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Compare Dominican Republic (2002) - Korea, North (2005)

Compare Dominican Republic (2002) z Korea, North (2005)

 Dominican Republic (2002)Korea, North (2005)
 Dominican RepublicKorea, North
Administrative divisions 29 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 district* (distrito); Azua, Baoruco, Barahona, Dajabon, Distrito Nacional*, Duarte, Elias Pina, El Seibo, Espaillat, Hato Mayor, Independencia, La Altagracia, La Romana, La Vega, Maria Trinidad Sanchez, Monsenor Nouel, Monte Cristi, Monte Plata, Pedernales, Peravia, Puerto Plata, Salcedo, Samana, Sanchez Ramirez, San Cristobal, San Juan, San Pedro de Macoris, Santiago, Santiago Rodriguez, Valverde 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: 33.7% (male 1,503,344; female 1,439,157)


15-64 years: 61.3% (male 2,720,308; female 2,621,539)


65 years and over: 5% (male 206,556; female 230,690) (2002 est.)
0-14 years: 24.2% (male 2,816,844/female 2,735,478)


15-64 years: 67.9% (male 7,668,581/female 7,883,267)


65 years and over: 7.9% (male 625,819/female 1,182,188) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; cattle, pigs, dairy products, beef, eggs rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; cattle, pigs, pork, eggs
Airports 29 (2001) 78 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 13


over 3,047 m: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3


1,524 to 2,437 m: 3


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 1 (2002)
total: 35


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 23


1,524 to 2,437 m: 6


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 17


1,524 to 2,437 m: 3


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 10 (2002)
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 (2004 est.)
Area total: 48,730 sq km


land: 48,380 sq km


water: 350 sq km
total: 120,540 sq km


land: 120,410 sq km


water: 130 sq km
Area - comparative slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire slightly smaller than Mississippi
Background Explored and claimed by Columbus on his first voyage in 1492, the island of Hispaniola became a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland. In 1697, Spain recognized French dominion over the western third of the island, which in 1804 became Haiti. The remainder of the island, by then known as Santo Domingo, sought to gain its own independence in 1821, but was conquered and ruled by the Haitians for 22 years; it finally attained independence as the Dominican Republic in 1844. A legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative, rule for much of its subsequent history was brought to an end in 1966 when Joaquin BALAGUER became president. He maintained a tight grip on power for most of the next 30 years when international reaction to flawed elections forced him to curtail his term in 1996. Since then, regular competitive elections have been held in which opposition candidates have won the presidency. The Dominican economy has had one of the fastest growth rates in the hemisphere. 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. It 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 successor in 1980 and assumed a growing political and managerial role until his father's death in 1994. 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 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). In January 2003, it 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." From August 2003, North Korea has participated on and off in six-party talks with the China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, and the United States to resolve the stalemate over its nuclear programs.
Birth rate 24.4 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) 16.09 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues: $2.9 billion


expenditures: $3.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.1 billion (2001 est.)
revenues: NA


expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA
Capital Santo Domingo Pyongyang
Climate tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer
Coastline 1,288 km 2,495 km
Constitution 28 November 1966 adopted 1948; completely revised 27 December 1972, revised again in April 1992, and September 1998
Country name conventional long form: Dominican Republic


conventional short form: none


local long form: Republica Dominicana


local short form: none
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 Dominican peso (DOP) -
Death rate 4.68 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) 7.05 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external $5.4 billion (2001 est.) $12 billion (1996 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Hans H. HERTELL


embassy: corner of Calle Cesar Nicolas Penson and Calle Leopoldo Navarro, Santo Domingo


mailing address: Unit 5500, APO AA 34041-5500


telephone: [1] (809) 221-2171


FAX: [1] (809) 686-7437
none (Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang represents the US as consular protecting power)
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Hugo GUILIANI Cury


chancery: 1715 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 332-6280


FAX: [1] (202) 265-8057


consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Jacksonville, Mayaguez (Puerto Rico), Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)


