Chapter XXXII: Front Matter (32)

Merchant marine:
total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,064 GRT/646 DWT
by type: roll on/roll off 1
foreign-owned: 26 Netherlands 1 (2004 est.)

Airports:
392 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 64
over 3,047 m: 9
2,438 to 3,047 m: 26
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 10 (2003 est.)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 328
under 914 m: 217 (2003 est.)
over 3,047 m: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 71
1,524 to 2,437 m: 22

Heliports:
1 (2003 est.)

Military Kazakhstan

Military branches:
Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Naval Force, Republican
Guard

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service
obligation - 2 years; minimum age for volunteers NA (2004 est.)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 4,233,623 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 3,381,606 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 169,004 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$221.8 million (Ministry of Defense expenditures) (FY02)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.9% (Ministry of Defense expenditures) (FY02)

Transnational Issues Kazakhstan

Disputes - international:
Kazakhstan and China have resolved their border dispute and are
working to demarcate their borders to control population migration,
illegal activities, and trade; delimitation of boundary with Russia
is almost complete - delimitations with Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan
are complete with demarcations underway - delimitation with
Kyrgyzstan is largely complete; creation of a seabed boundary with
Turkmenistan in the Caspian Sea is under discussion; equidistant
seabed treaties have been signed with Azerbaijan and Russia in the
Caspian Sea, but no resolution has been made on dividing the water
column among any of the littoral states

Illicit drugs:
significant illicit cultivation of cannabis for CIS markets, as
well as limited cultivation of opium poppy and ephedra (for the drug
ephedrine); limited government eradication of illicit crops; transit
point for Southwest Asian narcotics bound for Russia and the rest of
Europe

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

======================================================================

@Kenya

Introduction Kenya

Background:
Founding president and liberation struggle icon Jomo KENYATTA led
Kenya from independence until his death in 1978, when President
Daniel Toroitich arap MOI took power in a constitutional succession.
The country was a de facto one-party state from 1969 until 1982 when
the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU) made itself the sole
legal party in Kenya. MOI acceded to internal and external pressure
for political liberalization in late 1991. The ethnically fractured
opposition failed to dislodge KANU from power in elections in 1992
and 1997, which were marred by violence and fraud, but are viewed as
having generally reflected the will of the Kenyan people. President
MOI stepped down in December of 2002 following fair and peaceful
elections. Mwai KIBAKI, running as the candidate of the multiethnic,
united opposition group, the National Rainbow Coalition, defeated
KANU candidate Uhuru KENYATTA and assumed the presidency following a
campaign centered on an anticorruption platform.

Geography Kenya

Location:
Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Somalia and
Tanzania

Geographic coordinates:
1 00 N, 38 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 582,650 sq km
water: 13,400 sq km
land: 569,250 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly more than twice the size of Nevada

Land boundaries:
total: 3,477 km
border countries: Ethiopia 861 km, Somalia 682 km, Sudan 232 km,
Tanzania 769 km, Uganda 933 km

Coastline:
536 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:
varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior

Terrain:
low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift Valley;
fertile plateau in west

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Kenya 5,199 m

Natural resources:
gold, limestone, soda ash, salt, rubies, fluorspar, garnets,
wildlife, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 8.08%
permanent crops: 0.98%
other: 90.94% (2001)

Irrigated land:
670 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
recurring drought; flooding during rainy seasons

Environment - current issues:
water pollution from urban and industrial wastes; degradation of
water quality from increased use of pesticides and fertilizers;
water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; deforestation; soil
erosion; desertification; poaching

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine
Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands,
Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
the Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most successful
agricultural production regions in Africa; glaciers are found on
Mount Kenya, Africa's second highest peak; unique physiography
supports abundant and varied wildlife of scientific and economic
value

People Kenya

Population:
32,021,856
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 40.6% (male 6,575,409; female 6,430,218)
15-64 years: 56.5% (male 9,126,847; female 8,962,905)
65 years and over: 2.9% (male 399,050; female 527,427) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 18.6 years
female: 18.7 years (2004 est.)
male: 18.5 years

Population growth rate:
1.14% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
27.82 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
16.31 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
-0.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: according to UNHCR, by the end of 2001 Kenya was host to
220,000 refugees from neighboring countries, including: Somalia
145,000 and Sudan 68,000 (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 62.62 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 59.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 65.55 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 44.94 years
male: 44.79 years
female: 45.1 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
3.31 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
6.7% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
1.2 million (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
150,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:
typhoid fever, malaria, schistosomiasis
overall degree of risk: very high (2004)

Nationality:
noun: Kenyan(s)
adjective: Kenyan

Ethnic groups:
Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%,
Meru 6%, other African 15%, non-African (Asian, European, and Arab)
1%

Religions:
Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, indigenous beliefs 10%, Muslim
10%, other 2%
note: a large majority of Kenyans are Christian, but estimates for
the percentage of the population that adheres to Islam or indigenous
beliefs vary widely

Languages:
English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous
languages

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 85.1%
male: 90.6%
female: 79.7% (2003 est.)

