Map of North Korea | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | More stats

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Background: At the end of World War II, the US and the Soviet Union agreed that US troops would accept the surrender of Japanese forces south of the 38th parallel and the Soviet Union would do so in the north. In 1948, the UN proposed nationwide elections; after P'yongyang's refusal to allow UN inspectors in the north, elections were held in the south and the Republic of Korea was established. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea was established the following month in the north. Communist North Korean forces invaded South Korea in 1950. US and other UN forces intervened to defend the South and Chinese forces intervened on behalf of the North. After a bitter three-year war, an armistice was signed in 1953, establishing a military demarcation line near the 38th parallel. The North's heavy investment in military forces has produced an army of 1 million troops equipped with thousands of tanks and artillery pieces. Despite growing economic hardships, North Korea continues to devote a significant portion of its scarce resources to the military.


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area

Land boundaries:

Coastline: 2,495 km

Maritime claims
Extended economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Military boundary line: 50 nm (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

Natural resources: coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower

Land use: 18% arable land; 1% permanent crops; NEGL% meadows and pastures; 74% forest and woodland; 7% other; includes 9% irrigated

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography
Note: strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and USSR Korea, North Korea, North Korea, North


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Population: 22,521,223 (July 1989), growth rate 2.4% (1989)

Nationality: noun - Korean(s; adjective - Korean

Ethnic groups: racially homogeneous

Languages: Korean

Religions: Buddhism and Confucianism; religious activities now almost nonexistent

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 29 births/1000 population (1989)

Death rate: 5 deaths/1000 population (1989)

Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1000 population (1989)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: mountainous interior is isolated, nearly inaccessible, and sparsely populated; late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 32 deaths/1000 live births (July 1989)

Life expectancy at birth: 67 years male, 73 years female (July 1989)

Total fertility rate: 3.5 children born/woman (1989)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: 95% (est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name: conventional long form: Democratic People's Republic of Korea; abbreviated DPRK

Government type: Communist state; one-man rule

Capital: P'yongyang

Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 3 special cities* (jikhalsi, singular and plural; Chagang-do, Hamgyong-namdo, Hamgyong-bukto, Hwanghae-namdo, Hwanghae-bukto, Kaesong-si*, Kangwon-do, Namp'o-si*, P'yongan-bukto, P'yongan-namdo, P'yongyang-si*, Yanggang-do

Dependent areas

Independence: 9 September 1948

National holiday: Independence Day, 9 September (1948)

Constitution: adopted 1948, revised 27 December 1972

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: universal at age 17

Executive branch: Chief of State - President KIM Il-song (since 28 December 1972; Designated Successor KIM Jon Il (son of President, born 16 February 1942; Head of Government - Premier YON Hyong-muk (since NA December 1988)

Legislative branch: Ministry of People's Armed Forces (consists of the army, navy, and air force)

Judicial branch

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: FAO, G-77, IAEA, ICAO, IPU, ITU, NAM, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO; official observer status at UN

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none

Flag description: three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue; the red band is edged in white; on the hoist side of the red band is a white disk with a red five-pointed star Korea, North Korea, North Korea, North

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: More than 90% of the economy is socialized, agricultural land is collectivized, and state-owned industry produces 95% of manufactured goods. State control of economic affairs is unusually tight even for a Communist country because of the small size and homogeneity of the society and the strict one-man rule of Kim. Economic growth during the period 1984-88 has averaged approximately 3%. Abundant natural resources and hydropower form the basis of industrial development. Output of the extractive industries includes coal, iron ore, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, and precious metals. Manufacturing emphasis is centered on heavy industry, with light industry lagging far behind. The use of high-yielding seed varieties, expansion of irrigation, and the heavy use of fertilizers have enabled North Korea to become largely self-sufficient in food production. North Korea, however, is far behind South Korea in economic development and living standards.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: corn, rice, vegetables; food shortages - meat, fish, cooking oils

Industries: machine building, military products, electric power, chemicals, mining, metallurgy, textiles, food processing

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 6,100,000; 48% agricultural, 52% nonagricultural; shortage of skilled and unskilled labor (1980)

Unemployment rate: officially none

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $15.2 billion; expenditures $15.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1988)

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year Korea, North Korea, NorthKorea, North

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $2.4 billion (f.o.b., 1988)
Commodities: minerals, metallurgical products, agricultural products, manufactures
Partners: USSR, China, Japan, FRG, Hong Kong, Singapore

Imports: $3.1 billion (f.o.b., 1988)
Commodities: petroleum, machinery and equipment, coking coal, grain
Partners: USSR, Japan, China, FRG, Hong Kong, Singapore

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $2.5 billion hard currency (1988)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: North Korean won (Wn) per US$1 - 2.13 (December 1988), 0.94 (March 1987), NA (1986), NA (1985)


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Electricity access

Electricity production

Electricity consumption

Electricity exports

Electricity imports

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: NA Korea, North Korea, North Korea, North

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 50 total, 50 usable; about 30 with permanent-surface runways; fewer than 5 with runways over 3,659 m; 20 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 30 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil, 37 km

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 2,253 km; mostly navigable by small craft only

Merchant marine: 68 ships (1,000 GRT and over) totaling 469,683 GRT/706,207 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 2 short-sea passenger, 1 passenger-cargo, 56 cargo, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 5 bulk, 1 combination bulk

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: short section of boundary with China is indefinite; Demarcation Line with South Korea

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs