Chapter XXXIII: Front Matter (33)

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.)

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

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

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 (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
6.51 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)

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

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

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

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

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

Exports - partners:
France 45.7%, Japan 29.2%, US 9.1%, Thailand 5.4% (2004)

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

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

Imports - partners:
Australia 33.6%, Fiji 29.8%, Japan 10.3%, New Zealand 6.9%, France
4.1% (2004)

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

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

Currency (code):
Australian dollar (AUD)

Currency code:
AUD

Exchange rates:
Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003),
1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001), 1.7248 (2000)

Fiscal year:
NA

Communications Kiribati

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

Telephones - mobile cellular:
500 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: generally good quality national and
international service
domestic: wire line service available on Tarawa and Kiritimati;
connections to outer islands by HF/VHF radiotelephone; wireless
service available in Tarawa since 1999
international: country code - 686; Kiribati is being linked to the
Pacific Ocean Cooperative Telecommunications Network, which should
improve telephone service; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat
(Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1
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:
Betio

Merchant marine:
total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,291 GRT/1,295 DWT
by type: passenger/cargo 1 (2005)

Airports:
20 (2004 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 20 October, 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. It 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 successor in 1980 and assumed a growing
political and managerial role until his father's death in 1994. 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 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). In
January 2003, it 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."
From August 2003, North Korea has participated on and off in
six-party talks with the China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, and the
United States 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
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
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; waterborne
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:
22,912,177 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 24.2% (male 2,816,844/female 2,735,478)
15-64 years: 67.9% (male 7,668,581/female 7,883,267)
65 years and over: 7.9% (male 625,819/female 1,182,188) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 31.74 years
male: 30.47 years
female: 33 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.9% (2005 est.)

Birth rate:
16.09 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate:
7.05 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 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: 0.53 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 24.04 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 25.77 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 22.23 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.37 years
male: 68.65 years
female: 74.22 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:
2.15 children born/woman (2005 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 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

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
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)
election results: KIM Jong Il and KIM Yong Nam were only nominees
for positions and ran unopposed

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

Judicial branch:
Central Court (judges are elected by the Supreme People's Assembly)

Political parties and leaders:
major party - Korean Workers' Party or KWP [KIM Jong Il, 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
eleventh 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, 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 July
2002, the government took limited steps toward a freer market
economy. In 2004, heightened political tensions with key donor
countries and general donor fatigue threatened the flow of
desperately needed food aid and fuel aid. Black market prices have
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. In 2004, the
regime allowed private markets to sell a wider range of goods and
permitted private farming on an experimental basis in an effort to
boost agricultural output. Firm political control remains the
Communist government's overriding concern, which will constrain any
further loosening of economic regulations.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$40 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2004 est.)

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

Labor force:
9.6 million

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

Unemployment rate:
NA (2003)

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.)

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:
33.62 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 29%
hydro: 71%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
31.26 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)

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

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

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
11,500 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Exports:
$1.2 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

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

Exports - partners:
China 29.9%, South Korea 24.1%, Japan 13.2% (2004)

Imports:
$2.1 billion c.i.f. (2003)

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

Imports - partners:
China 32.9%, Thailand 10.7%, Japan 4.8% (2004)

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

Economic aid - recipient:
NA; note - over $117 million in food aid through the World Food
Program in 2003 plus additional aid from bilateral donors and
non-governmental organizations

Currency (code):
North Korean won (KPW)

Currency code:
KPW

Exchange rates:
official: North Korean won per US dollar - 170 (December 2004), 150
(December 2002), 2.15 (December 2001); market: North Korean won per
US dollar - 300-600 (December 2002)

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 17 (including 11 stations of Korean Central Broadcasting
Station), FM 14, shortwave 14 (2003)

Radios:
3.36 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
4 (includes Korean Central Television, Mansudae Television, Korean
Educational and Cultural Network, and Kaesong Television targeting
South Korea) (2003)

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) (2004)

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: 238 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 985,108 GRT/1,389,389 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 13, cargo 191, container 2, livestock carrier
4, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 13, refrigerated cargo 5,
roll on/roll off 5
foreign-owned: 52 (China 1, Denmark 2, France 1, Greece 4, Italy 1,
Lebanon 4, Lithuania 1, Netherlands 1, Pakistan 2, Romania 10,
Russia 2, Singapore 2, South Korea 2, Syria 9, Turkey 6, Ukraine 1,
UAE 3) (2005)

Airports:
78 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 35
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 23
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 43
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 20
914 to 1,523 m: 14
under 914 m: 8 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
19 (2004 est.)

Military Korea, North

Military branches:
North Korean People's Army: Ground Force, Navy, Air Force; Civil
Security Forces (2005)

Military service age and obligation:
17 years of age (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 17-49: 5,851,801 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 17-49: 4,810,831 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 194,605 (2005 est.)

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

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA

Transnational Issues Korea, North

Disputes - international:
China seeks to stem illegal migration of tens of thousands of North
Koreans escaping famine, economic privation, and political
oppression; North Korea and China dispute the sovereignty of certain
islands in Yalu and Tumen rivers and a section of boundary around
Paektu-san (mountain) is indefinite; Military Demarcation Line
within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone has separated North from
South Korea since 1953; periodic maritime disputes with South over
the Northern Limit Line; North Korea supports South Korea in
rejecting Japan's claim to Liancourt Rocks (Tok-do/Take-shima)

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 20 October, 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 (1950-53), 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 14 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
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: not specified

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:
48,422,644 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 19.4% (male 4,952,177/female 4,450,821)
15-64 years: 72% (male 17,715,267/female 17,147,808)
65 years and over: 8.6% (male 1,670,971/female 2,485,600) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 34.51 years
male: 33.53 years
female: 35.53 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.38% (2005 est.)

Birth rate:
10.08 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate:
6.26 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.11 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 (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 7.05 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 7.5 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 76.85 years
male: 73.42 years
female: 80.57 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.26 children born/woman (2005 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
local short form: none
note: the South Koreans generally use the term "Han'guk" to refer to
their country
abbreviation: ROK

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 (Inch'on),
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 HAN Duck-soo (14 March 2005), KIM Jin-pyo
(since 28 January 2005), and OH Myung (since 18 October 2004)
cabinet: State Council appointed by the president on the prime
minister's recommendation
elections: president elected by popular vote for single five-year
term; election last held 19 December 2002 (next to be held in
February 2008); 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%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Kukhoe (299 seats - members elected
for four-year terms; 243 in single-seat constituencies, 56 by
proportional representation
elections: last held 15 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2008;
byelections held on 30 April 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - Uri 51%, GNP 41%, DLP
3%, DP 3%, others 2%; seats by party - Uri 146, GNP 125, DLP 10, DP
9, ULD 3, independents 6
note: percent of vote is for 2004 general election; seats by party
reflect results of 2005 byelections involving six seats; MDP became
DP in May 2005 (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];
Democratic Party or DP [HAHN Hwa-kap, chairman]; Grand National
Party or GNP [PARK Geun-hye, chairwoman]; United Liberal Democrats
or ULD [KIM Hak-won, chairman]; Uri Party [MOON Hee-sang, 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, APT, 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 Lee Tae-sik (designated)
chancery: 2450 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-5600
FAX: [1] (202) 387-0205
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston,
Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle
consulate(s): Agana (Guam) and New York

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

Economy - overview:
Since the early 1960s, South Korea has achieved an incredible
record of growth and integration into the high-tech modern world
economy. Four decades ago GDP per capita was comparable with levels
in the poorer countries of Africa and Asia. In 2004, it joined the
trillion dollar club of world economies. Today its GDP per capita is
14 times North Korea's and equal to the lesser economies of the
European Union. This success through the late 1980s was achieved by
a system of close government/business ties, including directed
credit, import restrictions, sponsorship of specific industries, and
a strong labor effort. The government promoted the import of raw
materials and technology at the expense of consumer goods and
encouraged savings and investment over consumption. The Asian
financial crisis of 1997-99 exposed longstanding weaknesses in South
Korea's development model, including high debt/equity ratios,
massive foreign borrowing, and an undisciplined financial sector.
Growth plunged to a negative 6.9% in 1998, then strongly recovered
to 9.5% in 1999 and 8.5% in 2000. Growth fell back to 3.3% in 2001
because of the slowing global economy, falling exports, and the
perception that much-needed corporate and financial reforms had
stalled. Led by consumer spending and exports, growth in 2002 was an
impressive 7.0%, despite anemic global growth. Economic growth fell
to 3.1% in 2003 because of a downturn in consumer spending and
recovered to an estimated 4.6% in 2004 on the strength of rapid
export growth. The government plans to boost infrastructure spending
in 2005. Moderate inflation, low unemployment, an export surplus,
and fairly equal distribution of income characterize this solid
economy.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$925.1 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.6% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $19,200 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 3.2%
industry: 40.4%
services: 56.3% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
22.9 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 8%, industry 19%, services 73% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate:
3.6% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
4% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.9%
highest 10%: 22.5% (1999 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
35.8 (2000)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.6% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
28.7% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $150.5 billion
expenditures: $155.8 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)

