total : 92
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m : 22
under 914 m: 63 (1996 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total : 108
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 12
914 to 1,523 m: 95 (1996 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary General Service
Unit of the Police
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49 : 6,903,241 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males: 4,266,063 (1997 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $134 million (FY94/95)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.9% (FY94/95)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: administrative boundary with Sudan does not
coincide with international boundary
Illicit drugs: widespread harvesting of small, wild plots of marijuana
and qat (chat); transit country for South Asian heroin destined for
Europe and, sometimes, North America; Indian methaqualone also
transits on way to South Africa
______________________________________________________________________
KINGMAN REEF
(territory of the US)
@Kingman Reef:Geography
Location: Oceania, reef in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-half of
the way from Hawaii to American Samoa
Geographic coordinates: 6 24 N, 162 24 W
Map references: Oceania
Area:
total: 1 sq km
land : 1 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about 1.7 times the size of The Mall in
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 3 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical, but moderated by prevailing winds
Terrain: low and nearly level
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point : unnamed location 1 m
Natural resources: none
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops : 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1996)
Natural hazards: wet or awash most of the time, maximum elevation of
about 1 meter makes Kingman Reef a maritime hazard
Environment - current issues: none
Environment - international agreements:
party to : NA
signed, but not ratified: NA
Geography - note: barren coral atoll with deep interior lagoon; closed
to the public
@Kingman Reef:People
Population: uninhabited
@Kingman Reef:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Kingman Reef
Data code: KQ
Dependency status: unincorporated territory of the US; administered by
the US Navy; however, it is awash the majority of the time, so it is
not usable and is uninhabited
National capital: none; administered from Washington, DC
Flag description: the flag of the US is used
Economy
Economy - overview: no economic activity
@Kingman Reef:Transportation
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
Airports: lagoon was used as a halfway station between Hawaii and
American Samoa by Pan American Airways for flying boats in 1937 and
1938
Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
______________________________________________________________________
KIRIBATI
@Kiribati:Geography
Location: Oceania, group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, straddling
the equator, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia; note
- on 1 January 1995, Kiribati unilaterally moved the International
Date Line from the middle of the country to include its easternmost
islands and make it the same day throughout the country
Geographic coordinates: 1 25 N, 173 00 E
Map references: Oceania
Area:
total: 717 sq km
land: 717 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands,
Phoenix Islands
Area - comparative: four times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 1,143 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds
Terrain: mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Banaba 81 m
Natural resources: phosphate (production discontinued in 1979)
Land use:
arable land: NA%
permanent crops : 51%
permanent pastures: NA%
forests and woodland: 3%
other: 46% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to
March; occasional tornadoes
Environment - current issues: heavy pollution in lagoon of south
Tarawa atoll due to heavy migration mixed with traditional practices
such as lagoon latrines and open-pit dumping; ground water at risk
Environment - international agreements:
party to : Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Marine
Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: 20 of the 33 islands are inhabited; Banaba (Ocean
Island) in Kiribati is one of the three great phosphate rock islands
in the Pacific Ocean - the others are Makatea in French Polynesia and
Nauru
@Kiribati:People
Population: 82,449 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years : NA
65 years and over: NA
Population growth rate: 1.85% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 26.79 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 7.71 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: NA male(s)/female
under 15 years : NA male(s)/female
15-64 years: NA male(s)/female
65 years and over: NA male(s)/female
total population: NA male(s)/female
Infant mortality rate: 51.15 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 62.35 years
male: 60.56 years
female : 64.37 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.17 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality:
noun : I-Kiribati (singular and plural)
adjective: I-Kiribati
Ethnic groups: Micronesian
Religions: Roman Catholic 53%, Protestant (Congregational) 41%,
Seventh-Day Adventist, Baha'i, Church of God, Mormon 6% (1985 est.)
Languages: English (official), Gilbertese
Literacy: NA
@Kiribati:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Kiribati
conventional short form: Kiribati
note : pronounced kiribas
former: Gilbert Islands
Data code: KR
Government type: republic
National capital: Tarawa
Administrative divisions: 3 units; Gilbert Islands, Line Islands,
Phoenix Islands
note: in addition, there are 6 districts (Banaba, Central Gilberts,
Line Islands, Northern Gilberts, Southern Gilberts, Tarawa) and 21
island councils - one for each of the inhabited islands (Abaiang,
Abemama, Aranuka, Arorae, Banaba, Beru, Butaritari, Kanton,
Kiritimati, Kuria, Maiana, Makin, Marakei, Nikunau, Nonouti, Onotoa,
Tabiteuea, Tabuaeran, Tamana, Tarawa, Teraina
Independence: 12 July 1979 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 12 July (1979)
Constitution: 12 July 1979
Legal system: NA
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President (Beretitenti) Teburoro TITO (since 1 October
1994); Vice President (Kauoman-ni-Beretitenti) Tewareka TENTOA (since
12 October 1994); note - the president is both the chief of state and
head of government
head of government: President (Beretitenti) Teburoro TITO (since 1
October 1994); Vice President (Kauoman-ni-Beretitenti) Tewareka TENTOA
(since 12 October 1994); note - the president is both the chief of
state and head of government
cabinet : Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of
the House of Assembly
elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term;
note - the House of Assembly chooses the presidential candidates from
among their members and then those candidates compete in a general
election; election last held 30 September 1994 (next to be held by NA
September 1998); vice president appointed by the president
election results: Teburoro TITO elected president; percent of vote -
Teburoro TITO 51.2%, Tewareka TENTOA 18.3%, Roniti TEIWAKI 16.0%,
Peter Taberannang TIMEON 14.5%
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Assembly or Maneaba Ni
Maungatabu (41 seats; 39 elected by popular vote, one ex officio
member, and one nominated to represent Banaba; members serve four-year
terms)
elections : last held 22 July 1994 (next to be held by NA July 1998)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
Maneaban Te Mauri 13, National Progressive Party 7, independents 19
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal, judges at all levels are appointed
by the president; High Court, judges at all levels are appointed by
the president
Political parties and leaders: National Progressive Party, Teatao
TEANNAKI; Christian Democratic Party, Teburoro TITO; New Movement
Party, leader NA; Liberal Party, Tewareka TENTOA; Maneaban Te Mauri
Party, Roniti TEIWAKI
note : there is no tradition of formally organized political parties
in Kiribati; they more closely resemble factions or interest groups
because they have no party headquarters, formal platforms, or party
structures
International organization participation: ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, IBRD,
ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFC, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol,
ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US: Kiribati does not have an embassy
in the US
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy
in Kiribati; the ambassador to the Marshall Islands is accredited to
Kiribati; Honolulu is a honorary consul
Flag description: the upper half is red with a yellow frigate bird
flying over a yellow rising sun, and the lower half is blue with three
horizontal wavy white stripes to represent the ocean
Economy
Economy - overview: A remote country of 33 scattered coral atolls,
Kiribati has few national resources. Commercially viable phosphate
deposits were exhausted at the time of independence in 1979. Copra and
fish now represent the bulk of production and exports. The economy has
fluctuated widely in recent years. Real GDP growth has declined from
about 10% in 1988 to about 2.6% in 1995. Economic development is
constrained by a shortage of skilled workers, weak infrastructure, and
remoteness from international markets. The financial sector is at an
early stage of development. Foreign financial aid, largely from the UK
and Japan, is a critical supplement to GDP, equal in amount to 25%-50%
of GDP in recent years. Remittances from overseas I-Kiribati account
for more than $5 million each year.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $62 million (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2.6% (1995 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $800 (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture : 11%
industry: 4%
services: 85% (1994)
Inflation rate - consumer price index: 5.1% (1994 est.)
Labor force:
total: 7,870 economically active, not including subsistence farmers
(1985 est.)
Unemployment rate: 2%; underemployment 70% (1992 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $32.5 million
expenditures: $54.3 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1995 est.)
Industries: fishing, handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate: 0.7% (1992 est.)
Electricity - capacity: 5,000 kW (1994)
Electricity - production: 10 million kWh (1994)
Electricity - consumption per capita: NA kWh
Agriculture - products: copra, taro, breadfruit, sweet potatoes,
vegetables; fish
Exports:
total value: $6.3 million (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
commodities: copra 50%, seaweed 16%, fish 15%
partners: Denmark, Fiji, US
Imports:
total value : $38.6 million (c.i.f., 1995 est.)
commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, miscellaneous
manufactured goods, fuel
partners: Australia 40%, Japan 13%, Fiji 10%, NZ 6%, US 4% (1994)
Debt - external: $2 million (December 1989 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $4.725 million from Australia (FY96/97 est.); $2.175
million from NZ (FY95/96)
Currency: 1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Australian dollars ($A) per US$1 - 1.2835 (January
1997), 1.2773 (1996), 1.3486 (1995), 1.3667 (1994), 1.4704 (1993),
1.3600 (1992)
Fiscal year: NA
@Kiribati:Communications
Telephones: 1,400 (1984 est.)
Telephone system:
domestic: NA
international : satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
note: Kiribati is being linked to the Pacific Ocean Cooperative
Telecommunications Network, which should improve telephone service
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios: 15,000 (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 0 (1988 est.)
Televisions: 0 (1988 est.)
@Kiribati:Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 655 km (1995 est.)
paved : NA km
unpaved: NA km
Waterways: small network of canals, totaling 5 km, in Line Islands
Ports and harbors: Banaba, Betio, English Harbor, Kanton
Merchant marine:
total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,248 GRT/4,496 DWT
ships by type : oil tanker 1, short-sea passenger 1 (1996 est.)
Airports: 20 (1996 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
under 914 m: 5 (1996 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 11 (1996 est.)
Military
Military branches: no regular military forces; Police Force (carries
out law enforcement functions and paramilitary duties; small police
posts are on all islands)
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49 : NA
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males: NA
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
______________________________________________________________________
KOREA, NORTH
@Korea, North:Geography
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
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 : 14%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 61%
other : 23% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 14,600 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: late spring droughts often followed by severe
flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall
Environment - current issues: localized air pollution attributable to
inadequate industrial controls; water pollution; inadequate supplies
of potable water
Environment - international agreements:
party to : Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the
Sea
Geography - note: strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and
Russia; mountainous interior is isolated, nearly inaccessible, and
sparsely populated
@Korea, North:People
Population: 24,317,004 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 30% (male 3,672,851; female 3,528,590)
15-64 years: 66% (male 7,996,814; female 8,068,347)
65 years and over : 4% (male 372,818; female 677,584) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.68% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 22.27 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 5.43 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years : 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.55 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 25 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.6 years
male : 67.5 years
female: 73.85 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.29 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Korean(s)
adjective: Korean
Ethnic groups: racially homogeneous
Religions: Buddhism and Confucianism, some Christianity and syncretic
Chondogyo
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 Korean
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (1990 est.)
@Korea, North:Government
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: none
note: the North Koreans generally use the term "Choson" to refer to
their country
abbreviation : DPRK
Data code: KN
Government type: Communist state; one-man dictatorship
National capital: P'yongyang
Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 3
special cities* (si, singular and plural); Chagang-do (Chagang
Province), Hamgyong-bukto (North Hamgyong Province), Hamgyong-namdo
(South Hamgyong Province), Hwanghae-bukto (North Hwanghae Province),
Hwanghae-namdo (South Hwanghae Province), Kaesong-si* (Kaesong City),
Kangwon-do (Kangwon Province), Namp'o-si* (Namp'o City),
P'yongan-bukto (North P'yongan Province), P'yongan-namdo (South
P'yongan Province), P'yongyang-si* (P'yongyang City), Yanggang-do
(Yanggang Province)
Independence: 9 September 1948
note: 15 August 1945, date of independence from the Japanese and
celebrated in North Korea as National Liberation Day
National holiday: DPRK Foundation Day, 9 September (1948)
Constitution: adopted 1948, completely revised 27 December 1972,
revised again in April 1992
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
Suffrage: 17 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: KIM Chong-il [de facto]; note - President KIM Il-song
was reelected without opposition 24 May 1990 and died 8 July 1994
leaving his son KIM Chong-il as designated successor; however the son
has not assumed the titles that his father held and no new elections
have been held or scheduled
head of government : Acting Premier HONG Song-nam (since NA February
1997)
cabinet: State Administration Council appointed by the Supreme
People's Assembly
elections: premier elected by the Supreme People's Assembly
election results: HONG Song-nam elected acting premier; percent of
Supreme People's Assembly vote - NA
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 7-9 April 1990 (next to be held NA); note - the
term of the Assembly expired in April 1995 without a new election and
it has not been convened since the death of KIM Il-song in July 1994
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - the
KWP approves a single list of candidates who are elected without
opposition; minor parties hold a few seats
Judicial branch: Central Court, judges are elected by the Supreme
People's Assembly
Political parties and leaders: major party - Korean Workers' Party
(KWP), KIM Chong-il, secretary, Central Committee; Korean Social
Democratic Party, KIM Pyong-sik, chairman; Chondoist Chongu Party, YU
Mi-yong, chairwoman
International organization participation: ESCAP, FAO, G-77, ICAO,
ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), IOC, ISO,
ITU, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US: none; note - North Korea has a
Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, headed by KIM Hyong-u
Diplomatic representation from the US: none
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
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 rule of KIM
Il-song in the past and now his son, KIM Chong-il. Economic growth
during the period 1984-88 averaged 2%-3%, but output declined by an
average of 4%-5% annually during 1989-96 because of systemic problems
and disruptions in socialist-style economic relations and
technological links with the former USSR and China. The leadership has
insisted on maintaining its high level of military outlays from a
shrinking economic pie. Moreover, a serious drawdown in inventories
and critical shortages in the energy sector have led to increasing
interruptions in industrial production. Abundant mineral resources and
hydropower have formed the basis of industrial development since World
War II. Manufacturing is centered on heavy industry, including
military industry, with light industry lagging far behind. Despite the
use of improved seed varieties, expansion of irrigation, and the heavy
use of fertilizers, North Korea has not yet become self-sufficient in
food production. Indeed, a shortage of arable lands, several years of
poor harvests, systemic inefficiencies, a cumbersome distribution
system, and extensive floods in 1995-96 have resulted in recurring
food shortages. Substantial grain shipments from Japan and South Korea
are offsetting a portion of the losses. North Korea remains far behind
South Korea in economic development and living standards.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $20.9 billion (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: -5% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $900 (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 25%
industry: 60%
services: 15% (1995 est.)
Inflation rate - consumer price index: NA%
Labor force:
total: 9.615 million
by occupation: agricultural 36%, nonagricultural 64%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $19.3 billion
expenditures : $19.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1992 est.)
Industries: military products; machine building, electric power,
chemicals; mining (coal, iron ore, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc,
lead, and precious metals), metallurgy; textiles, food processing
Industrial production growth rate: -7% to -9% (1992 est.)
Electricity - capacity: 9.5 million kW (1994)
Electricity - production: 35.96 billion kWh (1994)
Electricity - consumption per capita: 1,394 kWh (1995 est.)
Agriculture - products: rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses;
cattle, pigs, pork, eggs
Exports:
total value: $805 million (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
commodities: minerals, metallurgical products, agricultural and
fishery products, manufactures (including armaments)
partners : China, Japan, South Korea, Germany, Hong Kong, Russia
Imports:
total value: $1.24 billion (c.i.f., 1995 est.)
commodities : petroleum, grain, coking coal, machinery and equipment,
consumer goods
partners: China, Japan, Hong Kong, Germany, Russia, Singapore
Debt - external: $8 billion (1992 est.)