GDP (purchasing power parity):
$65.95 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 82 $63.42 billion (2009 est.)
$61.78 billion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$32.42 billion (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
4% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 81 2.6% (2009 est.)
1.7% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,600 (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 200 $1,600 (2009 est.)
$1,600 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 22%
industry: 16%
services: 62% (2010 est.)
Labor force:
17.94 million (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 33
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 75%
industry and services: 25% (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate:
40% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 187 40% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line:
50% (2000 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.8%
highest 10%: 37.8% (2005)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
42.5 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 51 44.9 (1997)
Investment (gross fixed):
21.3% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 71
Public debt:
50.9% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 49 46.3% of GDP (2009 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.2% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 126 9.3% (2009 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
14.8% (31 December 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 54 14.02% (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of narrow money:
$6.333 billion (31 December 2010 est) country comparison to the world: 81 $5.717 billion (31 December 2009 est)
Stock of broad money:
$15.38 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 89 $13.5 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of domestic credit:
$14.11 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 87 $13.17 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$10.76 billion (31 December 2009) country comparison to the world: 66 $10.92 billion (31 December 2008)
$13.39 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
tea, coffee, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables; dairy products, beef, pork, poultry, eggs
Industries:
small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles, clothing, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural products, horticulture, oil refining; aluminum, steel, lead; cement, commercial ship repair, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
4% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 84
Electricity - production:
5.223 billion kWh (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 113
Electricity - consumption:
4.863 billion kWh (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 108
Electricity - exports:
58.3 million kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
22.5 million kWh (2007 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 160
Oil - consumption:
76,000 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 88
Oil - exports:
7,270 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 98
Oil - imports:
80,530 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 72
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 165
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: 126
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 82
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 157
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 159
Current account balance:
-$1.414 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 148 -$1.611 billion (2009 est.)
Exports:
$5.141 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 108 $4.459 billion (2009 est.)
Exports - commodities:
tea, horticultural products, coffee, petroleum products, fish, cement
Exports - partners:
UK 11.31%, Netherlands 9.81%, Uganda 9.07%, Tanzania 8.83%, US 5.93%, Pakistan 5.63% (2009)
Imports:
$10.4 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 87 $9.715 billion (2009 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products, motor vehicles, iron and steel, resins and plastics
Imports - partners:
India 11.67%, China 10.58%, UAE 9.32%, South Africa 8.36%, SaudiArabia 6.53%, US 6.25%, Japan 5.1% (2009)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$4.585 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 68 $3.85 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Debt - external:
$7.935 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 92 $7.795 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$2.337 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 85 $2.129 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$338 million (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 76 $288 million (31 December 2009 est.)
Exchange rates:
Kenyan shillings (KES) per US dollar - 79.217 (2010), 77.35 (2009), 68.358 (2008), 68.309 (2007), 72.101 (2006)
Communications ::Kenya
Telephones - main lines in use:
664,100 (2009) country comparison to the world: 90
Telephones - mobile cellular:
19.365 million (2009) 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: sole fixed-line 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 with teledensity reaching 50 per 100 persons in 2009
international: country code - 254; The East Africa Marine System (TEAMS) and the SEACOM undersea fiber-optic cable systems; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat
Broadcast media:
about a half-dozen privately-owned TV stations and a state-owned television broadcaster that operates 2 channels; satellite and cable TV subscription services are available; state-owned radio broadcaster operates 2 national radio channels and provides regional and local radio services in multiple languages; a large number of private radio broadcasters, including provincial stations broadcasting in local languages; transmissions of several international broadcasters are available (2007)
Internet country code:
.ke
Internet hosts:
47,676 (2010) country comparison to the world: 90
Internet users:
3.996 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 59
Transportation ::Kenya
Airports:
191 (2010) country comparison to the world: 33
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 17
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 1 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 174
1,524 to 2,437 m: 12
914 to 1,523 m: 107
under 914 m: 55 (2010)
Pipelines:
oil 4 km; refined products 928 km (2009)
Railways:
total: 2,778 km country comparison to the world: 60 narrow gauge: 2,778 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 160,886 km country comparison to the world: 32 paved: 11,197 km
unpaved: 149,689 km (2008)
Waterways:
the only significant inland waterway in the country is the part of Lake Victoria within the boundaries of Kenya; Kisumu is the main port and has ferry connections to Uganda and Tanzania (2010)
Merchant marine:
total: 1 country comparison to the world: 150 by type: petroleum tanker 1
registered in other countries: 5 (Comoros 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, Tuvalu 1, unknown 1) (2010)
Ports and terminals:
Kisumu, Mombasa
Military ::Kenya
Military branches:
Kenya Armed Forces: Kenya Army, Kenya Navy, Kenya Air Force (2010)
Military service age and obligation:
18-26 years of age for voluntary service (less than 18 with parental consent), with a 9-year obligation (7 years for Kenyan Navy); applicants must be Kenyan citizens and provide a national identity card (obtained at age 18) and a school-leaving certificate (2010)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 9,525,556
females age 16-49: 9,242,381 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 6,162,904
females age 16-49: 5,904,173 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 417,061
female: 412,438 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
2.8% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 51
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 January 20, 2011
======================================================================
@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 elevation 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:
99,482 (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 194
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) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 22.2 years
male: 21.4 years
female: 23 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.271% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 98
Birth rate:
23.06 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 72
Death rate:
7.48 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 119
Net migration rate:
-2.87 migrant(s)/1,000 population country comparison to the world: 184
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: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 40.13 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 66 male: 41.38 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 38.82 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 64.03 years country comparison to the world: 171 male: 61.68 years
female: 66.49 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.86 children born/woman (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 73
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 55%, Protestant 36%, Mormon 3.1%, Bahai 2.2%,Seventh-Day Adventist 1.9%, other 1.8% (2005 census)
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; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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 (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: the House of Parliament chooses the presidential candidates from among its members and then those candidates compete in a general election; president elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for two more terms); election last held on 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); members 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, AOSIS, 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 US 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 Pacific ocean; the white stripes represent the three island groups - the Gilbert, Line, and Phoenix Islands; the 17 rays of the sun represent the 16 Gilbert Islands and Banaba (formerly Ocean Island); the frigate bird symbolizes authority and freedom
National anthem:
name: "Teirake kaini Kiribati" (Stand Up, Kiribati)
lyrics/music: Urium Tamuera IOTEBA
note: adopted 1979
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):
$619.5 million (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 211 $610.4 million (2009 est.)