Public debt:
21.3% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
rice, root crops, barley, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs,
chickens, milk, eggs; fish

Industries:
electronics, telecommunications, automobile production, chemicals,
shipbuilding, steel

Industrial production growth rate:
10.1% (2004 est.)

Electricity - production:
322.5 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 62.4%
hydro: 0.8%
nuclear: 36.6%
other: 0.2% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
293.6 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - consumption:
2.07 million bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
630,100 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - imports:
2.263 million bbl/day (2003)

Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
20.92 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
21.11 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Current account balance:
$26.78 billion (2004 est.)

Exports:
$250.6 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
semiconductors, wireless telecommunications equipment, motor
vehicles, computers, steel, ships, petrochemicals

Exports - partners:
China 19.7%, US 17%, Japan 8.6%, Hong Kong 7.2% (2004)

Imports:
$214.2 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil, steel,
transport equipment, organic chemicals, plastics

Imports - partners:
Japan 20.6%, China 13.2%, US 12.9%, Saudi Arabia 5.3% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$199.1 billion (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$160 billion (2004 est.)

Economic aid - donor:
ODA $334 million (2003)

Currency (code):
South Korean won (KRW)

Currency code:
KRW

Exchange rates:
South Korean won per US dollar - 1,145.3 (2004), 1,191.6 (2003),
1,251.1 (2002), 1,291 (2001), 1,131 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Korea, South

Telephones - main lines in use:
22.877 million (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
33,591,800 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: excellent domestic and international services
domestic: NA
international: country code - 82; fiber-optic submarine cable to
China; the Russia-Korea-Japan submarine cable; satellite earth
stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1
Inmarsat (Pacific Ocean region)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 58, FM 150, shortwave 2 (2004)

Radios:
47.5 million (2000)

Television broadcast stations:
64 (additionally 119 Cable Operators; 239 Relay Cable Operators)
(2004)

Televisions:
15.9 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.kr

Internet hosts:
694,206 (2001)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
11 (2000)

Internet users:
29.22 million (2003)

Transportation Korea, South

Railways:
total: 3,472 km
standard gauge: 3,472 km 1.435-m gauge (1,342 km electrified) (2004)

Highways:
total: 86,990 km
paved: 66,721 km (including 1,996 km of expressways)
unpaved: 20,269 km (2001)

Waterways:
1,608 km
note: most navigable only by small craft (2004)

Pipelines:
gas 1,433 km; refined products 827 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Inch'on, Masan, P'ohang, Pusan, Ulsan

Merchant marine:
total: 601 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,992,656 GRT/11,081,142 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 125, cargo 196, chemical tanker 88, container
71, liquefied gas 20, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 22, petroleum
tanker 51, refrigerated cargo 15, roll on/roll off 5, vehicle
carrier 3
foreign-owned: 2 (Germany 1, United Kingdom 1)
registered in other countries: 366 (2005)

Airports:
179 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 88
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 21
1,524 to 2,437 m: 14
914 to 1,523 m: 12
under 914 m: 38 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 91
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 88 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
206 (2004 est.)

Military Korea, South

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, National Maritime Police
(Coast Guard)

Military service age and obligation:
20-30 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript
service obligation - 24-28 months, depending on the military branch
involved; 18 years of age for voluntary military service; some 4,000
women serve as commissioned and noncommissioned officers, approx.
2.3% of all officers; women, in service since 1950, are admitted to
seven service branches, including infantry; excluded from artillery,
armor, anti-air, and chaplaincy corps (2005)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 20-49: 12,458,257 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 20-49: 9,932,026 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 344,723 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$16.18 billion (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.8% (2004)

Transnational Issues Korea, South

Disputes - international:
Military Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone
has separated North from South Korea since 1953; periodic maritime
disputes with North Korea over the Northern Limit Line; South Korea
and Japan claim Liancourt Rocks (Tok-do/Take-shima), occupied by
South Korea since 1954

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Kuwait

Introduction Kuwait

Background:
Britain oversaw foreign relations and defense for the ruling
Kuwaiti AL-SABAH dynasty from 1899 until independence in 1961.
Kuwait was attacked and overrun by Iraq on 2 August 1990. Following
several weeks of aerial bombardment, a US-led, UN coalition began a
ground assault on 23 February 1991 that liberated Kuwait in four
days. Kuwait spent more than $5 billion to repair oil infrastructure
damaged during 1990-91.

Geography Kuwait

Location:
Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi
Arabia

Geographic coordinates:
29 30 N, 45 45 E

Map references:
Middle East

Area:
total: 17,820 sq km
land: 17,820 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than New Jersey

Land boundaries:
total: 462 km
border countries: Iraq 240 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km

Coastline:
499 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate:
dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters

Terrain:
flat to slightly undulating desert plain

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 306 m

Natural resources:
petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas

Land use:
arable land: 0.73%
permanent crops: 0.11%
other: 99.16% (2001)

Irrigated land:
60 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
sudden cloudbursts are common from October to April and bring heavy
rain, which can damage roads and houses; sandstorms and dust storms
occur throughout the year, but are most common between March and
August

Environment - current issues:
limited natural fresh water resources; some of world's largest and
most sophisticated desalination facilities provide much of the
water; air and water pollution; desertification

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the
Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping

Geography - note:
strategic location at head of Persian Gulf

People Kuwait

Population:
2,335,648
note: includes 1,291,354 non-nationals (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 27.2% (male 323,382/female 311,700)
15-64 years: 70.1% (male 1,045,589/female 591,243)
65 years and over: 2.7% (male 40,439/female 23,295) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 25.86 years
male: 28.05 years
female: 22.12 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
3.44%
note: this rate reflects a return to pre-Gulf crisis immigration of
expatriates (2005 est.)

Birth rate:
21.88 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate:
2.42 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate:
14.96 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.77 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.74 male(s)/female
total population: 1.52 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 9.95 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 10.96 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 8.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.03 years
male: 76.01 years
female: 78.1 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:
2.97 children born/woman (2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.12% (2001 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Kuwaiti(s)
adjective: Kuwaiti

Ethnic groups:
Kuwaiti 45%, other Arab 35%, South Asian 9%, Iranian 4%, other 7%

Religions:
Muslim 85% (Sunni 70%, Shi'a 30%), Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and
other 15%

Languages:
Arabic (official), English widely spoken

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.5%
male: 85.1%
female: 81.7% (2003 est.)

Government Kuwait

Country name:
conventional long form: State of Kuwait
conventional short form: Kuwait
local long form: Dawlat al Kuwayt
local short form: Al Kuwayt

Government type:
nominal constitutional monarchy

Capital:
Kuwait

Administrative divisions:
5 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al
Farwaniyah, Al 'Asimah, Al Jahra', Hawalli

Independence:
19 June 1961 (from UK)

National holiday:
National Day, 25 February (1950)

Constitution:
approved and promulgated 11 November 1962

Legal system:
civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal matters;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
adult males who have been naturalized for 30 years or more or have
resided in Kuwait since before 1920 and their male descendants at
age 21
note: only 10% of all citizens are eligible to vote; in 1996,
naturalized citizens who do not meet the pre-1920 qualification but
have been naturalized for 30 years were eligible to vote for the
first time

Executive branch:
chief of state: Amir JABIR al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah (since 31
December 1977); Crown Prince SAAD al-Abdullah al-Salim al-Sabah
head of government: Prime Minister SABAH al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah
(since 13 July 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of
the Interior NAWWAF al-Ahmad al-Sabah (since 2003); Deputy Prime
Ministers JABIR MUBARAK al-Hamad al-Sabah (since 2001) and Muhammad
Dayfallah al-SHARAR (since 2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister and
approved by the monarch
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister and
deputy prime ministers appointed by the monarch

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-Umma (50 seats; members
elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 6 July 2003 (next to be held NA 2007)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - Islamists 21,
government supporters 14, liberals 3, and independents 12; note -
all cabinet ministers are also ex officio members of the National
Assembly

Judicial branch:
High Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders:
none; formation of political parties is illegal

Political pressure groups and leaders:
several political groups act as de facto parties: Bedouins,
merchants, Sunni and Shi'a activists, and secular leftists and
nationalists

International organization participation:
ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, BDEAC, CAEU, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC,
OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador SALIM Abdallah al-Jabir al-Sabah
chancery: 2940 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 966-0702
FAX: [1] (202) 364-2868

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard LEBARON
embassy: Bayan, Area 14, Al-Masjed Al-Aqsa Street (near the Bayan
palace), Kuwait City
mailing address: P. O. Box 77 Safat 13001 Kuwait; or PSC 1280 APO AE
09880-9000
telephone: [965] 539-5307, 5308
FAX: [965] 538-0282

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a
black trapezoid based on the hoist side; design, which dates to
1961, based on the Arab revolt flag of World War I

Economy Kuwait

Economy - overview:
Kuwait is a small, rich, relatively open economy with proved crude
oil reserves of about 96 billion barrels - 10% of world reserves.
Petroleum accounts for nearly half of GDP, 95% of export revenues,
and 80% of government income. Kuwait's climate limits agricultural
development. Consequently, with the exception of fish, it depends
almost wholly on food imports. About 75% of potable water must be
distilled or imported. Kuwait continues its discussions with foreign
oil companies to develop fields in the northern part of the country.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$48 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
6.8% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $21,300 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 0.4%
industry: 60.5%
services: 39.1% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
1.42 million
note: non-Kuwaitis represent about 80% of the labor force (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture NA, industries NA, services NA

Unemployment rate:
2.2% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.3% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
8% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $35.82 billion
expenditures: $19.53 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)

Public debt:
29.6% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
practically no crops; fish

Industries:
petroleum, petrochemicals, cement, shipbuilding and repair,
desalination, food processing, construction materials

Industrial production growth rate:
-5% (2002 est.)

Electricity - production:
32.43 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
30.16 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
2.319 million bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - consumption:
293,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
1.97 million bbl/day (2003)

Oil - imports:
NA

Oil - proved reserves:
96.5 billion bbl (2004 est.)

Natural gas - production:
8.7 billion cu m (2002 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
8.7 billion cu m (2002 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2002 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2002 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
1.548 trillion cu m (2004)

Current account balance:
$12.04 billion (2004 est.)

Exports:
$27.42 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
oil and refined products, fertilizers

Exports - partners:
Japan 20.5%, South Korea 13.7%, US 12.4%, Singapore 11.3%, Taiwan
9.9% (2004)

Imports:
$11.12 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing

Imports - partners:
US 12.9%, Germany 11.9%, Japan 7.9%, UK 5.5%, Saudi Arabia 5.5%,
Italy 5%, France 4.5%, China 4.1% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$7.333 billion (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$15.02 billion (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
NA (2001)

Currency (code):
Kuwaiti dinar (KD)

Currency code:
KWD

Exchange rates:
Kuwaiti dinars per US dollar - 0.2947 (2004), 0.298 (2003), 0.3039
(2002), 0.3067 (2001), 0.3068 (2000)

Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March

Communications Kuwait

Telephones - main lines in use:
486,900 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.42 million (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: the quality of service is excellent
domestic: new telephone exchanges provide a large capacity for new
subscribers; trunk traffic is carried by microwave radio relay,
coaxial cable, and open-wire and fiber-optic cable; a cellular
telephone system operates throughout Kuwait, and the country is well
supplied with pay telephones
international: country code - 965; coaxial cable and microwave radio
relay to Saudi Arabia; linked to Bahrain, Qatar, UAE via the
Fiber-Optic Gulf (FOG) cable; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat
(1 Atlantic Ocean, 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean), and
2 Arabsat

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 6, FM 11, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
1.175 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
13 (plus several satellite channels) (1997)

Televisions:
875,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.kw

Internet hosts:
3,437 (2001)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
3 (2000)

Internet users:
567,000 (2003)

Transportation Kuwait

Highways:
total: 4,450 km
paved: 3,587 km
unpaved: 863 km (1999 est.)

Pipelines:
gas 169 km; oil 540 km; refined products 57 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Mina' 'Abd Allah, Mina' al Ahmadi,
Mina' Su'ud

Merchant marine:
total: 39 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 2,319,082 GRT/3,768,828 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 3, container 6, liquefied gas 5, livestock
carrier 5, petroleum tanker 20
registered in other countries: 19 (2005)

Airports:
7 (2004 est.)

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

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
3 (2004 est.)

Military Kuwait

Military branches:
Land Forces, Navy, Air Force (includes Air Defense Force), National
Guard (2002)

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2001)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 864,745 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 737,292 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 18,743 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$2,584.5 million (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
5.3% (2004)

Transnational Issues Kuwait

Disputes - international:
Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue negotiating a joint maritime
boundary with Iran; no maritime boundary exists with Iraq in the
Persian Gulf

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Kyrgyzstan

Introduction Kyrgyzstan

Background:
A Central Asian country of incredible natural beauty and proud
nomadic traditions, Kyrgyzstan was annexed by Russia in 1864; it
achieved independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Nation-wide
demonstrations in the spring of 2005 resulted in the ouster of
President Askar AKAYEV, who had run the country since 1990.
Subsequent presidential elections in July of 2005 were won
overwhelmingly by former prime minister Kurmanbek BAKIYEV. Current
concerns include: privatization of state-owned enterprises,
expansion of democracy and political freedoms, interethnic
relations, and combating terrorism.

Geography Kyrgyzstan

Location:
Central Asia, west of China

Geographic coordinates:
41 00 N, 75 00 E

Map references:
Asia

Area:
total: 198,500 sq km
land: 191,300 sq km
water: 7,200 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than South Dakota

Land boundaries:
total: 3,878 km
border countries: China 858 km, Kazakhstan 1,051 km, Tajikistan 870
km, Uzbekistan 1,099 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
dry continental to polar in high Tien Shan; subtropical in
southwest (Fergana Valley); temperate in northern foothill zone

Terrain:
peaks of Tien Shan and associated valleys and basins encompass
entire nation

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Kara-Daryya (Karadar'ya) 132 m
highest point: Jengish Chokusu (Pik Pobedy) 7,439 m

Natural resources:
abundant hydropower; significant deposits of gold and rare earth
metals; locally exploitable coal, oil, and natural gas; other
deposits of nepheline, mercury, bismuth, lead, and zinc

Land use:
arable land: 7.3%
permanent crops: 0.35%
other: 92.35%
note: Kyrgyzstan has the world's largest natural growth walnut
forest (2001)

Irrigated land:
10,740 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
water pollution; many people get their water directly from
contaminated streams and wells; as a result, water-borne diseases
are prevalent; increasing soil salinity from faulty irrigation
practices

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone
Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
landlocked; entirely mountainous, dominated by the Tien Shan range;
many tall peaks, glaciers, and high-altitude lakes

People Kyrgyzstan

Population:
5,146,281 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 31.6% (male 827,751/female 796,029)
15-64 years: 62.3% (male 1,571,476/female 1,632,506)
65 years and over: 6.2% (male 123,992/female 194,527) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 23.39 years
male: 22.52 years
female: 24.27 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.29% (2005 est.)

Birth rate:
22.48 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate:
7.13 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate:
-2.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 35.64 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 40.97 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 30.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.16 years
male: 64.16 years
female: 72.38 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:
2.7 children born/woman (2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
3,900 (2003 est.)

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

Nationality:
noun: Kyrgyzstani(s)
adjective: Kyrgyzstani

Ethnic groups:
Kyrgyz 64.9%, Uzbek 13.8%, Russian 12.5%, Dungan 1.1%, Ukrainian
1%, Uygur 1%, other 5.7% (1999 census)

Religions:
Muslim 75%, Russian Orthodox 20%, other 5%

Languages:
Kyrgyz (official), Russian (official)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.7%
male: 99.3%
female: 98.1% (1999 est.)

Government Kyrgyzstan

Country name:
conventional long form: Kyrgyz Republic
conventional short form: Kyrgyzstan
local long form: Kyrgyz Respublikasy
local short form: none
former: Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Bishkek

Administrative divisions:
7 provinces (oblastlar, singular - oblasty) and 1 city* (shaar);
Batken Oblasty, Bishkek Shaary*, Chuy Oblasty (Bishkek), Jalal-Abad
Oblasty, Naryn Oblasty, Osh Oblasty, Talas Oblasty, Ysyk-Kol Oblasty
(Karakol)
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their
administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center
name following in parentheses)

Independence:
31 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 31 August (1991)

Constitution:
adopted 5 May 1993; note - amendment proposed by President AKAYEV
and passed in a national referendum on 2 February 2003 significantly
expands the powers of the president at the expense of the legislature

Legal system:
based on civil law system

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Kurmanbek BAKIYEV (since 14 August 2005);
note - former President Askar AKAYEV resigned effective 11 April
2005 following widespread protests that forced him to flee the
country on 24 March 2005
head of government: Prime Minister Feliks KULOV (since 1 September
2005)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the prime minister
elections: Kurmanbek BAKIYEV elected by popular vote for a five-year
term; election last held 10 July 2005 (next scheduled for NA 2010);
prime minister nominated by the president for approval by Parliament
election results: Kurmanbek BAKIYEV elected president; percent of
vote - Kurmanbek BAKIYEV 88.6%, Tursunbai BAKIR-UULU 3.9%, other
candidates 7.5%; Feliks KULOV approved as prime minister 55-8

Legislative branch:
bicameral Supreme Council or Jorgorku Kenesh consists of the
Assembly of People's Representatives (70 seats; members are elected
by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the Legislative
Assembly (35 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms); note - in accordance with a 2003 referendum, the
Parliament is slated to become unicameral with 75 deputies after the
27 February 2005 elections
elections: Assembly of People's Representatives - last held 20
February and 12 March 2000; Legislative Assembly - last held 20
February and 12 March 2000; elections for the new unicameral body or
Jorgorku Kenesh were held 27 February 2005, but the vast majority of
positions remained undecided and were to be contested in a runoff
election scheduled for 13 March 2005; election irregularities caused
widespread protests that resulted in the president being forced to
flee the country; new legislative elections have not yet been
rescheduled
election results: Assembly of People's Representatives - percent of
vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; and Legislative Assembly -
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; note - total
seats by party in the Supreme Council were as follows: Union of
Democratic Forces 12, Communists 6, My Country Party of Action 4,
independents 73, other 10
note: the legislature became bicameral for the 5 February 1995
elections; the 2000 election results include both the Assembly of
People's Representatives and the Legislative Assembly

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are appointed for 10-year terms by the
Supreme Council on the recommendation of the president);
Constitutional Court; Higher Court of Arbitration

Political parties and leaders:
Adilet (Justice) Party [Toychubek KASYMOV]; Agrarian Labor Party of
Kyrgyzstan [Uson SYDYKOV]; Agrarian Party of Kyrgyzstan [Erkin
ALIYEV]; Alga, Kyrgyzstan (Forward, Kyrgyzstan) [Bolot BEGALIYEV];
Ar-Namys (Dignity) Party [Emil ALIYEV]; Asaba (Banner National
Revival Party) [Azimbek BEKNAZAROV]; Ata-Meken (Fatherland) [Omurbek
TEKEBAYEV]; Communist Party of Kyrgyzstan [Klara ADZHIBEKOVA];
Democratic Movement of Kyrgyzstan or DDK [Jypar JEKSHEYEV]; Erkin
Kyrgyzstan Progressive and Democratic Party [Bektur ASANOV];
Erkindik (Freedom) Party [Topchubek TURGUNALIYEV]; Future of
Kyrgyzstan [Balbak TULEBAYEV]; Jany Kyrgyzstan (New Kyrgyzstan)
[Dosbol NUR UULU]; Kairan El [Dooronbek SADYKOV]; Kyrgyz National
Party [Bakyt BESHIMOV]; Kyrgyzstan Kelechegi [Ruslan CHYNYBAYEV];
Manas El (Party of Spiritual Restoration) [Chingiz AITMATOV]; Moya
Strana (My Country Party of Action) [Joomart OTORBAYEV]; Party of
Communists of Kyrgyzstan or KCP [Bakytbek BEKBOYEV]; Party of
Justice and Progress [Muratbek IMANALIEV]; Party of Peasants
[Esengul ISAKOV]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Council of Free Trade Unions; Kyrgyz Committee on Human Rights
[Ramazan DYRYLDAYEV]; National Unity Democratic Movement; Union of
Entrepreneurs