Government Kenya

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Kenya
conventional short form: Kenya
former: British East Africa

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Nairobi

Administrative divisions:
7 provinces and 1 area*; Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi Area*,
North Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western

Independence:
12 December 1963 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 12 December (1963)

Constitution:
12 December 1963, amended as a republic 1964; reissued with
amendments 1979, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1997, and 2001

Legal system:
based on Kenyan statutory law, Kenyan and English common law,
tribal law, and Islamic law; judicial review in High Court; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; constitutional
amendment of 1982 making Kenya a de jure one-party state repealed in
1991

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Mwai KIBAKI (since 30 December 2002) and
Vice President Moody AWORI (since 25 September 2003); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Mwai KIBAKI (since 30 December 2002)
and Vice President Moody AWORI (since 25 September 2003); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
in addition to receiving the largest number of votes in absolute
terms, the presidential candidate must also win 25% or more of the
vote in at least five of Kenya's seven provinces and one area to
avoid a runoff; election last held 27 December 2002 (next to be held
NA December 2007); vice president appointed by the president
election results: President Mwai KIBAKI elected; percent of vote -
Mwai KIBAKI 63%, Uhuru KENYATTA 30%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (224 seats; 210 members
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms, 12 so-called
"nominated" members who are appointed by the president but selected
by the parties in proportion to their parliamentary vote totals, 2
ex-officio members)
elections: last held 27 December 2002 (next to be held by early 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
NARC 125, KANU 64, FORD-P 14, other 7; ex-officio 2; seats appointed
by the president - NARC 7, KANU 4, FORD-P 1

Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal (chief justice is appointed by the president); High
Court

Political parties and leaders:
Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-People or FORD-People
[Kimaniwa NYOIKE, chairman]; Kenya African National Union or KANU
[Uhuru KENYATTA]; National Rainbow Coalition or NARC [Mwai KIBAKI] -
the governing party

Political pressure groups and leaders:
human rights groups; labor unions; Muslim organizations; National
Convention Executive Council or NCEC, a proreform coalition of
political parties and nongovernment organizations [Kivutha KIBWANA];
Protestant National Council of Churches of Kenya or NCCK [Mutava
MUSYIMI]; Roman Catholic and other Christian churches; Supreme
Council of Kenya Muslims or SUPKEM [Shaykh Abdul Gafur al-BUSAIDY]

International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, EADB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt
(signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, ONUB,
OPCW, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK,
UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Leonard NGAITHE
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles
FAX: [1] (202) 462-3829
telephone: [1] (202) 387-6101
chancery: 2249 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador William M. BELLAMY
embassy: US Embassy, United Nations Ave., Gigiti; P. O. Box 606
Village Market Nairobi
mailing address: Box 21A, Unit 64100, APO AE 09831
telephone: [254] (2) 537-800
FAX: [254] (2) 537-810

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green; the
red band is edged in white; a large warrior's shield covering
crossed spears is superimposed at the center

Economy Kenya

Economy - overview:
The regional hub for trade and finance in East Africa, Kenya has
been hampered by corruption, notably in the judicial system, and by
reliance upon several primary goods whose prices have remained low.
In 1997, the IMF suspended Kenya's Enhanced Structural Adjustment
Program due to the government's failure to maintain reforms and curb
corruption. A severe drought from 1999 to 2000 compounded Kenya's
problems, causing water and energy rationing and reducing
agricultural output. As a result, GDP contracted by 0.2% in 2000.
The IMF, which had resumed loans in 2000 to help Kenya through the
drought, again halted lending in 2001 when the government failed to
institute several anticorruption measures. Despite the return of
strong rains in 2001, weak commodity prices, endemic corruption, and
low investment limited Kenya's economic growth to 1.2%. Growth
lagged at 1.1% in 2002 because of erratic rains, low investor
confidence, meager donor support, and political infighting up to the
elections. In the key 27 December 2002 elections, Daniel Arap MOI's
24-year-old reign ended, and a new opposition government took on the
formidable economic problems facing the nation. In 2003, progress
was made in rooting out corruption, and encouraging donor support,
with GDP growth edging up to 1.7%.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $33.03 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1.5% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,000 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 19.7%
industry: 18.6%
services: 61.8% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
14.3% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
50% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 37.2% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
44.9 (1997)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
9.8% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
11.45 million (2003 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 75% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate:
40% (2001 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $2.761 billion
expenditures: $3.406 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003 est.)

