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Compare Congo, Democratic Republic of the (2008) - Korea, North (2003)

Compare Congo, Democratic Republic of the (2008) z Korea, North (2003)

 Congo, Democratic Republic of the (2008)Korea, North (2003)
 Congo, Democratic Republic of theKorea, North
Administrative divisions 10 provinces (provinces, singular - province) and 1 city* (ville); Bandundu, Bas-Congo, Equateur, Kasai-Occidental, Kasai-Oriental, Katanga, Kinshasa*, Maniema, Nord-Kivu, Orientale, Sud-Kivu


note: according to the Constitution adopted in December 2005, the current administrative divisions will be subdivided into 26 new provinces by 2009
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: 47.6% (male 15,718,614/female 15,557,058)


15-64 years: 49.9% (male 16,224,734/female 16,571,549)


65 years and over: 2.6% (male 680,313/female 999,244) (2007 est.)
0-14 years: 25% (male 2,845,727; female 2,763,800)


15-64 years: 67.8% (male 7,485,310; female 7,746,603)


65 years and over: 7.2% (male 541,155; female 1,083,886) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber, tea, quinine, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, bananas, root crops, corn, fruits; wood products rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; cattle, pigs, pork, eggs
Airports 237 (2007) 72 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways total: 26


over 3,047 m: 4


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 17


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 1 (2007)
total: 34


over 3,047 m: 5


2,438 to 3,047 m: 18


1,524 to 2,437 m: 5


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 3 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 211


1,524 to 2,437 m: 17


914 to 1,523 m: 95


under 914 m: 99 (2007)
total: 38


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 18


914 to 1,523 m: 11


under 914 m: 7 (2002)
Area total: 2,345,410 sq km


land: 2,267,600 sq km


water: 77,810 sq km
total: 120,540 sq km


land: 120,410 sq km


water: 130 sq km
Area - comparative slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US slightly smaller than Mississippi
Background Established as a Belgian colony in 1908, the Republic of the Congo gained its independence in 1960, but its early years were marred by political and social instability. Col. Joseph MOBUTU seized power and declared himself president in a November 1965 coup. He subsequently changed his name - to MOBUTU Sese Seko - as well as that of the country - to Zaire. MOBUTU retained his position for 32 years through several sham elections, as well as through the use of brutal force. Ethnic strife and civil war, touched off by a massive inflow of refugees in 1994 from fighting in Rwanda and Burundi, led in May 1997 to the toppling of the MOBUTU regime by a rebellion backed by Rwanda and Uganda and fronted by Laurent KABILA. He renamed the country the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), but in August 1998 his regime was itself challenged by a second insurrection again backed by Rwanda and Uganda. Troops from Angola, Chad, Namibia, Sudan, and Zimbabwe intervened to support KABILA's regime. A cease-fire was signed in July 1999 by the DRC, Congolese armed rebel groups, Angola, Namibia, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zimbabwe but sporadic fighting continued. Laurent KABILA was assassinated in January 2001 and his son, Joseph KABILA, was named head of state. In October 2002, the new president was successful in negotiating the withdrawal of Rwandan forces occupying eastern Congo; two months later, the Pretoria Accord was signed by all remaining warring parties to end the fighting and establish a government of national unity. A transitional government was set up in July 2003. Joseph KABILA as president and four vice presidents represented the former government, former rebel groups, the political opposition, and civil society. The transitional government held a successful constitutional referendum in December 2005 and elections for the presidency, National Assembly, and provincial legislatures in 2006. KABILA was inaugurated president in December 2006. The National Assembly was installed in September 2006. Its president, Vital KAMERHE, was chosen in December. Provincial assemblies were constituted in early 2007, and elected governors and national senators in January 2007. 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 42.96 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 17.61 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues: $700 million


expenditures: $2 billion (2006 est.)
revenues: $NA


expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Capital name: Kinshasa


geographic coordinates: 4 19 S, 15 18 E


time difference: UTC+1 (six hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Pyongyang
Climate tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler and drier in southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north of Equator - wet season (April to October), dry season (December to February); south of Equator - wet season (November to March), dry season (April to October) temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer
Coastline 37 km 2,495 km
Constitution 18 February 2006 adopted 1948, completely revised 27 December 1972, revised again in April 1992 and September 1998
Country name conventional long form: Democratic Republic of the Congo


