Imports - commodities:
machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products, motor vehicles, iron and steel, resins and plastics
Imports - partners:
India 14.1%, UAE 11.5%, China 10%, Saudi Arabia 8%, South Africa 5.7%, Japan 5.1% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$2.879 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 94 $3.355 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$7.855 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 92 $6.713 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$2.541 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 92 $1.891 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$12.4 million (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 81 $31.4 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
Kenyan shillings (KES) per US dollar - 68.358 (2008 est.), 68.309 (2007), 72.101 (2006), 75.554 (2005), 79.174 (2004)
Communications ::Kenya
Telephones - main lines in use:
252,300 (2008) country comparison to the world: 119
Telephones - mobile cellular:
16.234 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 41
Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate; fixed-line telephone system is small and inefficient; trunks are primarily microwave radio relay; business data commonly transferred by a very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system
domestic: no recent growth in fixed-line infrastructure and the sole provider, Telkom Kenya, is slated for privatization; multiple providers in the mobile-cellular segment of the market fostering a boom in mobile-cellular telephone usage
international: country code - 254; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 24, FM 82, shortwave 6 (2008)
Television broadcast stations:
8 (2008)
Internet country code:
.ke
Internet hosts:
32,913 (2009) country comparison to the world: 90
Internet users:
3.36 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 56
Transportation ::Kenya
Airports:
181 (2009) country comparison to the world: 33
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 16
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 6 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 165
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 105
under 914 m: 50 (2009)
Pipelines:
oil 4 km; refined products 928 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 2,778 km country comparison to the world: 59 narrow gauge: 2,778 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 63,574 km (interurban roads) country comparison to the world: 70 paved: 9,273 km
unpaved: 54,301 km
note: there also are 114,226 km of unclassified roads, 2,000 km paved and 112,226 unpaved, for a national total of 177,800 km (2008)
Waterways:
Merchant marine:
total: 1 country comparison to the world: 160 by type: petroleum tanker 1
registered in other countries: 6 (Bahamas 1, Comoros 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, Tuvalu 1, unknown 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Mombasa
Military ::Kenya
Military branches:
Kenyan Armed Forces: Kenyan Army, Kenyan Navy, Kenyan Air Force (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.) for voluntary service, with a 9-year obligation (2007)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 9,044,685
females age 16-49: 8,805,736 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 5,935,480
females age 16-49: 5,662,755 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 412,656
female: 408,657 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
2.8% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 56
Transnational Issues ::Kenya
Disputes - international:
Kenya served as an important mediator in brokering Sudan's north-south separation in February 2005; Kenya provides shelter to almost a quarter of a million refugees, including Ugandans who flee across the border periodically to seek protection from Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels; Kenya works hard to prevent the clan and militia fighting in Somalia from spreading across the border, which has long been open to nomadic pastoralists; the boundary that separates Kenya's and Sudan's sovereignty is unclear in the "Ilemi Triangle," which Kenya has administered since colonial times
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 173,702 (Somalia); 73,004 (Sudan); 16,428 (Ethiopia)
IDPs: 250,000-400,000 (2007 post-election violence; KANU attacks on opposition tribal groups in 1990s) (2007)
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
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Kiribati (Australia-Oceania)
Introduction ::Kiribati
Background:
The Gilbert Islands became a British protectorate in 1892 and a colony in 1915; they were captured by the Japanese in the Pacific War in 1941. The islands of Makin and Tarawa were the sites of major US amphibious victories over entrenched Japanese garrisons in 1943. 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 half way between Hawaii and Australia; note - on 1 January 1995, Kiribati proclaimed that all of its territory was in the same time zone as its Gilbert Islands group (UTC +12) even though the Phoenix Islands and the Line Islands under its jurisdiction were on the other side of the International Date Line
Geographic coordinates:
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total: 811 sq km country comparison to the world: 186 land: 811 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands
Area - comparative:
four times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
1,143 km
Maritime claims:
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: 47.95%
other: 49.31% (2005)
Irrigated land:
Natural hazards:
typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March; occasional tornadoes; low level of some of the islands make them 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, Whaling
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:
112,850 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 189
Age structure:
0-14 years: 37.6% (male 21,488/female 20,899)
15-64 years: 59% (male 32,871/female 33,690)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 1,656/female 2,246) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 20.8 years
male: 20.3 years
female: 21.3 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.235% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 43
Birth rate:
30.2 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 48
Death rate:
7.85 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 112
Net migration rate:
NA (2009 est.)
Urbanization:
urban population: 44% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.8% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 43.48 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 61 male: 48.35 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 38.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 63.22 years country comparison to the world: 174 male: 60.14 years
female: 66.45 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.04 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 47
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Nationality:
noun: I-Kiribati (singular and plural)
adjective: I-Kiribati
Ethnic groups:
Micronesian 98.8%, other 1.2% (2000 census)
Religions:
Roman Catholic 52%, Protestant (Congregational) 40%, other (includesSeventh-Day Adventist, Muslim, Baha'i, Latter-day Saints, Church ofGod) 8% (1999)
Languages:
I-Kiribati, English (official)
Literacy:
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 12 years
male: 12 years
female: 13 years (2005)
Education expenditures:
17.8% of GDP (2002) country comparison to the world: 1
Government ::Kiribati
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Kiribati
conventional short form: Kiribati
local long form: Republic of Kiribati
local short form: Kiribati
note: pronounced keer-ree-bahss
former: Gilbert Islands
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Tarawa
geographic coordinates: 1 19 N, 172 58 E
time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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 the UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 12 July (1979)
Constitution:
12 July 1979
Legal system:
English common law supplemented by local, customary law
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
head of government: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); Vice President Teima ONORIO
cabinet: 12-member cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the House of Parliament
elections: the House of Parliament chooses the presidential candidates from among its members and then those candidates compete in a general election; president is elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for two more terms); election last held 17 October 2007 (next to be held in 2011); vice president appointed by the president
election results: Anote TONG 63.7%, Nabuti MWEMWENIKARAWA 32.9%
Legislative branch:
unicameral House of Parliament or Maneaba Ni Maungatabu (46 seats; 44 members elected by popular vote, 1 ex officio member - the attorney general, 1 nominated by the Rabi Council of Leaders (representing Banaba Island); serve four-year terms)
elections: legislative elections were held in two rounds - the first round on 22 August 2007 and the second round on 30 August 2007 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA, other 2 (includes attorney general)
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 TeMauri Party or MTM [Teburoro TITO]; Maurin Kiribati Pati or MKP;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:
International organization participation:
ACP, ADB, C, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,IMO, IOC, ITU, ITUC, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, 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 and is one of the least developed Pacific Islands. 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. Private sector initiatives and a financial sector are in the early stages of development. Foreign financial aid from the EU, UK, US, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, UN agencies, and Taiwan accounts for 20-25% of GDP. Remittances from seamen on merchant ships abroad account for more than $5 million each year. Kiribati receives around $15 million annually for the government budget from an Australian trust fund.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$580.8 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 210 $561.7 million (2007 est.)
$564.6 million (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$137 million (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 113 -0.5% (2007 est.)
3.2% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$5,300 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 137 $5,200 (2007 est.)
$5,400 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 8.9%
industry: 24.2%
services: 66.8% (2004)
Labor force:
7,870 economically active, not including subsistence farmers (2001 est.) country comparison to the world: 210
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 2.7%
industry: 32%
services: 65.3% (2000)
Unemployment rate:
2% (1992 est.) country comparison to the world: 18
Population below poverty line:
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $55.52 million
expenditures: $59.71 million (FY05)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
0.2% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 4
Market value of publicly traded shares:
Agriculture - products:
copra, taro, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, vegetables; fish
Industries:
fishing, handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate:
Electricity - production:
14 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 208
Electricity - consumption:
13.02 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 209
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 149
Oil - consumption:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 206
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 174
Oil - imports:
260.8 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 201
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 191
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 172
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 168
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 81
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 156
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 162
Current account balance:
-$21 million (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 65
Exports:
$17 million (2004 est.) country comparison to the world: 206
Exports - commodities:
copra 62%, coconuts, seaweed, fish
Imports:
$62 million (2004 est.) country comparison to the world: 212
Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, miscellaneous manufactured goods, fuel
Debt - external:
$10 million (1999 est.) country comparison to the world: 197
Exchange rates:
Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.2059 (2008 est.), 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004)
Communications ::Kiribati
Telephones - main lines in use:
4,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 216
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 218
Telephone system:
general assessment: generally good quality national and international service
domestic: wire line service available on Tarawa and Kiritimati (Christmas Island); 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 (may be inactive) (2002)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (possibly inactive) (2002)
Internet country code:
.ki
Internet hosts:
41 (2009) country comparison to the world: 212
Internet users:
2,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 209
Transportation ::Kiribati
Airports:
19 (2009) country comparison to the world: 137
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 15
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 4 (2009)
Roadways:
total: 670 km (2000) country comparison to the world: 189
Waterways:
5 km (small network of canals in Line Islands) (2007) country comparison to the world: 109
Merchant marine:
total: 43 country comparison to the world: 76 by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 18, chemical tanker 3, petroleum tanker 6, refrigerated cargo 14
foreign-owned: 31 (China 15, Hong Kong 4, South Korea 2, Singapore 4, Taiwan 5, Turkey 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Betio
Military ::Kiribati
Military branches:
no regular military forces (constitutionally prohibited); Police Force (2009)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 26,377 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 18,129
females age 16-49: 20,643 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 1,264
female: 1,242 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
Military - note:
Kiribati does not have military forces; defense assistance is provided by Australia and NZ
Transnational Issues ::Kiribati
Disputes - international:
none
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Korea, North (East & Southeast Asia)
Introduction ::Korea, North
Background:
An independent kingdom for much of its long history, Korea was occupied by Japan beginning 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 control. After failing in the Korean War (1950-53) to conquer the US-backed Republic of Korea (ROK) in the southern portion by force, North Korea (DPRK), under its founder President KIM Il Sung, adopted a policy of ostensible diplomatic and economic "self-reliance" as a check against outside influence. The DPRK demonized the US as the ultimate threat to its social system through state-funded propaganda, 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 his father's successor in 1980, assuming a growing political and managerial role until the elder KIM's death in 1994. After decades of economic mismanagement and resource misallocation, the DPRK since the mid-1990s has relied heavily on international aid to feed its population. North Korea's history of regional military provocations, proliferation of military-related items, long-range missile development, WMD programs including nuclear weapons test in 2006 and 2009, and massive conventional armed forces are of major concern to the international community.
Geography ::Korea, North
Location:
Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering theKorea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea
Geographic coordinates:
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total: 120,538 sq km country comparison to the world: 98 land: 120,408 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: 22.4%
permanent crops: 1.66%
other: 75.94% (2005)
Irrigated land:
14,600 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
77.1 cu km (1999)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 9.02 cu km/yr (20%/25%/55%)
per capita: 401 cu m/yr (2000)
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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, 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:
22,665,345 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 50
Age structure:
0-14 years: 21.3% (male 2,440,439/female 2,376,557)
15-64 years: 69.4% (male 7,776,889/female 7,945,399)
65 years and over: 9.4% (male 820,504/female 1,305,557) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 33.5 years
male: 32.1 years
female: 34.9 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.42% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 160
Birth rate:
14.82 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 141
Death rate:
10.52 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 56
Net migration rate:
-0.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 91
Urbanization:
urban population: 63% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0.9% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 51.34 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 49 male: 58.64 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 43.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 63.81 years country comparison to the world: 170 male: 61.23 years
female: 66.53 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.96 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 136
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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%
Education expenditures:
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: Choson
abbreviation: DPRK
Government type:
Communist state one-man dictatorship
Capital:
name: Pyongyang
geographic coordinates: 39 01 N, 125 45 E
time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 2 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)
municipalities: Nason-si, P'yongyang-si
Independence:
15 August 1945 (from Japan)
National holiday:
Founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), 9September (1948)
Constitution:
adopted 1948; revised several times
Legal system:
based on Prussian 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 9 April 2009, 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 in 2003 president of its Presidium also with responsibility of representing state and receiving diplomatic credentials
head of government: Premier KIM Yong Il (since 11 April 2007); Vice Premier KWAK Pom Gi (since 5 September 1998), Vice Premier O Su Yong (since 13 April 2009), Vice Premier PAK Su Gil (since 18 September 2009), Vice Premier PAK Myong Su (since 4 September 2009), Vice Premier RO Tu Chol (since 3 September 2003)
cabinet: Naegak (cabinet) members, except for Minister of People's Armed Forces, are appointed by SPA
elections: last held in September 2003; date of next election NA
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 8 March 2009 (next due to be held in March 2014)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; ruling party approves a list of candidates who are elected without opposition; a token number of seats are reserved for 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]; minor parties - Chondoist Chongu Party [RYU Mi Yong] (under KWP control), Social Democratic Party [KIM Yong Dae] (under KWP control)
Political pressure groups and leaders:
none
International organization participation:
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none; North Korea has a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none; note - 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 directed and least open economies, faces chronic economic problems. Industrial capital stock is nearly beyond repair as a result of years of underinvestment and shortages of spare parts. Large-scale military spending draws off resources needed for investment and civilian consumption. Industrial and power output have declined in parallel from pre-1990 levels. Severe flooding in the summer of 2007 aggravated chronic food shortages caused by on-going systemic problems including a lack of arable land, collective farming practices, and persistent shortages of tractors and fuel. Large-scale international food aid deliveries have allowed the people of North Korea to escape widespread starvation since famine threatened in 1995, but the population continues to suffer from prolonged malnutrition and poor living conditions. Since 2002, the government has allowed private "farmers' markets" to begin selling a wider range of goods. It also permitted some private farming - on an experimental basis - in an effort to boost agricultural output. In October 2005, the government tried to reverse some of these policies by forbidding private sales of grains and reinstituting a centralized food rationing system. By December 2005, the government terminated most international humanitarian assistance operations in North Korea (calling instead for developmental assistance only) and restricted the activities of remaining international and non-governmental aid organizations such as the World Food Program. External food aid now comes primarily from China and South Korea in the form of grants and long-term concessional loans. In May 2008, the US agreed to give 500,000 metric tons of food to North Korea via the World Food Program and US nongovernmental organizations; Pyongyang began receiving these shipments in mid-2008. During the October 2007 summit, South Korea also agreed to develop some of North Korea's infrastructure, natural resources, and light industry, but inter-Korean economic cooperation slowed in 2008 as Pyongyang restricted tourism and manufacturing joint ventures in the North, and food aid from South Korea was suspended. Firm political control remains the Communist government's overriding concern, which will likely inhibit the loosening of economic regulations.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$40 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 96 note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$26.2 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.7% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 107
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,800 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 189 note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 23.3%
industry: 43.1%
services: 33.6% (2002 est.)
Labor force:
20 million country comparison to the world: 31 note: estimates vary widely (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 37%
industry and services: 63% (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate:
Population below poverty line:
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $2.88 billion
expenditures: $2.98 billion (2005)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Agriculture - products:
rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; cattle, pigs, pork, eggs
Industries:
military products; machine building, electric power, chemicals; mining (coal, iron ore, limestone, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, and precious metals), metallurgy; textiles, food processing; tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
Electricity - production:
20.9 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 71
Electricity - consumption:
17.49 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 70
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
120.7 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 110
Oil - consumption:
16,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 130
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 175
Oil - imports:
13,890 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 130
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl country comparison to the world: 192
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 173
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 169
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 82
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 157