 98%
male: 99.3%
female: 96.7%
Government
----------
Name of country:
conventional long form: Republic of Korea
conventional short form: South Korea
local long form: Taehan-min'guk
local short form: none
note: the South Koreans generally use the term "Hanguk" to refer to
their country
abbreviation: ROK
Data code: KS
Type of government: republic
Capital: Seoul
Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (do, singular and plural)
and 6 special cities* (gwangyoksi, singular and plural); Cheju-do,
Cholla-bukto, Cholla-namdo, Ch'ungch'ong-bukto, Ch'ungch'ong-namdo,
Inch'on-gwangyoksi*, Kangwon-do, Kwangju-gwangyoksi*, Kyonggi-do,
Kyongsang-bukto, Kyongsang-namdo, Pusan-gwangyoksi*,
Soul-t'ukpyolsi*, Taegu-gwangyoksi*, Taejon-gwangyoksi*
Independence: 15 August 1948
National holiday: Independence Day, 15 August (1948)
Constitution: 25 February 1988
Legal system: combines elements of continental European civil law
systems, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought
Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President KIM Yong-sam (since 25 February 1993) was
elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 18
December 1992 (next to be held NA December 1997); results - KIM
Yong-sam (DLP) 41.9%, KIM Tae-chung (DP) 33.8%, CHONG Chu-yong (UPP)
16.3%, other 8%
head of government: Prime Minister YI Su-song (since 15 December
1995) was appointed by the president with the consent of the
National Assembly; Deputy Prime Ministers NA Ung-pae (since 20
December 1995) and KWON O-ki (since 20 December 1995) were appointed
by the president on the prime minister's recommendation
cabinet: State Council was appointed by the president on the prime
minister's recommendation
Legislative branch: unicameral
National Assembly (Kukhoe): members elected for four-year terms;
elections last held 11 April 1996 (next to be held NA 2000); results
- percent of vote by party NA; seats - (299 total) NKP 139, NCNP 79,
ULD 50, DP 15, independents 16
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, justices are appointed by the
president subject to the consent of the National Assembly
Political parties and leaders:
majority party: New Korea Party (NKP), KIM Yong-sam, president
opposition: United Liberal Democratic Party (ULD), KIM Chong-p'il,
president; Democratic Party (DP), KIM Won-ki, co-chairman and CHANG
Ul-pyong, co-chairman; National Congress for New Politics (NCNP),
KIM Tae-chung, president
Other political or pressure groups: Korean National Council of
Churches; National Democratic Alliance of Korea; National Federation
of Student Associations; National Federation of Farmers'
Associations; National Council of Labor Unions; Federation of Korean
Trade Unions; Korean Veterans' Association; Federation of Korean
Industries; Korean Traders Association
International organization participation: AfDB, APEC, AsDB, CCC,
CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO,
ITU, MINURSO, OAS (observer), OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNU, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador PAK Kun-u
chancery: 2450 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-5600, 524-9273
consulate(s) general: Agana (Guam), Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston,
Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San
Francisco, and Seattle
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador James T. LANEY
embassy: 82 Sejong-Ro, Chongro-ku, Seoul
mailing address: American Embassy, Unit 15550, APO AP 96205-0001
telephone: [82] (2) 397-4114
FAX: [82] (2) 738-8845
consulate(s): Pusan
Flag: white with a red (top) and blue yin-yang symbol in the
center; there is a different black trigram from the ancient I Ching
(Book of Changes) in each corner of the white field
Economy
-------
Economic overview: As one of the Four Dragons of East Asia, South
Korea has achieved an incredible record of growth. Three decades ago
its GDP per capita was comparable with levels in the poorer
countries of Africa and Asia. Today its GDP per capita is nine times
India's, 14 times North Korea's, and already up with the lesser
economies of the European Union. This success has been achieved by a
unique combination of authoritarian government guidance of what is
at bottom an essentially entrepreneurial process. The government has
sponsored large-scale adoption of technology and management from
Japan and other modern nations; has successfully pushed the
development of export industries while encouraging the import of
machinery and materials at the expense of consumer goods; and has
pushed its labor force to a work effort seldom matched anywhere even
in wartime. Real GDP grew by an average 10% in 1986-91, then paused
to a "mere" 5% in 1992-93, only to move back up to 8% in 1994 and 9%
in 1995. With a much higher standard of living and with a
considerable easing of authoritarian controls, the work pace has
softened. Growth rates will probably slow down over the medium term
because of the exhaustion of former growth opportunities and the
need to deal with pollution and the other problems of success.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $590.7 billion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate: 9% (1995)
GDP per capita: $13,000 (1995 est.)
GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: 8%
industry: 45%
services: 47% (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.3% (1995 est.)