Public debt:
62.9% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
tea, coffee, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables; dairy
products, beef, pork, poultry, eggs

Industries:
small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries,
textiles, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural products
processing; oil refining, cement; tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
2% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
4.033 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
3.981 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
230 million kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
57,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Current account balance:
$-306 million (2003)

Exports:
$2.514 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
tea, horticultural products, coffee, petroleum products, fish,
cement

Exports - partners:
Uganda 12.7%, UK 12.5%, US 9.4%, Netherlands 8.5%, Pakistan 5%,
Egypt 4.6%, Tanzania 4.3% (2003)

Imports:
$3.705 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products, motor
vehicles, iron and steel, resins and plastics

Imports - partners:
UAE 13.2%, Saudi Arabia 9.6%, South Africa 8.6%, UK 7.4%, China
6.3%, US 5.1%, India 5.1%, Japan 4.9%, Germany 4.2% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$1.455 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$5.916 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$453 million (1997)

Currency:
Kenyan shilling (KES)

Currency code:
KES

Exchange rates:
Kenyan shillings per US dollar - 75.9356 (2003), 78.7491 (2002),
78.5632 (2001), 76.1755 (2000), 70.3262 (1999)

Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June

Communications Kenya

Telephones - main lines in use:
328,400 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1,590,800 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: unreliable; little attempt to modernize except
for service to business
domestic: trunks are primarily microwave radio relay; business data
commonly transferred by a very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system
international: country code - 254; satellite earth stations - 4
Intelsat

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 24, FM 18, shortwave 6 (2001)

Radios:
3.07 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
8 (2002)

Televisions:
730,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.ke

Internet hosts:
8,325 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
65 (2001)

Internet users:
400,000 (2002)

Transportation Kenya

Railways:
total: 2,778 km
narrow gauge: 2,778 km 1.000-m gauge (2003)

Highways:
total: 63,942 km
paved: 7,737 km
unpaved: 56,205 km (2000)

Waterways:
part of Lake Victoria system is within boundaries of Kenya (2004)

Pipelines:
refined products 752 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Kisumu, Lamu, Mombasa

Merchant marine:
total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,049 GRT/7,082 DWT
registered in other countries: 9 (2004 est.)
by type: petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 2

Airports:
221 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 15
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 206
1,524 to 2,437 m: 12
914 to 1,523 m: 110
under 914 m: 84 (2004 est.)

Military Kenya

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.) (2004)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 8,313,051 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 5,150,405 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$231 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.8% (2003)

Transnational Issues Kenya

Disputes - international:
Kenya's administrative boundary still extends into the Sudan,
creating the "Ilemi Triangle"; Kenya has acted as an important
mediator in Sudan's north-south civil war; Kenya and Uganda are
working together to stem cattle rustling and violence by Lord's
Resistance Army along the border

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 154,272 (Somalia), 11,139 (Ethiopia),
63,197 (Sudan)
IDPs: 350,000 (KANU attacks on opposition tribal groups in 1990s)
(2004)

Illicit drugs:
widespread harvesting of small plots of marijuana; transit country
for South Asian heroin destined for Europe and North America; Indian
methaqualone also transits on way to South Africa; significant
potential for money-laundering activity given the country's status
as a regional financial center, massive corruption, and relatively
high levels of narcotics-associated activities

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

======================================================================

@Kingman Reef

Introduction Kingman Reef

Background:
The US annexed the reef in 1922. Its sheltered lagoon served as a
way station for flying boats on Hawaii-to-American Samoa flights
during the late 1930s. There are no terrestrial plants on the reef,
which is frequently awash, but it does support abundant and diverse
marine fauna and flora. In 2001, the waters surrounding the reef out
to 12 nm around the reef were designated a US National Wildlife
Refuge.

Geography Kingman Reef

Location:
Oceania, reef in the North Pacific Ocean, about half way between
Hawaii and American Samoa

Geographic coordinates:
6 24 N, 162 24 W

Map references:
Oceania

Area:
total: 1 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 1 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:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical; 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:
terrestrial and aquatic wildlife

Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2001)

Irrigated land:
0 sq km (1998 est.)

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

Geography - note:
barren coral atoll with deep interior lagoon; closed to the public

People Kingman Reef

Population:
uninhabited (July 2004 est.)

Government Kingman Reef

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Kingman Reef

Dependency status:
unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington,
DC, by the US Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of the
Interior
note: on 1 September 2000, the Department of the Interior accepted
restoration of its administrative jurisdiction over Kingman Reef
from the Department of the Navy; Executive Order 3223 signed 18
January 2001 established Kingman Reef National Wildlife Refuge to be
administered by the Director, US Fish and Wildlife Service; this
refuge is managed to protect the terrestrial and aquatic wildlife of
Kingman Reef out to the 12-nautical-mile territorial sea limit

Legal system:
the laws of the US, where applicable, apply

Flag description:
the flag of the US is used

Economy Kingman Reef

Economy - overview:
no economic activity

Transportation Kingman Reef

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
(2003 est.)