consulate(s): Mobile and Ponce (Puerto Rico)
none; North Korea has a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York
Disputes - international none China seeks to stem illegal migration of tens of thousands of North Koreans escaping famine, economic privation, and political oppression; North Korea and China dispute the sovereignty of certain islands in Yalu and Tumen rivers and a section of boundary around Paektu-san (mountain) is indefinite; Military Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone has separated North from South Korea since 1953; periodic maritime disputes with South over the Northern Limit Line; North Korea supports South Korea in rejecting Japan's claim to Liancourt Rocks (Tok-do/Take-shima)
Economic aid - recipient $239.6 million (1995) (1995) NA; note - over $117 million in food aid through the World Food Program in 2003 plus additional aid from bilateral donors and non-governmental organizations
Economy - overview The Dominican economy experienced dramatic growth over the last decade, even though the economy was hit hard by Hurricane Georges in 1998. Although the country has long been viewed primarily as an exporter of sugar, coffee, and tobacco, in recent years the service sector has overtaken agriculture as the economy's largest employer, due to growth in tourism and free trade zones. The country suffers from marked income inequality; the poorest half of the population receives less than one-fifth of GNP, while the richest 10% enjoy 40% of national income. A US $500 million foreign bond issue in September 2001 will contribute to increased public investment spending. 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 eleventh 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, 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 July 2002, the government took limited steps toward a freer market economy. In 2004, heightened political tensions with key donor countries and general donor fatigue threatened the flow of desperately needed food aid and fuel aid. Black market prices have 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. In 2004, the regime allowed private markets to sell a wider range of goods and permitted private farming on an experimental basis in an effort to boost agricultural output. Firm political control remains the Communist government's overriding concern, which will constrain any further loosening of economic regulations.
Electricity - consumption 8,812.029 million kWh (2000) 31.26 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2000) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2000) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production 9.475 billion kWh (2000) 33.62 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 87%


hydro: 13%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2000)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point: Lago Enriquillo -46 m


highest point: Pico Duarte 3,175 m
lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m


highest point: Paektu-san 2,744 m
Environment - current issues water shortages; soil eroding into the sea damages coral reefs; deforestation; Hurricane Georges damage water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; waterborne disease; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution


signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution


signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Ethnic groups white 16%, black 11%, mixed 73% racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese
Exchange rates Dominican pesos per US dollar - 17.310 (January 2002), 16.952 (2001), 16.415 (2000), 16.033 (1999), 15.267 (1998), 14.265 (1997) official: North Korean won per US dollar - 170 (December 2004), 150 (December 2002), 2.15 (December 2001); market: North Korean won per US dollar - 300-600 (December 2002)
Executive branch chief of state: President Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez (since 16 August 2000); Vice President Milagros ORTIZ-BOSCH (since 16 August 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez (since 16 August 2000); Vice President Milagros ORTIZ-BOSCH (since 16 August 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the president


elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 16 May 2000 (next to be held NA May 2004)


election results: Raphael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez elected president; percent of vote - Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez (PRD) 49.87%, Danilo MEDINA (PLD) 24.95%, Joaquin BALAGUER (PRSC) 24.6%
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 $5.5 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) NA
Exports - commodities ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, meats, consumer goods minerals, metallurgical products, manufactures (including armaments); textiles and fishery products
Exports - partners US 87.3%, Netherlands 1.1%, Canada 0.7%, France 0.7% (2000 est.) China 29.9%, South Korea 24.1%, Japan 13.2% (2004)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description a centered white cross that extends to the edges divides the flag into four rectangles - the top ones are blue (hoist side) and red, and the bottom ones are red (hoist side) and blue; a small coat of arms is at the center of the cross 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 - $50 billion (2001 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 11%


industry: 34%


services: 55% (2000) (2000)
agriculture: 30.2%


industry: 33.8%


services: 36% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $5,800 (2001 est.) purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 1.5% (2001 est.) 1% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates 19 00 N, 70 40 W 40 00 N, 127 00 E
Geography - note shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti (eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic, western one-third is Haiti) strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia; mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated
Heliports - 19 (2004 est.)
Highways total: 12,600 km


paved: 6,224 km


unpaved: 6,376 km (1996)
total: 31,200 km


paved: 1,997 km


unpaved: 29,203 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2%


highest 10%: 40% (1989) (1989)
lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
Illicit drugs transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; has become a transshipment point for ecstasy from the Netherlands and Belgium destined for US and Canada; substantial money-laundering activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor the Dominican Republic for illicit financial transactions 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 $8.7 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) 11,500 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals petroleum, coking coal, machinery and equipment; textiles, grain
Imports - partners US 60.5%, Japan 10.4%, Mexico 4.7%, Venezuela 3% (2000 est.) China 32.9%, Thailand 10.7%, Japan 4.8% (2004)
Independence 27 February 1844 (from Haiti) 15 August 1945 (from Japan)
Industrial production growth rate 2% (2001 est.) NA
Industries tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco 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 33.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) total: 24.04 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 25.77 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 22.23 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 5% (2001 est.) NA (2003 est.)
International organization participation ACP, Caricom (observer), ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO 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) 24 (2000) -
Irrigated land 2,590 sq km (1998 est.) 14,600 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are elected by a Council made up of members of the legislative and executive branches with the president presiding) Central Court (judges are elected by the Supreme People's Assembly)
Labor force 2.3 million - 2.6 million 9.6 million
Labor force - by occupation services and government 59%, industry 24%, agriculture 17% (1998 est.) agricultural 36%, nonagricultural 64%
Land boundaries total: 360 km


border countries: Haiti 360 km
total: 1,673 km


border countries: China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, Russia 19 km
Land use arable land: 21.08%


permanent crops: 9.92%


other: 69% (1998 est.)
arable land: 20.76%


permanent crops: 2.49%


other: 76.75% (2001)
Languages Spanish Korean
Legal system based on French civil codes 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 National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate or Senado (30 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (149 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held 16 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2006); Chamber of Deputies - last held 16 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2006)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRD 24, PLD 3, PRSC 3; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRD 83, PLD 49, PRSC 17
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; ruling party approves a list of candidates who are elected without opposition; some seats are held by minor parties
Life expectancy at birth total population: 73.68 years


male: 71.57 years


female: 75.91 years (2002 est.)
total population: 71.37 years


male: 68.65 years


female: 74.22 years (2005 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 82.1%


male: 82%


female: 82.2% (1995 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 99%


male: 99%


female: 99%
Location Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea
Map references Central America and the Caribbean Asia
Maritime claims contiguous zone: 24 NM


continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin


exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 6 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: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,587 GRT/1,165 DWT


ships by type: cargo 1 (2002 est.)
total: 238 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 985,108 GRT/1,389,389 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 13, cargo 191, container 2, livestock carrier 4, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 13, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 5


foreign-owned: 52 (China 1, Denmark 2, France 1, Greece 4, Italy 1, Lebanon 4, Lithuania 1, Netherlands 1, Pakistan 2, Romania 10, Russia 2, Singapore 2, South Korea 2, Syria 9, Turkey 6, Ukraine 1, UAE 3) (2005)
Military branches Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police North Korean People's Army: Ground Force, Navy, Air Force; Civil Security Forces (2005)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $180 million (FY98) $5,217.4 million (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.1% (FY98) NA
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 2,323,088 (2002 est.) -
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 1,455,887 (2002 est.) -
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age (2002 est.) -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 87,404 (2002 est.) -
National holiday Independence Day, 27 February (1844) Founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), 9 September (1948)
Nationality noun: Dominican(s)


adjective: Dominican
noun: Korean(s)


adjective: Korean
Natural hazards lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding; periodic droughts late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall
Natural resources nickel, bauxite, gold, silver coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower
Net migration rate -3.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines crude oil 96 km; petroleum products 8 km oil 154 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders Dominican Liberation Party or PLD [Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna]; Dominican Revolutionary Party or PRD [Hatuey DE CAMPS]; Social Christian Reformist Party or PRSC [Joaquin BALAGUER Ricardo] 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 Collective of Popular Organizations or COP none
Population 8,721,594 (July 2002 est.) 22,912,177 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line 25% NA
Population growth rate 1.61% (2002 est.) 0.9% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors Barahona, La Romana, Manzanillo, Puerto Plata, San Pedro de Macoris, Santo Domingo Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam (Hamhung), Kimch'aek, Kosong, Najin, Namp'o, Sinuiju, Songnim, Sonbong (formerly Unggi), Ungsang, Wonsan
Radio broadcast stations AM 120, FM 56, shortwave 4 (1998) AM 17 (including 11 stations of Korean Central Broadcasting Station), FM 14, shortwave 14 (2003)
Radios 1.44 million (1997) -
Railways total: 757 km


standard gauge: 375 km 1.435-m gauge (Central Romana Railroad)


narrow gauge: 142 km 0.762-m gauge (Dominican Republic Government Railway)


miscellaneous gauge: 240 km operated by sugar companies in various gauges (0.558-m, 0.762-m, 1.067-m gauges) (2000 est.)
total: 5,214 km


standard gauge: 5,214 km 1.435-m gauge (3,500 km electrified) (2004)
Religions Roman Catholic 95% 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: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female


total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2002 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: 0.53 male(s)/female


total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age, universal and compulsory; married persons regardless of age


note: members of the armed forces and police cannot vote
17 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: NA


domestic: relatively efficient system based on islandwide microwave radio relay network


international: 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
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 709,000 (1997) 1.1 million (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular 130,149 (1997) NA
Television broadcast stations 25 (1997) 4 (includes Korean Central Television, Mansudae Television, Korean Educational and Cultural Network, and Kaesong Television targeting South Korea) (2003)
Terrain rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east
Total fertility rate 2.94 children born/woman (2002 est.) 2.15 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate 15% (2001 est.) NA (2003)
Waterways none 2,250 km


note: most navigable only by small craft (2004)
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