of skilled and unskilled labor (mid-1987 est.)
Organized labor: 1,600,000 members; single-trade union system coordinated
by the General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea under the Central Committee
- Government
Long-form name: Democratic People's Republic of Korea; abbreviated DPRK
Type: Communist state; one-man rule
Capital: P'yongyang
Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and
3 special cities* (jikhalsi, singular and plural); Chagang-do,
Hamgyong-namdo, Hamgyong-bukto, Hwanghae-namdo, Hwanghae-bukto,
Kaesong-si*, Kangwon-do, Namp'o-si*, P'yongan-bukto,
P'yongan-namdo, P'yongyang-si*, Yanggang-do
Independence: 9 September 1948
Constitution: adopted 1948, revised 27 December 1972
Legal system: based on German civil law system with Japanese influences
and Communist legal theory; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Independence Day, 9 September (1948)
Executive branch: president, two vice presidents, premier, nine vice
premiers, State Administration Council (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme People's Assembly (Choe Ko In
Min Hoe Ui)
Judicial branch: Central Court
Leaders:
Chief of State--President KIM Il-song (since 28 December 1972);
Designated Successor KIM Chong-Il (son of President, born 16 February 1942);
Head of Government--Premier YON Hyong-muk (since NA December 1988)
Political parties and leaders: only party--Korean Workers' Party
(KWP); Kim Il-song, General Secretary, and his son, Kim Chong-Il,
Secretary, Central Committee
Suffrage: universal at age 17
Elections:
President--last held 29 December 1986 (next to be held December
1990);
results--President Kim Il Song was reelected without opposition;
Supreme People's Assembly--last held on 2 November 1986 (next
to be held November 1990, but the constitutional provision for elections
every four years is not always followed);
results--KWP is the only party;
seats--(655 total) KWP 655; the KWP approves a single list of candidates
who are elected without opposition
Communists: KWP claims membership of about 2 million, or about one-tenth
of population
Member of: ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, ICAO, IMO, IPU, ITU, NAM,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WTO, UNIDO, WMO; official
observer status at UN
Diplomatic representation: none
Flag: 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
Overview: More than 90% of this command economy is socialized;
agricultural land is collectivized; and state-owned industry produces 95% of
manufactured goods. State control of economic affairs is unusually tight
even for a Communist country because of the small size and homogeneity of
the society and the strict one-man rule of Kim. Economic growth during
the period 1984-89 has averaged approximately 3%. Abundant natural resources
and hydropower form the basis of industrial development. Output of the
extractive industries includes coal, iron ore, magnesite, graphite, copper,
zinc, lead, and precious metals. Manufacturing emphasis is centered on heavy
industry, with light industry lagging far behind. The use of high-yielding
seed varieties, expansion of irrigation, and the heavy use of fertilizers
have enabled North Korea to become largely self-sufficient in food production.
North Korea, however, is far behind South Korea in economic development and
living standards.
GNP: $28 billion, per capita $1,240; real growth rate 3% (1989)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Unemployment rate: officially none
Budget: revenues $15.6 billion; expenditures $15.6 billion, including
capital expenditures of $NA (1989)
Exports: $2.4 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--minerals,
metallurgical products, agricultural products, manufactures;
partners--USSR, China, Japan, FRG, Hong Kong, Singapore
Imports: $3.1 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--petroleum,
machinery and equipment, coking coal, grain;
partners--USSR, Japan, China, FRG, Hong Kong, Singapore
External debt: $2.5 billion hard currency (1989)
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 6,440,000 kW capacity; 40,250 million kWh produced,
1,740 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: machine building, military products, electric power,
chemicals, mining, metallurgy, textiles, food processing
Agriculture: accounts for about 25% of GNP and 36% of work force;
principal crops--rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; livestock and livestock
products--cattle, hogs, pork, eggs; not self-sufficient in grain; fish catch
estimated at 1.7 million metric tons in 1987
Aid: Communist countries (1970-88), $1.3 billion
Currency: North Korean won (plural--won);
1 North Korean won (Wn) = 100 chon
Exchange rates: North Korean won (Wn) per US$1--2.3 (December 1989),
2.13 (December 1988), 0.94 (March 1987), NA (1986), NA (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Railroads: 4,535 km total operating in 1980; 3,870 km 1.435-meter standard
gauge, 665 km 0.762-meter narrow gauge, 159 km double track; 3,175 km
electrified; government owned
Highways: about 20,280 km (1980); 98.5% gravel, crushed stone, or earth
surface; 1.5% concrete or bituminous
Inland waterways: 2,253 km; mostly navigable by small craft only
Pipelines: crude oil, 37 km
Ports: Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam, Namp'o, Wonsan, Songnim, Najin
Merchant marine: 65 ships (1,000 GRT and over) totaling 437,103
GRT/663,835 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 1 short-sea passenger, 1 passenger-cargo,
56 cargo, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 3 bulk, 1 combination
bulk
Airports: 50 total, 50 usable; about 30 with permanent-surface
runways; fewer than 5 with runways over 3,659 m; 20 with runways
2,440-3,659 m; 30 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: stations--18 AM, no FM, 11 TV; 200,000 TV sets;
3,500,000 radio receivers; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: Ministry of People's Armed Forces (consists of the army, navy,
and air force)
Military manpower: males 15-49, 6,054,774; 3,699,088 fit for military
service; 223,087 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: 22% of GNP (1987)
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Korea, South
- Geography
Total area: 98,480 km2; land area: 98,190 km2
Comparative area: slightly larger than Indiana
Land boundary: 238 km with North Korea
Coastline: 2,413 km
Maritime claims:
Territorial sea: 12 nm (3 nm in the Korea Strait)
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
Natural resources: coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead,
hydropower
Land use: 21% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 1% meadows and pastures;
67% forest and woodland; 10% other; includes 12% irrigated
Environment: occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; earthquakes
in southwest; air pollution in large cities
Notes: strategic location along the Korea Strait, Sea of Japan, and
Yellow Sea
- People
Population: 43,045,098 (July 1990), growth rate 0.8% (1990)
Birth rate: 20 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 1 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 23 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 73 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Korean(s); adjective--Korean
Ethnic divisions: homogeneous; small Chinese minority (about 20,000)
Religion: strong Confucian tradition; vigorous Christian minority (28%
of the total population); Buddhism; pervasive folk religion (Shamanism);
Chondokyo (religion of the heavenly way), eclectic religion with nationalist
overtones founded in 19th century, claims about 1.5 million adherents
Language: Korean; English widely taught in high school
Literacy: over 90%
Labor force: 16,900,000; 52% services and other; 27% mining and
manufacturing; 21% agriculture, fishing, forestry (1987)
Organized labor: about 10% of nonagricultural labor force in
government-sanctioned unions
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Korea; abbreviated ROK
Type: republic
Capital: Seoul
Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and
6 special cities* (jikhalsi, singular and plural); Cheju-do,
Cholla-bukto, Cholla-namdo, Ch'ungch'ong-bukto,
Ch'ungch'ong-namdo, Inch'on-jikhalsi*, Kangwon-do,
Kwangju-jikhalsi, Kyonggi-do, Kyongsang-bukto,
Kyongsang-namdo, Pusan-jikhalsi*, Soul-t'ukpyolsi*,
Taegu-jikhalsi*, Taejon-jikhalsi
Independence: 15 August 1948
Constitution: 25 February 1988
Legal system: combines elements of continental European civil law systems,
Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Independence Day, 15 August (1948)
Executive branch: president, prime minister, deputy prime minister,
State Council (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State--President ROH Tae Woo (since 25 February 1988);
Head of Government--Prime Minister KANG Young Hoon (since 5 December
1988); Deputy Prime Minister CHO Soon (since 5 December 1988)
Political parties and leaders: major party is government's Democratic
Justice Party (DJP), Roh Tae Woo, president, and Park Tae Chun, chairman;
opposition parties are Peace and Democracy Party (PPD), Kim Dae Jung; Korea
Reunification Democratic Party (RPD), Kim Young Sam; New Democratic Republican
Party (NDRP), Kim Jong Pil; several smaller parties
Suffrage: universal at age 20
Elections:
President--last held on 16 December 1987 (next to be held December 1992);
results--Roh Tae Woo (DJP) 35.9%, Kim Young Sam (RDP) 27.5%,
Kim Dae Jung (PPD) 26.5%, other 10.1%;
National Assembly--last held on 26 April 1988 (next to be held
April 1992);
results--DJP 34%, RPD 24%, PPD 19%, NDRP 15%, others 8%;
seats--(299 total) DJP 125, PPD 71, RPD 59, NDRP 35, others 9
Communists: Communist party activity banned by government
Other political or pressure groups: Korean National Council of Churches;
large, potentially volatile student population concentrated in Seoul; Federation
of Korean Trade Unions; Korean Veterans' Association; Federation of Korean
Industries; Korean Traders Association
Member of: ADB, AfDB, ASPAC, CCC, Colombo Plan, ESCAP, FAO, G-77,
GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, IMF,
IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ITU, IWC--International Whaling
Commission, IWC--International Wheat Council, UNCTAD, UNDP, UNESCO,
UNICEF, UNIDO, UN Special Fund, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO;
official observer status at UN
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Tong-Jin PARK; Chancery at
2320 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 939-5600;
there are Korean Consulates General in Agana (Guam), Anchorage, Atlanta,
Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle;
US--Ambassador Donald GREGG; Embassy at 82 Sejong-Ro,
Chongro-ku, Seoul (mailing address is APO San Francisco 96301); telephone [82]
(2) 732-2601 through 2618; there is a US Consulate in 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
Overview: The driving force behind the economy's dynamic growth
has been the planned development of an export-oriented economy in a
vigorously entrepreneurial society. GNP increased almost 13% in both
1986 and 1987 and 12% in 1988 before slowing to 6.5% in 1989. Such a
rapid rate of growth was achieved with an inflation rate of only 3% in the
period 1986-87, rising to 7% in 1988 and 5% in 1989. Unemployment is
also low, and some labor bottlenecks have appeared in several processing
industries. While the South Korean economy is expected to grow at more
than 5% annually during the 1990s, labor unrest--which led to
substantial wage hikes in 1987-89--threatens to undermine
noninflationary growth.
GNP: $200 billion, per capita $4,600; real growth rate 6.5% (1989)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 3% (1989)
Budget: revenues $33.6 billion; expenditures $33.6 billion, including
capital expenditures of NA (1990)
Exports: $62.3 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--textiles,
clothing, electronic and electrical equipment, footwear, machinery, steel,
automobiles, ships, fish; partners--US 33%, Japan 21%
Imports: $61.3 billion (c.i.f., 1989);
commodities--machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil,
steel, transport equipment, textiles, organic chemicals, grains;
partners--Japan 28%, US 25% (1990)
External debt: $30.5 billion (September 1989)
Industrial production: growth rate 3.5% (1989)
Electricity: 20,500,000 kW capacity; 80,000 million kWh produced,
1,850 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: textiles, clothing, footwear, food processing, chemicals,
steel, electronics, automobile production, ship building
Agriculture: accounts for 11% of GNP and employs 21% of work force
(including fishing and forestry); principal crops--rice, root crops, barley,
vegetables, fruit; livestock and livestock products--cattle, hogs, chickens,
milk, eggs; self-sufficient in food, except for wheat; fish catch of 2.9
million metric tons, seventh-largest in world
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-85), $3.9 billion
Currency: South Korean won (plural--won);
1 South Korean won (W) = 100 chon (theoretical)
Exchange rates: South Korean won (W) per US$1--683.43 (January 1990),
671.46 (1989), 731.47 (1988), 822.57 (1987), 881.45 (1986), 870.02 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Railroads: 3,106 km operating in 1983; 3,059 km 1.435-meter standard
gauge, 47 km 0.610-meter narrow gauge, 712 km double track, 418 km
electrified; government owned
Highways: 62,936 km total (1982); 13,476 km national highway, 49,460 km
provincial and local roads
Inland waterways: 1,609 km; use restricted to small native craft
Pipelines: 294 km refined products
Ports: Pusan, Inchon, Kunsan, Mokpo, Ulsan
Merchant marine: 423 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 7,006,481
GRT/11,658,104 DWT; includes 2 short-sea passenger, 130 cargo, 41 container,
11 refrigerated cargo, 11 vehicle carrier, 49 petroleum, oils, and lubricants
(POL) tanker, 8 chemical tanker, 10 liquefied gas, 10 combination ore/oil,
143 bulk, 7 combination bulk, 1 multifunction large-load carrier
Civil air: 93 major transport aircraft
Airports: 112 total, 105 usable; 61 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 3,659 m; with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 17 with
runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: adequate domestic and international services;
4,800,000 telephones; stations--79 AM, 46 FM, 256 TV (57 of 1 kW or greater);
satellite earth stations--2 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps
Military manpower: males 15-49, 12,792,426; 8,260,886 fit for military
service; 445,320 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: 5% of GNP, or $10 billion (1989 est.)