Labor force: 20 million
by occupation: services and other 52%, mining and manufacturing 27%,
agriculture, fishing, forestry 21% (1991)
Unemployment rate: 2% (1995 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $69 billion
expenditures: $67 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1995 est.)
Industries: electronics, automobile production, chemicals,
shipbuilding, steel, textiles, clothing, footwear, food processing
Industrial production growth rate: 12.2% (1995 est.)
Electricity:
capacity: 28,750,000 kW
production: 165 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 2,899 kWh (1994)
Agriculture: rice, root crops, barley, vegetables, fruit; cattle,
pigs, chickens, milk, eggs; fish catch of 2.9 million metric tons,
seventh largest in world
Exports: $125.4 billion (f.o.b., 1995)
commodities: electronic and electrical equipment, machinery, steel,
automobiles, ships; textiles, clothing, footwear; fish
partners: US 19%, Japan 14%, EU 13%
Imports: $135.1 billion (c.i.f., 1995)
commodities: machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil,
steel, transport equipment, textiles, organic chemicals, grains
partners: Japan 24%, US 22%, EU 13%
External debt: $77 billion (1995 est.)
Economic aid: $NA
Currency: 1 South Korean won (W) = 100 chun (theoretical)
Exchange rates: South Korean won (W) per US$1 - 787.27 (January
1996), 771.27 (1995), 803.45 (1994), 802.67 (1993), 780.65 (1992),
733.35 (1991)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Transportation
--------------
Railways:
total: 3,101 km
standard gauge: 3,081 km 1.435-m gauge (560 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 20 km 0.762-m gauge
Highways:
total: 61,296 km
paved: 51,918 km (including 1,550 km of expressways)
unpaved: 9,378 km (1993)
Waterways: 1,609 km; use restricted to small native craft
Pipelines: petroleum products 455 km
Ports: Chinhae, Inch'on, Kunsan, Masan, Mokp'o, Pohang, Pusan,
Ulsan, Yosu
Merchant marine:
total: 428 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,076,981
GRT/9,822,089 DWT
ships by type: bulk 124, cargo 122, chemical tanker 21, combination
bulk 3, combination ore/oil 1, container 59, liquefied gas tanker
12, multifunction large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 61, refrigerated
cargo 13, short-sea passenger 1, vehicle carrier 10
note: South Korea owns an additional 231 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
totaling 10,128,506 DWT operating under the registries of Panama,
Liberia, Cyprus, Malta, The Bahamas, and Thailand (1995 est.)
Airports:
total: 105
with paved runways over 3 047 m: 1
with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 20
with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 13
with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 14
with paved runways under 914 m: 54
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 3 (1995 est.)
Heliports: 201 (1995 est.)
Communications
--------------
Telephones: 16.6 million (1993)
Telephone system: excellent domestic and international services
domestic: NA
international: fiber-optic submarine cable to China; satellite earth
stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1
Inmarsat (Pacific Ocean Region)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 79, FM 46, shortwave 0
Radios: 42 million (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 256 (57 of which are 1 kW or
greater) (1987 est.)
Televisions: 9.3 million (1992 est.)
Defense
-------
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, National Maritime
Police (Coast Guard)
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49: 13,602,115
males fit for military service: 8,706,545
males reach military age (18) annually: 398,322 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $17.4 billion,
3.3% of GNP (1996)
======================================================================
@Kuwait
------
Map
---
Location: 29 30 N, 45 45 E -- Middle East, bordering the Persian
Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia
Flag
----
Description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white,
and red with a black trapezoid based on the hoist side
Geography
---------
Location: Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq
and Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates: 29 30 N, 45 45 E
Map references: Middle East
Area:
total area: 17,820 sq km
land area: 17,820 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries:
total: 464 km
border countries: Iraq 242 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km
Coastline: 499 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: in November 1994, Iraq formally accepted
the UN-demarcated border with Kuwait which had been spelled out in
Security Council Resolutions 687 (1991), 773 (1993), and 883 (1993);
this formally ends earlier claims to Kuwait and to Bubiyan and
Warbah islands; ownership of Qaruh and Umm al Maradim islands
disputed by Saudi Arabia
Climate: dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters
Terrain: flat to slightly undulating desert plain
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 306 m
Natural resources: petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 8%
forest and woodland: 0%
other: 92%
Irrigated land: 20 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: limited natural fresh water resources; some of
world's largest and most sophisticated desalination facilities
provide much of the water; air and water pollution; desertification
natural hazards: sudden cloudbursts are common from October to
April, they bring inordinate amounts of rain which can damage roads
and houses; sandstorms and dust storms occur throughout the year,
but are most common between March and August
international agreements: party to - Climate Change, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Marine Dumping
Geographic note: strategic location at head of Persian Gulf
People
------
Population: 1,950,047 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 33% (male 334,778; female 317,241)
15-64 years: 65% (male 757,535; female 507,064)
65 years and over: 2% (male 18,459; female 14,970) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 6.65% (1996 est.)
note: this rate reflects the continued post-Gulf crisis return of
nationals and expatriates
Birth rate: 20.28 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 2.2 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate: 48.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.49 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.23 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.32 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 11.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.92 years
male: 73.59 years
female: 78.38 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.82 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Kuwaiti(s)
adjective: Kuwaiti
Ethnic divisions: Kuwaiti 45%, other Arab 35%, South Asian 9%,
Iranian 4%, other 7%
Religions: Muslim 85% (Shi'a 30%, Sunni 45%, other 10%),
Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and other 15%
Languages: Arabic (official), English widely spoken
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)
total population: 78.6%
male: 82.2%
female: 74.9%
Government
----------
Name of country:
conventional long form: State of Kuwait
conventional short form: Kuwait
local long form: Dawlat al Kuwayt
local short form: Al Kuwayt
Data code: KU
Type of government: nominal constitutional monarchy
Capital: Kuwait
Administrative divisions: 5 governorates (muhafazat, singular -
muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al Jahrah, Al Kuwayt, Hawalli, Al Farwaniyah
Independence: 19 June 1961 (from UK)
National holiday: National Day, 25 February (1950)
Constitution: approved and promulgated 11 November 1962
Legal system: civil law system with Islamic law significant in
personal matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: adult males who have been naturalized for 30 years or
more or have resided in Kuwait since before 1920 and their male
descendants at age 21
note: only 10% of all citizens are eligible to vote; in 1996,
naturalized citizens who do not meet the pre-1920 qualification but
have been naturalized for 30 years will be eligible to vote
Executive branch:
chief of state: Amir JABIR al-Ahmad al-Jabir Al Sabah (since 31
December 1977) is a hereditary monarch of the MUBARAK line of the
ruling Sabah family
head of government: Prime Minister and Crown Prince SAAD al-Abdallah
al-Salim Al Sabah (since 8 February 1978), First Deputy Prime
Minister SABAH al-Ahmad al-Jabir Al Sabah (since 17 October 1992),
and Second Deputy Prime Minister Nasir Abdallah al-RUDAN (since NA)
were appointed by the Amir
cabinet: Council of Ministers was appointed by the prime minister
and approved by the amir
Legislative branch: unicameral
National Assembly (Majlis al-umma): elected members serve four-year
terms; elections last held 5 October 1992 (next to be held NA
September 1996); results - percent of vote NA; seats - (50 total)
independents 50; note - all cabinet ministers are also ex officio
members of the National Assembly
Judicial branch: High Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders: none
Other political or pressure groups: several political groups act
as de facto parties: Bedouins, merchants, Sunni and Shi'a activists,
and secular leftists and nationalists
International organization participation: ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL,
AMF, BDEAC, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador MUHAMMAD al-Sabah al-Salim Al SABAH
chancery: 2940 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 966-0702
FAX: [1] (202) 966-0517
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ryan C. CROCKER
embassy: Bneid al-Gar (opposite the Kuwait International Hotel),
Kuwait City
mailing address: P.O. Box 77, SAFAT, 13001 SAFAT, Kuwait; Unit 6900,
APO AE 09880-9000
telephone: [965] 2424151 through 2424159
FAX: [965] 2442855
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red
with a black trapezoid based on the hoist side
Economy
-------
Economic overview: Kuwait is a small and relatively open economy
with proved crude oil reserves of about 94 billion barrels - 10% of
world reserves. Kuwait has rebuilt its war-ravaged petroleum sector;
its crude oil production averaged 2.0 million barrels per day in
1994. The government continues to record large fiscal deficits.
Petroleum accounts for nearly half of GDP, 90% of export revenues,
and 70% of government income. Kuwait lacks water and has practically
no arable land, thus preventing development of agriculture. With the
exception of fish, it depends almost wholly on food imports. About
75% of potable water must be distilled or imported. Because of its
high per capita income, comparable with Western European incomes,
Kuwait provides its citizens with extensive health, educational, and
retirement benefits. Per capita military expenditures are among the
highest in the world. The economy improved moderately in 1994-95,
with the growth in industry and finance. The World Bank has urged
Kuwait to push ahead with privatization, including in the oil
industry, but the government will move slowly on this front.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $30.8 billion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate: 3% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $17,000 (1995 est.)
GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: 0%
industry: 55%
services: 45%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5% (1994 est.)
Labor force: 1 million (1994 est.)
by occupation: industry and agriculture 25.0%, services 25.0%,
government and social services 50.0%
note: 80% of labor force non-Kuwaiti (1994 est.)
Unemployment rate: NEGL% (1992 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $9.7 billion
expenditures: $14.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY95/96 est.)