Map of North Korea | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: Following World War II Korea was split into a northern communist half and a southern Western-oriented half. KIM Chong-il has ruled North Korea since his father and the country's founder president KIM Il-song died in 1994. After decades of mismanagement the North relies heavily on international food aid to feed its population while continuing to expend resources to maintain an army of about 1 million. North Korea's long-range missile development and research into nuclear and chemical weapons are of major concern to the international community.


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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 reference: Asia

Area
Total: 120,540 km²
Land: 120,410 km²
Water: 130 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Mississippi

Land boundaries
Total: 1,673 km
Border countries: (3) 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 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
Extremes 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: 14%
Permanent crops: 2%
Permanent pastures: 0%
Forests and woodland: 61%
Other: 23% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 14,600 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall

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


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Population: 21,968,228 (July 2000 est.)
Growth rate: 1.22% (2000 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Korean
Adjective: Korean

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

Languages: Korean

Religions
Note: autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent; government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of religious freedom

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 25.52% (male 2,873,390; female 2,733,163)
15-64 years: 67.63% (male 7,301,531; female 7,556,554)
65 years and over: 6.85% (male 486,805; female 1,016,785) (2000 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 1.22% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 19.1 births/1000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 6.92 deaths/1000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2000 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; water-borne disease; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation
International agreements party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
International agreements signed but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male/female
65 years and over: 0.48 male/female
Total population: 0.94 male/female (2000 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 23.55 deaths/1000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 71.02 years
Male: 68.04 years
Female: 74.15 years (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.26 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA%
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write Korean
Total population: 99%
Male: 99%
Female: 99% (1990 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
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: authoritarian socialist; one-man dictatorship

Capital: P'yongyang

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

Dependent areas

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 17 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: KIM Chong-il (since NA July 1994); note - in September 1998, KIM Chong-il was reelected Chairman of the National Defense Commission, a position accorded the nation's 'highest administrative authority'; KIM Yong-nam was named President of the Supreme People's Assembly Presidium and given the responsibility of representing the state and receiving diplomatic credentials
Head of government: Premier HONG Song-nam (since 5 September 1998)
Cabinet: Cabinet (Naegak), members, except for the Minister of People's Armed Forces, are appointed by the Supreme People's Assembly
Elections: premier elected by the Supreme People's Assembly; election last held NA September 1998 (next to be held NA)
Election results: HONG Song-nam elected premier; percent of Supreme People's Assembly vote - NA%

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 26 July 1998 (next to be held NA 2003)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - the KWP approves a single list of candidates who are elected without opposition; minor parties hold a few seats

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

Political parties and leaders: Chondoist Chongu Party [YU Mi-yong chairwoman]; Korean Social Democratic Party [KIM Pyong-sik chairman]; major party - Korean Workers' Party or KWP [KIM Chong-il General Secretary]

International organization participation: ARF (dialogue partner) ESCAP FAO G-77 ICAO ICRM IFAD IFRCS IHO IMO Intelsat (nonsignatory user) IOC ISO ITU NAM UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none; note - North Korea has a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York headed by YI Hyong-chol
From the us: none (Swedish Embassy in P'yongyang 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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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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. The nation faces its seventh year of food shortages because of weather-related problems including major drought in 2000 and chronic shortages of fertilizer and fuel. Massive international food aid deliveries have allowed the regime to escape the major consequence of spreading economic failure such as mass starvation but the population remains vulnerable to prolonged malnutrition and deteriorating living conditions. Large-scale military spending eats up resources needed for expanding investment and consumption goods. In 2000 the regime placed emphasis on expanding foreign trade links embracing modern technology and attracting foreign investment but in no way at the expense of relinquishing central control over key national assets or undergoing market-oriented reforms.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: -3% (2000 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $1000 (2000 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 30%
Industry: 42%
Services: 28% (1999 est.)

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%

Labor force: 9.6 million
By occupation agricultural: 36% nonagricultural 64%

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $NA
Expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: NA%

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: $520 million (f.o.b. 1999 est.)
Commodities: minerals metallurgical products manufactures (including armaments); agricultural and fishery products
Partners: Japan 28% South Korea 21% China 5% Germany 4% Russia 1% (1995)

Imports: $960 million (c.i.f. 1999 est.)
Commodities: petroleum coking coal machinery and equipment; consumer goods grain
Partners: China 33% Japan 17% Russia 5% South Korea 4% Germany 3% (1995)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $12 billion (1996 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: official: North Korean won (Wn) per US$1 - 2.15 (May 1994) 2.13 (May 1992) 2.14 (September 1991) 2.1 (January 1990) 2.3 (December 1989); market: North Korean won (Wn) per US$1 - 200


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Electricity
Production: 28.6 billion kWh (1999)
Production by source fossil fuel: 34.62%
Production by source hydro: 65.38%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1999)
Consumption: 26.598 billion kWh (1999)
Exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 1.1 million (1995)
Mobile cellular: 0 (1999)

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet
Service providers isps: NA

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $3.7 billion to $4.9 billion (FY98 est.)
Percent of gdp: 25% to 33% (FY98 est.)

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: 49 (1994 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil 37 km; petroleum product 180 km

Railways

Roadways

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

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: 33-km section of boundary with China in the Paektu-san (mountain) area is indefinite; Demarcation Line with South Korea

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs