Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2006) - Korea, North (2002)

Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2006) z Korea, North (2002)

	British Indian Ocean Territory (2006)	Korea, North (2002)

Administrative divisions	-	9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 4 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), Najin Sonbong-si, Namp'o-si (Namp'o City), P'yongan-bukto (North P'yongan Province), P'yongan-namdo (South P'yongan Province), P'yongyang-si* (Pyongyang City), Yanggang-do (Yanggang Province)
Age structure	-	0-14 years: 25.4% (male 2,888,478; female 2,747,133) 15-64 years: 67.4% (male 7,380,183; female 7,612,275) 65 years and over: 7.2% (male 527,256; female 1,068,870) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products	-	rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; cattle, pigs, pork, eggs
Airports	1 (2006)	87 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2006)	total: 39 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 26 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways	-	total: 48 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 24 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 8 (2002)
Area	total: 54,400 sq km land: 60 sq km; Diego Garcia 44 sq km water: 54,340 sq km note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago of 55 islands	total: 120,540 sq km land: 120,410 sq km water: 130 sq km
Area - comparative	land area is 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 that had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia.	Following World War II, Korea was split with the northern half coming under Communist domination and the southern portion becoming Western oriented. 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, chemical, and biological weapons and massive conventional armed forces are of major concern to the international community. In December 2002, North Korea repudiated a 1994 agreement that shut down its nuclear reactors and expelled UN monitors, further raising fears it would produce nuclear weapons.
Birth rate	-	17.95 births/1,000 population (2002 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	-	6.96 deaths/1,000 population (2002 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 P'yongyang represents the US as consular protecting power)
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	none; note - North Korea has a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York
Disputes - international	Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia; in 2001 the former inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago, evicted in 1965 and now residing chiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation; the UK resists the Chagossians' demand for an immediate return to the islands; repatriation is complicated by the exclusive US military lease of Diego Garcia that restricts access to the largest island in the chain;	33-km section of boundary with China in the Paektu-san (mountain) area is indefinite; Demarcation Line with South Korea
Economic aid - recipient	-	$NA; note - nearly $300 million in food aid alone from US, South Korea, Japan, and EU in 2001 plus much additional aid from the UN 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. The country makes money by selling fishing licenses and postage stamps.	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. Despite a good harvest in 2001, the nation faces its ninth year of food shortages because of a lack of arable land; collective farming; 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 mass starvation since 1995-96, but the population remains vulnerable to prolonged malnutrition and deteriorating living conditions. Large-scale military spending eats up resources needed for investment and civilian consumption. Recently, the regime has placed emphasis on earning hard currency, developing information technology, addressing power shortages, and attracting foreign aid, but in no way at the expense of relinquishing central control over key national assets or undergoing widespread market-oriented reforms. In 2002, heightened political tensions with key donor countries and general donor fatigue have held down the flow of desperately needed food aid and threaten fuel aid as well.
Electricity - consumption	NA kWh	31.062 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports	-	0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports	-	0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - production	NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military	33.4 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source	-	fossil fuel: 33% hydro: 67% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000)
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: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, 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 - 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 - 200 (December 2001)
Executive branch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Commissioner Tony CROMBIE (since January 2004); Administrator Tony HUMPHRIES (since February 2005); 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 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); Vice Premiers CHO Ch'ang-tok (since NA), KWAK Pom-ki (since NA), Sin IL-nam (since NA April 2002) 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%
Exports	-	$826 million f.o.b. (2001 est.)
Exports - commodities	-	minerals, metallurgical products, manufactures (including armaments); textiles and fishery products
Exports - partners	-	Japan 36.3%, South Korea 21.5%, China 5.2% (2000)
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 - $22 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	-	agriculture: 30% industry: 32% services: 37% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $1,000 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-	1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	6 00 S, 71 30 E; note - Diego Garcia 7 20 S, 72 25 E	40 00 N, 127 00 E
Geography - note	archipelago of 55 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
Highways	-	total: 31,200 km paved: 1,997 km unpaved: 29,203 km (1996)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	-	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports	-	$1.874 billion c.i.f. (2001 est.)
Imports - commodities	-	petroleum, coking coal, machinery and equipment; textiles, grain
Imports - partners	-	China 26.7%, South Korea 16.2%, Japan 12.3% (2000)
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	-	22.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-	NA%
International organization participation	-	ARF (dialogue partner), ESCAP, 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	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: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)	arable land: 14.12% permanent crops: 2.49% other: 83.39% (1998 est.)
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 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
Life expectancy at birth	-	total population: 71.3 years male: 68.31 years female: 74.44 years (2002 est.)
Literacy	-	definition: age 15 and over can read and write Korean total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (1990 est.)
Location	archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, 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	territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 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: 122 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 738,886 GRT/1,037,506 DWT ships by type: bulk 4, cargo 102, combination bulk 1, multi-functional large-load carrier 1, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 6, refrigerated cargo 3, short-sea passenger 2 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Denmark 1, Greece 2, Pakistan 1, Singapore 1 (2002 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	-	$5,124.1 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	31.3% (FY01)
Military manpower - availability	-	males age 15-49: 6,032,376 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	-	males age 15-49: 3,619,535 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - military age	-	18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually	-	males: 179,136 (2002 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 (2002 est.)
Pipelines	-	crude oil 37 km; petroleum product 180 km
Political parties and leaders	-	Chondoist Chongu Party [YU Mi-yong, chairwoman]; Korean Social Democratic Party [KIM Yong-tae, chairman]; major party - Korean Workers' Party or KWP [KIM Chong-il, General Secretary]
Political pressure groups and leaders	-	NA
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 in the 1960s and 1970s; in November 2000 they were granted the right of return by a British High Court ruling, though no timetable has been set; in November 2004, there were approximately 4,000 UK and US military personnel and civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia (July 2006 est.)	22,224,195 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	NA%
Population growth rate	-	1.1% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	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	-	3.36 million (1997)
Railways	-	total: 5,000 km standard gauge: 4,095 km 1.435-m gauge (3,500 km electrified; 159 km double-tracked) narrow gauge: 665 km 0.762-m gauge dual gauge: 240 km 1.435-m and 1.600-m gauges (three rails provide two gauges) (1996)
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: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.49 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2002 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: 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 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	NA
Television broadcast stations	1 (1997)	38 (1999)
Terrain	flat and low (most areas do not exceed two meters in elevation)	mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east
Total fertility rate	-	2.22 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate	-	NA%
Waterways	-	2,253 km note: mostly navigable by small craft only

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