conventional short form: none


local long form: Republique Democratique du Congo


local short form: none


former: Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Congo/Leopoldville, Congo/Kinshasa, Zaire


abbreviation: DRC
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 10.34 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 6.93 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $10 billion (2006 est.) $12 billion (1996 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador William GARVELINK


embassy: 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa


mailing address: Unit 31550, APO AE 09828


telephone: [243] (81) 556-0151


FAX: [243] (81) 556-0175
none (Swedish Embassy in P'yongyang represents the US as consular protecting power)
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Faida MITIFU


chancery: 1800 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009: note - Consular Office at 1726 M Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20036


telephone: [1] (202) 234-7690, 7691


FAX: [1] (202) 234-2609
none; note - North Korea has a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York
Disputes - international heads of the Great Lakes states and UN pledge to abate tribal, rebel, and militia fighting in the northeastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC); in 2006, the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) maintained over 18,000 uniformed peacekeepers in the region, first deployed in 1999; despite significant repatriation efforts by governments and international organizations, in 2006, Angolans, Rwandans, Sudanese, and residents of other neighboring states reside as refugees in the DROC; members of Uganda's Lords Resistance Army forces take refuge in DROC's Garamba National Park; the location of the boundary in the broad Congo River with the Republic of the Congo is indefinite except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area with China, certain islands in Yalu and Tumen rivers are in uncontested dispute; a section of boundary around Paektu-san (mountain) is indefinite; China objects to illegal migration of North Koreans into northern China; Military Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone has separated North from South Korea since 1953
Economic aid - recipient $1.828 billion (2005) $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 The economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - a nation endowed with vast potential wealth - is slowly recovering from two decades of decline. Conflict, which began in August 1998, dramatically reduced national output and government revenue, increased external debt, and resulted in the deaths of more than 3.5 million people from violence, famine, and disease. Foreign businesses curtailed operations due to uncertainty about the outcome of the conflict, lack of infrastructure, and the difficult operating environment. Conditions began to improve in late 2002 with the withdrawal of a large portion of the invading foreign troops. The transitional government reopened relations with international financial institutions and international donors, and President KABILA has begun implementing reforms, although progress is slow and the International Monetary Fund curtailed their program for the DRC at the end of March 2006 because of fiscal overruns. Much economic activity still occurs in the informal sector, and is not reflected in GDP data. Renewed activity in the mining sector, the source of most export income, boosted Kinshasa's fiscal position and GDP growth. Government reforms and improved security may lead to increased government revenues, outside budget assistance, and foreign direct investment, although an uncertain legal framework, corruption, and a lack of transparency in government policy are continuing long-term problems. 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, 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 the victim of 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 2003, heightened political tensions with key donor countries and general donor fatigue have held down the flow of desperately needed food aid and have threatened fuel aid as well.
Electricity - consumption 572 million kWh (2005) 27.91 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 418 million kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 352 million kWh (2005) 30.01 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 29%


hydro: 71%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Pic Marguerite on Mont Ngaliema (Mount Stanley) 5,110 m
lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m


highest point: Paektu-san 2,744 m
Environment - current issues poaching threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; deforestation; refugees responsible for significant deforestation, soil erosion, and wildlife poaching; mining of minerals (coltan - a mineral used in creating capacitors, diamonds, and gold) causing environmental damage water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; water-borne disease; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
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 over 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority are Bantu; the four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese
Exchange rates Congolese francs per US dollar - NA (2007), 464.69 (2006), 437.86 (2005), 401.04 (2004), 405.34 (2003) 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: President Joseph KABILA (since 17 January 2001); note - following the assassination of his father, Joseph KABILA succeeded to the presidency which he retained through the 2003-2006 transition; he was subsequently elected president in October 2006


head of government: Prime Minister Antoine GIZENGA (since 30 December 2006);


cabinet: Ministers of State appointed by the president


elections: under the new constitution the president is elected by popular vote to a five-year term (eligible for a second term); elections last held 30 July 2006 with a second round held on 29 October 2006 (next to be held in 2011); prime minister appointed by the president


election results: results of 29 October 2006 elections (second round); Joseph KABILA 58%, Jean-Pierre BEMBA Gombo 42%