$614.7 million (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$152 million (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
1.5% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 170 -0.7% (2009 est.)
-1.1% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$6,200 (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 137 $6,200 (2009 est.)
$6,300 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 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: 216
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 2.7%
industry: 32%
services: 65.3% (2000)
Unemployment rate:
2% (1992 est.) country comparison to the world: 14
Population below poverty line:
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
0.2% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 11
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 (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 159
Oil - consumption:
NA bbl/day (2009 est.)
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 189
Oil - imports:
261 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 199
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 164
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 171
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 125
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) 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 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 158
Current account balance:
-$21 million (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 63
Exports:
$17 million (2004 est.) country comparison to the world: 208
Exports - commodities:
copra 62%, coconuts, seaweed, fish
Imports:
$62 million (2004 est.) country comparison to the world: 214
Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, miscellaneous manufactured goods, fuel
Debt - external:
$10 million (1999 est.) country comparison to the world: 190
Exchange rates:
Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.1151 (2010), 1.2822 (2009), 1.2059 (2008), 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006)
Communications ::Kiribati
Telephones - main lines in use:
4,000 (2009) country comparison to the world: 216
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1,000 (2009) country comparison to the world: 217
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)
Broadcast media:
1 television broadcast station that provides about 1 hour of local programming Monday-Friday; multi-channel TV packages provide access to Australian and US stations; 1 government-operated radio station broadcasting on AM, FM, and shortwave (2009)
Internet country code:
.ki
Internet hosts:
31 (2010) country comparison to the world: 214
Internet users:
7,800 (2009) country comparison to the world: 203
Transportation ::Kiribati
Airports:
19 (2010) country comparison to the world: 137
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 15
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 4 (2010)
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: 71 country comparison to the world: 61 by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 32, chemical tanker 6, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 11, refrigerated cargo 15
foreign-owned: 51 (China 28, Hong Kong 1, Italy 1, Singapore 11, South Korea 2, Taiwan 5, Turkey 3) (2010)
Ports and terminals:
Betio (Tarawa Atoll), Canton Island, English Harbor
Military ::Kiribati
Military branches:
no regular military forces (constitutionally prohibited); Police Force (2009)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 24,734 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 17,941
females age 16-49: 19,758 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 1,107
female: 1,083 (2010 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 January 12, 2011
======================================================================
@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 tests of nuclear devices 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
volcanism: Changbaishan (elev. 2,744 m, 9,003 ft) (also known as Baitoushan, Baegdu or P'aektu-san), on the Chinese border, is considered historically active
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:
22,757,275 (July 2010 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) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 33.9 years
male: 32.5 years
female: 35.2 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.389% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 165
Birth rate:
14.58 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 141
Death rate:
10.6 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 49
Net migration rate:
-0.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 126
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: 0.64 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 50.15 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 51 male: 57.39 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 42.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 64.13 years country comparison to the world: 170 male: 61.53 years
female: 66.89 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.94 children born/woman (2010 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 (Pyongyang)
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 most recently in 2009
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 2009 president of its Presidium also with responsibility of representing state and receiving diplomatic credentials
head of government: Premier CHOE Yong Rim (since 7 June 2010); Vice Premier HAN Kwang Bok (since 7 June 2010), Vice Premier JO Pyong Ju (since 7 June 2010), Vice Premier JON Ha Chol (since 7 June 2010), Vice Premier KANG Nung Su (since 7 June 2010), Vice Premier KIM Rak Hui (since 7 June 2010), Vice Premier PAK Su Gil (since 18 September 2009), Vice Premier RI Thae Nam (since 7 June 2010); Vice Premier RO Tu Chol (since 3 September 2003)