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Kuwait
- Geography
Total area: 17,820 km2; land area: 17,820 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries: 462 km total; Iraq 240 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km
Coastline: 499 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: not specific;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: ownership of Warbah and Bubiyan islands disputed
by Iraq; 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
Natural resources: petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas
Land use: NEGL% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 8% meadows and
pastures; NEGL% forest and woodland; 92% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: some of world's largest and most sophisticated desalination
facilities provide most of water; air and water pollution; desertification
Note: strategic location at head of Persian Gulf
- People
Population: 2,123,711 (July 1990), growth rate 3.8% (1990)
Birth rate: 29 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 2 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 11 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 15 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 76 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 3.7 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Kuwaiti(s); adjective--Kuwaiti
Ethnic divisions: 27.9% Kuwaiti, 39% other Arab, 9% South Asian, 4%
Iranian, 20.1% other
Religion: 85% Muslim (30% Shia, 45% Sunni, 10% other),
15% Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and other
Language: Arabic (official); English widely spoken
Literacy: 71% (est.)
Labor force: 566,000 (1986); 45.0% services, 20.0% construction, 12.0%
trade, 8.6% manufacturing, 2.6% finance and real estate, 1.9% agriculture, 1.7%
power and water, 1.4% mining and quarrying; 70% of labor force is non-Kuwaiti
Organized labor: labor unions exist in oil industry and among government
personnel
- Government
Long-form name: State of Kuwait
Type: nominal constitutional monarchy
Capital: Kuwait
Administrative divisions: 4 governorates (muhafazat,
singular--muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al Jahrah, Al Kuwayt,
Hawalli; note--there may be a new governorate of Farwaniyyah
Independence: 19 June 1961 (from UK)
Constitution: 16 November 1962 (some provisions suspended since 29
August 1962)
Legal system: civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal
matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: National Day, 25 February
Executive branch: amir, prime minister, deputy prime minister,
Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: National Assembly (Majlis al Umma) dissolved
3 July 1986
Judicial branch: High Court of Appeal
Leaders:
Chief of State--Amir Sheikh Jabir al-Ahmad al-Jabir Al SABAH
(since 31 December 1977);
Head of Government--Prime Minister and Crown Prince Sad Abdallah
al-Salim Al SABAH (since 8 February 1978)
Political parties and leaders: none
Suffrage: adult males who resided in Kuwait before 1920 and their male
descendants at age 21; note--out of all citizens, only 8.3% are
eligible to vote and only 3.5% actually vote
Elections:
National Assembly--dissolved 3 July 1986 and no elections are
planned
Communists: insignificant
Other political or pressure groups: large (350,000) Palestinian
community; several small, clandestine leftist and Shia fundamentalist groups
are active
Member of: Arab League, FAO, G-77, GATT, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA,
IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
IPU, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Shaikh Saud Nasir AL-SABAH;
Chancery at 2940 Tilden Street NW, Washington DC 20008;
telephone (202) 966-0702;
US--Ambassador W. Nathaniel HOWELL; Embassy at Bneid al-Gar (opposite the
Hilton Hotel), Kuwait City (mailing address is P. O. Box 77 Safat, 13001 Safat,
Kuwait City); telephone [965] 242-4151 through 4159
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a
black trapezoid based on the hoist side
- Economy
Overview: The oil sector dominates the economy. Of the countries in the
Middle East, Kuwait has oil reserves second only to those of Saudi Arabia.
Earnings from hydrocarbons generate over 90% of both export and government
revenues and contribute about 40% to GDP. Most of the nonoil sector is dependent
upon oil-derived government revenues to provide infrastructure development and
to promote limited industrial diversification. The economy is heavily dependent
upon foreign labor--Kuwaitis account for less than 20% of the labor force. The
early years of the Iran-Iraq war pushed Kuwait's GDP well below its 1980 peak;
however, during the period 1986-88, GDP increased each year, rising to 5% in
1988.
GDP: $20.5 billion, per capita $10,500; real growth rate 5.0% (1988)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.5% (1988)
Unemployment rate: 0%
Budget: revenues $7.1 billion; expenditures $10.5 billion, including
capital expenditures of $3.1 billion (FY88)
Exports: $7.1 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--oil 90%;
partners--Japan, Italy, FRG, US
Imports: $5.2 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--food,
construction material, vehicles and parts, clothing; partners--Japan,
US, FRG, UK
External debt: $7.2 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 3% (1988)
Electricity: 8,287,000 kW capacity; 21,500 million kWh produced,
10,710 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: petroleum, petrochemicals, desalination, food processing,
salt, construction
Agriculture: virtually none; dependent on imports for food; about 75% of
potable water must be distilled or imported
Aid: donor--pledged $18.3 billion in bilateral aid to less developed
countries (1979-89)
Currency: Kuwaiti dinar (plural--dinars);
1 Kuwaiti dinar (KD) = 1,000 fils
Exchange rates: Kuwaiti dinars (KD) per US$1--0.2915 (January 1990),
0.2937 (1989), 0.2790 (1988), 0.2786 (1987), 0.2919 (1986), 0.3007 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
- Communications
Highways: 3,000 km total; 2,500 km bituminous; 500 km earth, sand, light
gravel
Pipelines: crude oil, 877 km; refined products, 40 km; natural gas, 165 km
Ports: Ash Shuwaykh, Ash Shuaybah, Mina al Ahmadi
Merchant marine: 51 ships (1,000 GRT or over), totaling 1,862,010
GRT/2,935,007 DWT; includes 18 cargo, 5 container, 5 livestock carrier,
18 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 5 liquefied gas
Civil air: 19 major transport aircraft
Airports: 8 total, 4 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
none with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: excellent international, adequate domestic facilities;
258,000 telephones; stations--3 AM, 2 FM, 3 TV; satellite earth stations--1
Indian Ocean INTELSAT, and 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT; 1 INMARSAT, 1 ARABSAT;
coaxial cable and radio relay to Iraq and Saudi Arabia
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police Force, National Guard
Military manpower: males 15-49, about 688,516; about 411,742 fit for
military service; 18,836 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: 5.8% of GDP, or $1.2 billion (FY89)
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Laos
- Geography
Total area: 236,800 km2; land area: 230,800 km2
Comparative area: slightly larger than Utah
Land boundaries: 5,083 km total; Burma 235 km, Cambodia 541 km, China
423 km, Thailand 1,754 km, Vietnam 2,130 km
Coastline: none--landlocked
Maritime claims: none--landlocked
Disputes: boundary dispute with Thailand
Climate: tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season
(December to April)
Terrain: mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus
Natural resources: timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold,
gemstones
Land use: 4% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 3% meadows and
pastures; 58% forest and woodland; 35% other; includes 1% irrigated
Environment: deforestation; soil erosion; subject to floods
Note: landlocked
- People
Population: 4,023,726 (July 1990), growth rate 2.2% (1990)