note: Joseph KABILA succeeded his father, Laurent Desire KABILA, following the latter's assassination in January 2001; negotiations with rebel leaders led to the establishment of a transitional government in July 2003 with free elections held on 30 July 2006 and 29 October 2006 confirming Joseph KABILA as president
chief of state: KIM Chong-il (since NA July 1994); note - on 3 September 2003, KIM Chong-il was reelected Chairman of the National Defense Commission, a position accorded the nation's "highest administrative authority"; KIM Yong-nam was reelected President of the Supreme People's Assembly Presidium and given the responsibility of representing the state and receiving diplomatic credentials


head of government: Premier PAK Pong-chu (since 3 September 2003); Vice Premiers KWAK Pom-ki (since 5 September 1998), CHON Sung-hun (since 3 September 2003), NO Tu-chol (since 3 September 2003)


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 229,700 bbl/day (2004 est.) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities diamonds, copper, crude oil, coffee, cobalt minerals, metallurgical products, manufactures (including armaments); textiles and fishery products
Exports - partners Belgium 29.4%, China 21.1%, Brazil 12.3%, Chile 7.8%, Finland 7.2%, US 4.9% (2006) China 23.5%, Japan 19.9%, Costa Rica 12.4%, Brazil 6.5% (2002)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description sky blue field divided diagonally from the lower hoist corner to upper fly corner by a red stripe bordered by two narrow yellow stripes; a yellow, five-pointed star appears in the upper hoist corner 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 - $22.26 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 55%


industry: 11%


services: 34% (2000 est.)
agriculture: 30.4%


industry: 32.3%


services: 37.3% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $1,000 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 7% (2007 est.) 1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 0 00 N, 25 00 E 40 00 N, 127 00 E
Geography - note straddles equator; has very narrow strip of land that controls the lower Congo River and is only outlet to South Atlantic Ocean; dense tropical rain forest in central river basin and eastern highlands 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 (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs one of Africa's biggest producers of cannabis, but mostly for domestic consumption; while rampant corruption and inadequate supervision leaves the banking system vulnerable to money laundering, the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center -
Imports 8,220 bbl/day (2006 est.) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, mining and other machinery, transport equipment, fuels petroleum, coking coal, machinery and equipment; textiles, grain
Imports - partners South Africa 17.7%, Belgium 10.9%, France 8.5%, Zimbabwe 8.1%, Zambia 6.9%, Kenya 6.8%, Cote d'Ivoire 4.4% (2006) China 24.9%, Brazil 12.1%, India 9.2%, Thailand 9.2%, Germany 7.8%, Japan 7.1%, Singapore 4.5%, Qatar 4% (2002)
Independence 30 June 1960 (from Belgium) 15 August 1945 (from Japan)
Industrial production growth rate NA% NA%
Industries mining (diamonds, gold, copper, cobalt, coltan zinc), mineral processing, consumer products (including textiles, footwear, cigarettes, processed foods and beverages), cement, commercial ship repair 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: 65.52 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 71.55 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 59.32 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total: 25.66 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 27.45 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 23.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 18.2% (2006 est.) NA%
International organization participation ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CEPGL, COMESA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (suspended), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO 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 110 sq km (2003) 14,600 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Constitutional Court; Appeals Court or Cour de Cassation; Council of State; High Military Court; plus civil and military courts and tribunals Central Court (judges are elected by the Supreme People's Assembly)
Labor force 15 million (2006 est.) 9.6 million
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%
agricultural 36%, nonagricultural 64%
Land boundaries total: 10,730 km


border countries: Angola 2,511 km (of which 225 km is the boundary of Angola's discontiguous Cabinda Province), Burundi 233 km, Central African Republic 1,577 km, Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Rwanda 217 km, Sudan 628 km, Tanzania 459 km, Uganda 765 km, Zambia 1,930 km
total: 1,673 km


border countries: China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, Russia 19 km
Land use arable land: 2.86%


permanent crops: 0.47%


other: 96.67% (2005)
arable land: 14.12%


permanent crops: 2.49%


other: 83.39% (1998 est.)
Languages French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba Korean
Legal system a new constitution was adopted by referendum 18 December 2005; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations 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 bicameral legislature consists of a National Assembly (500 seats; 61 members elected by majority vote in single-member constituencies, 439 members elected by open list proportional-representation in multi-member constituencies; to serve five-year terms) and a Senate (108 seats; members elected by provincial assemblies to serve five-year terms)


elections: National Assembly - last held 30 July 2006 (next to be held in 2011); Senate - last held 19 January 2007 (next to be held by 2012)


election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPRD 111, MLC 64, PALU 34, MSR 27, FR 26, RCD 15, independents 63, others 160 (includes 63 political parties that won 10 or fewer seats); Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPRD 22, MLC 14, FR 7, RCD 7, PDC 6, CDC 3, MSR 3, PALU 2, independents 26, others 18 (political parties that won a single seat)
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: 57.2 years


male: 54.97 years


female: 59.5 years (2007 est.)
total population: 70.79 years


male: 68.1 years


female: 73.61 years (2003 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write French, Lingala, Kingwana, or Tshiluba


total population: 65.5%


male: 76.2%


female: 55.1% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write Korean


total population: 99%


male: 99%


female: 99%
Location Central Africa, northeast of Angola Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea
Map references Africa Asia
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: boundaries with neighbors
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: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 1,004 GRT/1,640 DWT


by type: petroleum tanker 1


foreign-owned: 1 (Congo, Republic of the 1) (2007)
total: 149 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 881,276 GRT/1,309,547 DWT


ships by type: bulk 8, cargo 120, combination bulk 2, container 1, multi-functional large-load carrier 1, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 8, refrigerated cargo 4, 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 branches Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC): Army, Navy, Congolese Air Force (Force Aerienne Congolaise, FAC) (2008) 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 2.5% (2006) 33.9% (FY02)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 6,103,615 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 3,654,223 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 180,875 (2003 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 30 June (1960) Founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), 9 September (1948)
Nationality noun: Congolese (singular and plural)


adjective: Congolese or Congo
noun: Korean(s)


adjective: Korean
Natural hazards periodic droughts in south; Congo River floods (seasonal); in the east, in the Great Rift Valley, there are active volcanoes late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall
Natural resources cobalt, copper, niobium, tantalum, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, uranium, coal, hydropower, timber coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower
Net migration rate 1.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines gas 62 km; oil 71 km (2007) oil 136 km (2003)
Political parties and leaders Christian Democrat Party or PDC [Jose ENDUNDO]; Congolese Rally for Democracy or RCD [Azarias RUBERWA]; Convention of Christian Democrats or CDC; Forces of Renewal or FR [Mbusa NYAMWISI]; Movement for the Liberation of the Congo or MLC [Jean-Pierre BEMBA]; People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy or PPRD [Joseph KABILA]; Social Movement for Renewal or MSR [Pierre LUMBI]; Unified Lumumbist Party or PALU [Antoine GIZENGA]; Union for Democracy and Social Progress or UDPS [Etienne TSHISEKEDI]; Union of Mobutuist Democrats or UDEMO [MOBUTU Nzanga] Chondoist Chongu Party [YU Mi-yong, chairwoman]; 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 NA
Population 65,751,512


note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.)
22,466,481 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% NA%
Population growth rate 3.39% (2007 est.) 1.07% (2003 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 3, FM 11, shortwave 2 (2001) AM 16, FM 14, shortwave 12 (1999)
Railways total: 5,138 km


narrow gauge: 3,987 km 1.067-m gauge (858 km electrified); 125 km 1.000-m gauge; 1,026 km 0.600-m gauge (2006)
total: 5,214 km


standard gauge: 4,549 km 1.435-m gauge (3,500 km electrified)


narrow gauge: 665 km 0.762-m gauge (2002)
Religions Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other (includes syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs) 10% 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: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.979 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.681 male(s)/female


total population: 0.985 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
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: 0.5 male(s)/female


total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal and compulsory 17 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: Inadequate; state-owned fixed-line operator has been unable to expand fixed-line connections and there are now fewer than 10,000 connections; given the backdrop of a wholly inadequate fixed-line infrastructure, the use of cellular services has surged and subscribership now exceeds 4 million - roughly 7 per 100 persons


domestic: barely adequate wire and microwave radio relay service in and between urban areas; domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations


international: country code - 243; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
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 9,700 (2006) 1.1 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 4.415 million (2006) NA
Television broadcast stations 4 (2001) 38 (1999)
Terrain vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east
Total fertility rate 6.37 children born/woman (2007 est.) 2.25 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% NA%
Waterways 15,000 km (2005) 2,253 km


note: mostly navigable by small craft only
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