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Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2002) - Korea, North (2004)

Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2002) z Korea, North (2004)

 British Indian Ocean Territory (2002)Korea, North (2004)
 British Indian Ocean TerritoryKorea, North
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)
Age structure - 0-14 years: 24.6% (male 2,836,991; female 2,755,127)


15-64 years: 67.8% (male 7,575,590; female 7,812,878)


65 years and over: 7.6% (male 583,463; female 1,133,504) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products - rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; cattle, pigs, pork, eggs
Airports 1 (2001) 78 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


over 3,047 m: 1 (2002)
total: 35


over 3,047 m: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 23


1,524 to 2,437 m: 5


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 3 (2003 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 (2003 est.)
Area total: 60 sq km


land: 60 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago
total: 120,540 sq km


land: 120,410 sq km


water: 130 sq km
Area - comparative about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC slightly smaller than Mississippi
Background Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local immigration order which had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia. 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 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 KIM's future successor in 1980 and assumed a growing political and managerial role until his father's death in 1994, when 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 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, 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), and in January 2003 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." Since August 2003 North Korea has participated in six-party talks with the United States, China, South Korea, Japan, and Russia to resolve the stalemate over its nuclear programs.
Birth rate - 16.77 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget - revenues: NA


expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA
Capital - Pyongyang
Climate tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer
Coastline 698 km 2,495 km
Constitution - adopted 1948, completely revised 27 December 1972, revised again in April 1992 and September 1998
Country name conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory


conventional short form: none


abbreviation: BIOT
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
Currency - North Korean won (KPW)
Death rate - 6.99 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external - $12 billion (1996 est.)
Dependency status overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London -
Diplomatic representation from the US none (overseas territory of the UK) none (Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang represents the US as consular protecting power)
Diplomatic representation in the US none (overseas territory of the UK) none; North Korea has a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York
Disputes - international Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago and its former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius, but in 2001 were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation since eviction in 1965; repatriation is complicated by the US military lease of Diego Garcia, the largest island in the chain with China, certain islands in Yalu and Tumen rivers are in uncontested dispute; a section of boundary around Paektu-san (mountain) is indefinite; China has been attempting to stop mass illegal migration of North Koreans escaping famine, economic privation, and oppression into northern China; Military Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone has separated North from South Korea since 1953; periodic maritime disputes with South Korea
Economic aid - recipient - $NA; note - over $133 million in food aid through the World Food Program in 2003 plus additional aid from bilateral donors and non-governmental organizations
Economy - overview All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where joint UK-US defense facilities are located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installations are done by military and contract employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing. 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 tenth 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 1995-96, 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 2003, heightened political tensions with key donor countries and general donor fatigue threatened the flow of desperately needed food aid and fuel aid as well. Black market prices 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. The regime, however, relaxed restrictions on farmers' market activities in spring 2003, leading to an expansion of market activity.
Electricity - consumption NA kWh 27.91 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports - 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports - 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military 30.01 billion kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m
lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m


highest point: Paektu-san 2,744 m
Environment - current issues NA water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; water-borne 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
Ethnic groups - racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese
Exchange rates - official: North Korean won per US dollar - 150 (December 2002), 2.15 (December 2001), 2.15 (May 1994), 2.13 (May 1992), 2.14 (September 1991), 2.1 (January 1990); market: North Korean won per US dollar - 300-600 (December 2002), 200 (December 2001)
Executive branch chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)


head of government: Commissioner Alan HUCKLE (since 2001); Administrator Louise SAVILL (since NA); note - both reside in the UK


cabinet: NA


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch
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
Exports - NA (2001)
Exports - commodities - minerals, metallurgical products, manufactures (including armaments); textiles and fishery products
Exports - partners - South Korea 28.5%, China 28.4%, Japan 24.7% (2002)
Fiscal year - calendar year
Flag description white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag 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
GDP - purchasing power parity - $29.58 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector - agriculture: 30.2%


industry: 33.8%


services: 36% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $1,300 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate - 1% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates 6 00 S, 71 30 E 40 00 N, 127 00 E
Geography - note archipelago of 2,300 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia; mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated
Heliports - 19 (2003 est.)
Highways total: NA km


paved: short stretch of paved road of NA km between port and airfield on Diego Garcia


unpaved: NA km
total: 31,200 km


paved: 1,997 km


unpaved: 29,203 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share - lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
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
Imports - NA (2001)
Imports - commodities - petroleum, coking coal, machinery and equipment; textiles, grain
Imports - partners - China 39.7%, Thailand 14.6%, Japan 11.2%, Germany 7.6%, South Korea 6.2% (2002)
Independence - 15 August 1945 (from Japan)
Industrial production growth rate - NA
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
Infant mortality rate - total: 24.84 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 26.59 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 23 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) - NA (2003 est.)
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
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2000) -
Irrigated land 0 sq km (1998 est.) 14,600 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch - Central Court (judges are elected by the Supreme People's Assembly)
Labor force - 9.6 million
Labor force - by occupation - agricultural 36%, nonagricultural 64%
Land boundaries 0 km total: 1,673 km


border countries: China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, Russia 19 km
Land use arable land: NEGL


permanent crops: 0%


other: 100% (1998 est.)
arable land: 20.76%


permanent crops: 2.49%


other: 76.75% (2001)
Languages - Korean
Legal system the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply 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
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; the KWP approves a list of candidates who are elected without opposition; some seats are held by minor parties
Life expectancy at birth - total population: 71.08 years


male: 68.38 years


female: 73.92 years (2004 est.)
Literacy - definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 99%


male: 99%


female: 99%
Location Southern Asia, archipelago in the Indian Ocean, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea
Map references Political Map of the World Asia
Maritime claims exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 3 NM
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
Merchant marine - total: 203 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 921,577 GRT/1,339,929 DWT


by type: bulk 6, cargo 166, combination bulk 2, container 3, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 3, multi-functional large load carrier 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 11, refrigerated cargo 6, roll on/roll off 2, short-sea/passenger 1


foreign-owned: Albania 1, Belize 1, Bolivia 1, Cambodia 3, Cyprus 1, Egypt 3, Germany 1, Greece 4, Italy 1, Lebanon 2, Marshall Islands 1, Pakistan 1, Portugal 1, Romania 8, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Syria 9, Tanzania 1, Tunisia 1, Turkey 5, Ukraine 2, United States 3


registered in other countries: 4 (2004 est.)
Military - note defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016 -
Military branches - Korean People's Army (includes Army, Navy, Air Force), Civil Security Forces
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $5,217.4 million (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - 22.9% (2003)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 6,181,038 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 3,694,855 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 189,014 (2004 est.)
National holiday - Founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), 9 September (1948)
Nationality - noun: Korean(s)


adjective: Korean
Natural hazards NA late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall
Natural resources coconuts, fish, sugarcane coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower
Net migration rate - 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Pipelines - oil 154 km (2004)
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
Population no indigenous inhabitants


note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles around the time of the construction of UK-US military facilities; in 2001, there were approximately 1,500 UK and US military personnel and 2,000 civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia (July 2002 est.)
22,697,553 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line - NA
Population growth rate - 0.98% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors Diego Garcia Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam (Hamhung), Kimch'aek, Kosong, Najin, Namp'o, Sinuiju, Songnim, Sonbong (formerly Unggi), Ungsang, Wonsan
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 16, FM 14, shortwave 12 (1999)
Radios NA -
Railways - total: 5,214 km


standard gauge: 5,214 km 1.435-m gauge (3,500 km electrified) (2003)
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
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: 0.52 male(s)/female


total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage - 17 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available


domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet


international: international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)
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
Telephones - main lines in use NA 1.1 million (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular - NA
Television broadcast stations 1 (1997) 38 (1999)
Terrain flat and low (most areas do not exceed four meters in elevation) mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east
Total fertility rate - 2.2 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate - NA (2003)
Waterways none 2,250 km


note: most navigable only by small craft (2004)
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