Military Kingman Reef

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the US

Transnational Issues Kingman Reef

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

======================================================================

@Kiribati

Introduction Kiribati

Background:
The Gilbert Islands were granted self-rule by the UK in 1971 and
complete independence in 1979 under the new name of Kiribati. The US
relinquished all claims to the sparsely inhabited Phoenix and Line
Island groups in a 1979 treaty of friendship with Kiribati.

Geography Kiribati

Location:
Oceania, group of 33 coral atolls in the Pacific Ocean, straddling
the equator; the capital Tarawa is about one-half of the way from
Hawaii to Australia; note - on 1 January 1995, Kiribati proclaimed
that all of its territory lies in the same time zone as its Gilbert
Islands group (GMT +12) even though the Phoenix Islands and the Line
Islands under its jurisdiction lie on the other side of the
International Date Line

Geographic coordinates:
1 25 N, 173 00 E

Map references:
Oceania

Area:
total: 811 sq km
note: includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands,
Phoenix Islands
water: 0 sq km
land: 811 sq km

Area - comparative:
four times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
1,143 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 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: 2.74%
permanent crops: 50.68%
other: 46.58% (2001)

Irrigated land:
NA sq km

Natural hazards:
typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March;
occasional tornadoes; low level of some of the islands make them
very sensitive to changes in sea level

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, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
21 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

People Kiribati

Population:
100,798 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 39.3% (male 20,087; female 19,566)
15-64 years: 57.3% (male 28,523; female 29,280)
65 years and over: 3.3% (male 1,434; female 1,908) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 19.8 years
male: 19.4 years
female: 20.3 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.25% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
30.99 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
8.49 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 49.9 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 44.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 55.04 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 61.32 years
male: 58.34 years
female: 64.44 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
4.24 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: I-Kiribati (singular and plural)
adjective: I-Kiribati

Ethnic groups:
predominantly Micronesian with some Polynesian

Religions:
Roman Catholic 52%, Protestant (Congregational) 40%, some
Seventh-Day Adventist, Muslim, Baha'i, Latter-day Saints, and Church
of God (1999)

Languages:
I-Kiribati, English (official)

Literacy:
definition: NA
total population: NA
male: NA
female: NA

Government Kiribati

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Kiribati
conventional short form: Kiribati
former: Gilbert Islands
note: pronounced keer-ree-bahss

Government type:
republic

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 Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); Vice
President Teima ONORIO; note - the president is both the chief of
state and head of government
elections: the House of Parliament chooses the presidential
candidates from among their members and then those candidates
compete in a general election; president is elected by popular vote
for a four-year term; election last held 4 July 2003 (next to be
held not later than July 2007); vice president appointed by the
president
election results: Anote TONG 47.4%, Harry TONG 43.5%, Banuera BERINA
9.1%
cabinet: 12-member Cabinet appointed by the president from among the
members of the House of Parliament
head of government: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); Vice
President Teima ONORIO; note - the president is both the chief of
state and head of government

Legislative branch:
unicameral House of Parliament or Maneaba Ni Maungatabu (42 seats;
39 elected by popular vote, one ex officio member - the attorney
general, one appointed to represent Banaba, and one other; members
serve four-year terms)
elections: first round elections last held 29 November 2002; second
round elections held 6 December 2002 (next to be held by November
2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
BTK 17, MTM 16, independents 7, other 2 (includes attorney general)
note: new legislative elections were held in two rounds - the first
round on 9 May 2003 and the second round on 14 May 2003

Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal; High Court; 26 Magistrates' courts; judges at all
levels are appointed by the president

Political parties and leaders:
Boutokaan Te Koaua Party or BTK [Taberannang TIMEON]; Maneaban Te
Mauri Party or MTM [Teburoro TITO]; Maurin Kiribati Pati or MKP
[leader NA]; National Progressive Party or NPP [Dr. Harry TONG]
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

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
Kiribati does not have an embassy in the US; there is an honorary
consulate in Honolulu

Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Kiribati; the ambassador to Fiji
is accredited to Kiribati

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 Kiribati

Economy - overview:
A remote country of 33 scattered coral atolls, Kiribati has few
natural resources. Commercially viable phosphate deposits were
exhausted at the time of independence from the UK in 1979. Copra and
fish now represent the bulk of production and exports. The economy
has fluctuated widely in recent years. Economic development is
constrained by a shortage of skilled workers, weak infrastructure,
and remoteness from international markets. Tourism provides more
than one-fifth of GDP. The financial sector is at an early stage of
development as is the expansion of private sector initiatives.
Foreign financial aid from UK, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and
China equals 25%-50% of GDP. Remittances from workers abroad account
for more than $5 million each year.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $79 million - supplemented by a nearly
equal amount from external sources (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1.5% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $800 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 30%
industry: 7%
services: 63% (1998 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.5% (2001 est.)

Labor force:
7,870 economically active, not including subsistence farmers (2001
est.)

Unemployment rate:
2%; underemployment 70% (1992 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $28.4 million
expenditures: $37.2 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(2000 est.)

Agriculture - products:
copra, taro, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, vegetables; fish

Industries:
fishing, handicrafts

Industrial production growth rate:
0.7% (1991 est.)

Electricity - production:
7 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
6.51 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
190 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Exports:
$35 million f.o.b. (2002)

Exports - commodities:
copra 62%, coconuts, seaweed, fish

Exports - partners:
Japan 75%, Australia 8.3%, US 8.3%, Philippines 4.2%, Thailand 4.2%
(2003)

Imports:
$83 million c.i.f. (2002)

Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, miscellaneous manufactured
goods, fuel

Imports - partners:
Australia 41.7%, Fiji 26.7%, New Zealand 8.9%, Japan 5.9%, US 4%
(2003)

Debt - external:
$10 million (1999 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$15.5 million largely from UK and Japan (2001 est.)

Currency:
Australian dollar (AUD)

Currency code:
AUD

Exchange rates:
Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002),
1.9334 (2001), 1.7248 (2000), 1.55 (1999)

Fiscal year:
NA

Communications Kiribati

Telephones - main lines in use:
4,500 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
500 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
note: country code - 686; Kiribati is being linked to the Pacific
Ocean Cooperative Telecommunications Network, which should improve
telephone service

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1
note: the shortwave station may be inactive (2002)

Radios:
17,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (not reported to be active) (2002)

Televisions:
1,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.ki

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
2,000 (2002)

Transportation Kiribati

Highways:
total: 670 km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
5 km (small network of canals in Line Islands) (2003)

Ports and harbors:
Banaba, Betio, English Harbour, Kanton

Merchant marine:
total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,291 GRT/1,295 DWT
by type: passenger 1 (2004 est.)

Airports:
20 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 17
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 12
under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.)

Military Kiribati

Military branches:
no regular military forces; Police Force (carries out law
enforcement functions and paramilitary duties; small police posts
are on all islands)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA

Military - note:
Kiribati does not have military forces; defense assistance is
provided by Australia and NZ

Transnational Issues Kiribati

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

======================================================================

@Korea, North

Introduction Korea, North

Background:
An independent kingdom under Chinese suzerainty for most of the
past millennium, Korea was occupied by Japan in 1905 following the
Russo-Japanese War; five years later, Japan formally annexed the
entire peninsula. Following World War II, Korea was split, with the
northern half coming under Soviet-sponsored Communist domination.
After failing in the Korean War (1950-53) to conquer the US-backed
republic in the southern portion by force, North Korea under its
founder President KIM Il Sung adopted a policy of ostensible
diplomatic and economic "self-reliance" as a check against excessive
Soviet or Communist Chinese influence 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 KIM's future successor in 1980 and assumed a growing
political and managerial role until his father's death in 1994, when
he assumed full power without opposition. After decades of economic
mismanagement and resource misallocation, the North since the
mid-1990s has relied heavily on international food aid to feed its
population while continuing to expend resources to maintain an army
of about 1 million. North Korea's long-range missile development and
research into nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and massive
conventional armed forces are of major concern to the international
community. In December 2002, following revelations it was pursuing a
nuclear weapons program based on enriched uranium in violation of a
1994 agreement with the United States to freeze and ultimately
dismantle its existing plutonium-based program, North Korea expelled
monitors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and in
January 2003 declared its withdrawal from the international
Non-Proliferation Treaty. In mid-2003 Pyongyang announced it had
completed the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel rods (to extract
weapons-grade plutonium) and was developing a "nuclear deterrent."
Since August 2003 North Korea has participated in six-party talks
with the United States, China, South Korea, Japan, and Russia to
resolve the stalemate over its nuclear programs.

Geography Korea, North

Location:
Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the
Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea

Geographic coordinates:
40 00 N, 127 00 E

Map references:
Asia

Area:
total: 120,540 sq km
water: 130 sq km
land: 120,410 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: 20.76%
permanent crops: 2.49%
other: 76.75% (2001)

Irrigated land:
14,600 sq km (1998 est.)

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; water-borne
disease; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note:
strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia;
mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated

People Korea, North

Population:
22,697,553 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 24.6% (male 2,836,991; female 2,755,127)
15-64 years: 67.8% (male 7,575,590; female 7,812,878)
65 years and over: 7.6% (male 583,463; female 1,133,504) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 31.4 years
male: 30.2 years
female: 32.6 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.98% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
16.77 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
6.99 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.52 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 24.84 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 23 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 26.59 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.08 years
male: 68.38 years
female: 73.92 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
2.2 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Korean(s)
adjective: Korean

Ethnic groups:
racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few
ethnic Japanese

Religions:
traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, some Christian and
syncretic Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way)
note: autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent;
government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of
religious freedom

Languages:
Korean

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99%

Government Korea, North

Country name:
conventional long form: Democratic People's Republic of Korea
conventional short form: North Korea
local short form: none
local long form: Choson-minjujuui-inmin-konghwaguk
note: the North Koreans generally use the term "Choson" to refer to
their country
abbreviation: DPRK

Government type:
Communist state one-man dictatorship

Capital:
Pyongyang

Administrative divisions:
9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 4 municipalities (si,
singular and plural)
: provinces: Chagang-do (Chagang), Hamgyong-bukto (North Hamgyong),
Hamgyong-namdo (South Hamgyong), Hwanghae-bukto (North Hwanghae),
Hwanghae-namdo (South Hwanghae), Kangwon-do (Kangwon),
P'yongan-bukto (North P'yongan), P'yongan-namdo (South P'yongan),
Yanggang-do (Yanggang)
: municipalites: Kaesong-si (Kaesong), Najin Sonbong-si (Najin),
Namp'o-si (Namp'o), P'yongyang-si (Pyongyang)

Independence:
15 August 1945 (from Japan)

National holiday:
Founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), 9
September (1948)

Constitution:
adopted 1948, completely revised 27 December 1972, revised again in
April 1992 and September 1998

Legal system:
based on 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 Jong Il (since July 1994); note - on 3
September 2003, rubberstamp Supreme People's Assembly (SPA)
reelected KIM Jong Il Chairman of the National Defense Commission, a
position accorded nation's "highest administrative authority"; SPA
reelected KIM Yong Nam President of its Presidium also with
responsibility of representing state and receiving diplomatic
credentials; SPA appointed PAK Pong Ju Premier
election results: KIM Jong Il and KIM Yong Nam were only nominees
for positions and ran unopposed
head of government: Premier PAK Pong Ju (since 3 September 2003);
Vice Premiers KWAK Pom Gi (since 5 September 1998), JON Sung Hun
(since 3 September 2003), RO Tu Chol (since 3 September 2003)
cabinet: Cabinet (Naegak), members, except for the Minister of
People's Armed Forces, are appointed by the SPA
elections: election last held in September 2003 (next to be held in
September 2008)

Legislative branch:
unicameral Supreme People's Assembly or Ch'oego Inmin Hoeui (687
seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
NA; the KWP approves a list of candidates who are elected without
opposition; some seats are held by minor parties
elections: last held 3 August 2003 (next to be held in August 2008)

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, general
secretary]; minor parties - Chondoist Chongu Party [RYU Mi Yong,
chairwoman] (under KWP control); Social Democratic Party [KIM Yong
Dae, chairman] (under KWP control)

Political pressure groups and leaders:
none

International organization participation:
ARF, FAO, G-77, ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, IOC, ISO, ITU,
NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none; North Korea has a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (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 planned and isolated
economies, faces desperate economic conditions. Industrial capital
stock is nearly beyond repair as a result of years of
underinvestment and spare parts shortages. Industrial and power
output have declined in parallel. The nation has suffered its tenth
year of food shortages because of a lack of arable land, collective
farming, weather-related problems, and chronic shortages of
fertilizer and fuel. Massive international food aid deliveries have
allowed the regime to escape mass starvation since 1995-96, but the
population remains the victim of prolonged malnutrition and
deteriorating living conditions. Large-scale military spending eats
up resources needed for investment and civilian consumption. In
2003, heightened political tensions with key donor countries and
general donor fatigue threatened the flow of desperately needed food
aid and fuel aid as well. Black market prices continued to rise
following the increase in official prices and wages in the summer of
2002, leaving some vulnerable groups, such as the elderly and
unemployed, less able to buy goods. The regime, however, relaxed
restrictions on farmers' market activities in spring 2003, leading
to an expansion of market activity.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $29.58 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,300 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 30.2%
industry: 33.8%
services: 36% (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
NA (2003 est.)

Labor force:
9.6 million

Labor force - by occupation:
agricultural 36%, nonagricultural 64%

Unemployment rate:
NA (2003)

Budget:
revenues: NA
expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA

Agriculture - products:
rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; cattle, pigs, pork, eggs

Industries:
military products; machine building, electric power, chemicals;
mining (coal, iron ore, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, and
precious metals), metallurgy; textiles, food processing; tourism

Industrial production growth rate:
NA

Electricity - production:
30.01 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
27.91 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
85,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Exports:
$1.044 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
minerals, metallurgical products, manufactures (including
armaments); textiles and fishery products

Exports - partners:
South Korea 28.5%, China 28.4%, Japan 24.7% (2002)

Imports:
$2.042 billion c.i.f. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:
petroleum, coking coal, machinery and equipment; textiles, grain

Imports - partners:
China 39.7%, Thailand 14.6%, Japan 11.2%, Germany 7.6%, South Korea
6.2% (2002)

Debt - external:
$12 billion (1996 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$NA; note - over $133 million in food aid through the World Food
Program in 2003 plus additional aid from bilateral donors and
non-governmental organizations

Currency:
North Korean won (KPW)

Currency code:
KPW

Exchange rates:
official: North Korean won per US dollar - 150 (December 2002),
2.15 (December 2001), 2.15 (May 1994), 2.13 (May 1992), 2.14
(September 1991), 2.1 (January 1990); market: North Korean won per
US dollar - 300-600 (December 2002), 200 (December 2001)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Korea, North

Telephones - main lines in use:
1.1 million (2001)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
NA

Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 850; satellite earth stations - 1
Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Russian (Indian Ocean region); other
international connections through Moscow and Beijing

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 16, FM 14, shortwave 12 (1999)

Radios:
3.36 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
38 (1999)

Televisions:
1.2 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.kp

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
NA

Transportation Korea, North

Railways:
total: 5,214 km
standard gauge: 5,214 km 1.435-m gauge (3,500 km electrified) (2003)

Highways:
total: 31,200 km
paved: 1,997 km
unpaved: 29,203 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
2,250 km
note: most navigable only by small craft (2004)

Pipelines:
oil 154 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam (Hamhung), Kimch'aek, Kosong, Najin,
Namp'o, Sinuiju, Songnim, Sonbong (formerly Unggi), Ungsang, Wonsan

Merchant marine:
total: 203 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 921,577 GRT/1,339,929 DWT
by type: bulk 6, cargo 166, combination bulk 2, container 3,
liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 3, multi-functional large load
carrier 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 11, refrigerated
cargo 6, roll on/roll off 2, short-sea/passenger 1
registered in other countries: 4 (2004 est.)
foreign-owned: Albania 1, Belize 1, Bolivia 1, Cambodia 3, Cyprus 1,
Egypt 3, Germany 1, Greece 4, Italy 1, Lebanon 2, Marshall Islands
1, Pakistan 1, Portugal 1, Romania 8, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Syria
9, Tanzania 1, Tunisia 1, Turkey 5, Ukraine 2, United States 3

Airports:
78 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 35
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 23
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 3 (2003 est.)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 43
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 20
under 914 m: 8 (2003 est.)
914 to 1,523 m: 14

Heliports:
19 (2003 est.)

Military Korea, North

Military branches:
Korean People's Army (includes Army, Navy, Air Force), Civil
Security Forces

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
17 years of age (2004 est.)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 6,181,038 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 3,694,855 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 189,014 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$5,217.4 million (FY02)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
22.9% (2003)

Transnational Issues Korea, North

Disputes - international:
with China, certain islands in Yalu and Tumen rivers are in
uncontested dispute; a section of boundary around Paektu-san
(mountain) is indefinite; China has been attempting to stop mass
illegal migration of North Koreans escaping famine, economic
privation, and oppression into northern China; Military Demarcation
Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone has separated North
from South Korea since 1953; periodic maritime disputes with South
Korea

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 50,000-250,000 (government repression and famine) (2004)

Illicit drugs:
for years, from the 1970's into the 2000's, 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; in recent years, police investigations in Taiwan and Japan
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;
all indications point to North Korea emerging as an important
regional source of illicit drugs targeting markets in Japan, Taiwan,
the Russian Far East, and China

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

======================================================================

@Korea, South

Introduction Korea, South

Background:
Korea was an independent kingdom under Chinese suzerainty for most
of the past millennium. Following its victory in the Russo-Japanese
War in 1905, Japan occupied Korea; five years later it formally
annexed the entire peninsula. After World War II, a republic was set
up in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula while a
Communist-style government was installed in the north. During the
Korean War (1950-1953), US and other UN forces intervened to defend
South Korea from North Korean attacks supported by the Chinese. An
armistice was signed in 1953, splitting the peninsula along a
demilitarized zone at about the 38th parallel. Thereafter, South
Korea achieved rapid economic growth with per capita income rising
to roughly 18 times the level of North Korea. In 1987, South Korean
voters elected ROH Tae-woo to the presidency, ending 26 years of
military dictatorships. South Korea today is a fully functioning
modern democracy. In June 2000, a historic first North-South summit
took place between the South's President KIM Tae-chung and the
North's leader KIM Jong Il.

Geography Korea, South

Location:
Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the
Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea

Geographic coordinates:
37 00 N, 127 30 E

Map references:
Asia

Area:
total: 98,480 sq km
land: 98,190 sq km
water: 290 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Indiana

Land boundaries:
total: 238 km
border countries: North Korea 238 km

Coastline:
2,413 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the Korea Strait
continental shelf: not specified
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter

Terrain:
mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m
highest point: Halla-san 1,950 m

Natural resources:
coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower potential

Land use:
arable land: 17.18%
permanent crops: 1.95%
other: 80.87% (2001)

Irrigated land:
11,590 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; low-level seismic
activity common in southwest

Environment - current issues:
air pollution in large cities; acid rain; water pollution from the
discharge of sewage and industrial effluents; drift net fishing

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living
Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
strategic location on Korea Strait

People Korea, South

Population:
48,598,175 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 20.4% (male 5,223,344; female 4,681,594)
15-64 years: 71.4% (male 17,625,302; female 17,072,029)
65 years and over: 8.2% (male 1,597,085; female 2,398,821) (2004
est.)

Median age:
total: 33.7 years
male: 32.8 years
female: 34.7 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.62% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
12.33 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
6.13 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.09 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.12 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 7.18 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 7.64 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.58 years
male: 71.96 years
female: 79.54 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.56 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
8,300 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Korean(s)
adjective: Korean

Ethnic groups:
homogeneous (except for about 20,000 Chinese)

Religions:
no affiliation 46%, Christian 26%, Buddhist 26%, Confucianist 1%,
other 1%

Languages:
Korean, English widely taught in junior high and high school

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.9%
male: 99.2%
female: 96.6% (2002)

Government Korea, South

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Korea
conventional short form: South Korea
local long form: Taehan-min'guk
abbreviation: ROK
note: the South Koreans generally use the term "Han'guk" to refer to
their country
local short form: none

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Seoul

Administrative divisions:
9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 7 metropolitan cities
(gwangyoksi, singular and plural)
: provinces: Cheju-do, Cholla-bukto (North Cholla), Cholla-namdo
(South Cholla), Ch'ungch'ong-bukto (North Ch'ungch'ong),
Ch'ungch'ong-namdo (South Ch'ungch'ong), Kangwon-do, Kyonggi-do,
Kyongsang-bukto (North Kyongsang), Kyongsang-namdo (South Kyongsang)
: metropolitan cities: Inch'on-gwangyoksi (Inchon),
Kwangju-gwangyoksi (Kwangju), Pusan-gwangyoksi (Pusan),
Soul-t'ukpyolsi (Seoul), Taegu-gwangyoksi (Taegu), Taejon-gwangyoksi
(Taejon), Ulsan-gwangyoksi (Ulsan)

Independence:
15 August 1945 (from Japan)

National holiday:
Liberation Day, 15 August (1945)

Constitution:
17 July 1948

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 ROH Moo-hyun (since 25 February 2003)
head of government: Prime Minister LEE Hae-chan (since 25 May 2004);
Deputy Prime Ministers KIM Jin-pyo (since 28 January 2005), LEE
Hun-jai (since 10 February 2004), and OH Myung (since 18 October
2004)
elections: president elected by popular vote for single five-year
term; election last held 19 December 2002 (next to be held in
December 2007); prime minister appointed by president with consent
of National Assembly; deputy prime ministers appointed by president
on prime minister's recommendation
election results: results of the 19 December 2002 election - ROH
Moo-hyun elected president; percent of vote - ROH Moo-hyun (MDP)
48.9%; LEE Hoi-chang (GNP) 46.6%; other 4.5%
cabinet: State Council appointed by the president on the prime
minister's recommendation

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Kukhoe (299 seats -- members
elected for four-year terms; 243 in single-seat constituencies, 56
by proportional representation
election results: percent of vote by party - Uri 51%, GNP 41%, DLP
3%, MDP 3%, others 2%; seats by party - Uri 152, GNP 121, DLP 10,
MDP 9, others 7 (2004)
elections: last held 15 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2008;
by-elections scheduled for April 2005))

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (justices appointed by president with consent of
National Assembly); Constitutional Court (justices appointed by
president based partly on nominations by National Assembly and Chief
Justice of the court)

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Labor Party or DLP [KIM Hye-kyung, chairwoman]; Grand
National Party or GNP [PARK Geun-hye, chairwoman]; Millennium
Democratic Party or MDP [HAHN Hwa-kap, chairman]; United Liberal
Democrats or ULD [KIM Hak-won, chairman]; Uri Party [LIM Chae-jung,
interim chairman]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Federation of Korean Industries; Federation of Korean Trade Unions;
Korean Confederation of Trade Unions; Korean National Council of
Churches; Korean Traders Association; Korean Veterans' Association;
National Council of Labor Unions; National Democratic Alliance of
Korea; National Federation of Farmers' Associations; National
Federation of Student Associations

International organization participation:
AfDB, APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group,
BIS, CP, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO,
ITU, LAIA, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer),
OECD, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNMIL, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador HONG Seok-hyun
chancery: 2450 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston,
Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle
consulate(s): New York, Tamuning (Guam)
FAX: [1] (202) 387-0205
telephone: [1] (202) 939-5600

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Christopher R. HILL
embassy: 82 Sejong-no, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-710
mailing address: American Embassy, Unit 15550, APO AP 96205-5550
telephone: [82] (2) 397-4114
FAX: [82] (2) 738-8845

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

Economy Korea, South