Isle of Man (2006) | Korea, North (2001) | |
Administrative divisions | none; there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 24 local authorities each with its own elections | 9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 3 special cities* (si, singular and plural); Chagang-do (Chagang Province), Hamgyong-bukto (North Hamgyong Province), Hamgyong-namdo (South Hamgyong Province), Hwanghae-bukto (North Hwanghae Province), Hwanghae-namdo (South Hwanghae Province), Kaesong-si* (Kaesong City), Kangwon-do (Kangwon Province), Namp'o-si* (Namp'o City), P'yongan-bukto (North P'yongan Province), P'yongan-namdo (South P'yongan Province), P'yongyang-si* (P'yongyang City), Yanggang-do (Yanggang Province) |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 17.3% (male 6,669/female 6,350)
15-64 years: 65.7% (male 24,884/female 24,678) 65 years and over: 17% (male 5,197/female 7,663) (2006 est.) |
0-14 years:
25.52% (male 2,873,390; female 2,733,163) 15-64 years: 67.63% (male 7,301,531; female 7,556,554) 65 years and over: 6.85% (male 486,805; female 1,016,785) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | cereals, vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry | rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; cattle, pigs, pork, eggs |
Airports | 1 (2006) | 87 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 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 (2000 est.) |
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 (2000 est.) |
Area | total: 572 sq km
land: 572 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total:
120,540 sq km land: 120,410 sq km water: 130 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly more than three times the size of Washington, DC | slightly smaller than Mississippi |
Background | Part of the Norwegian Kingdom of the Hebrides until the 13th century when it was ceded to Scotland, the isle came under the British crown in 1765. Current concerns include reviving the almost extinct Manx Gaelic language. Isle of Man is a British crown dependency, but is not part of the UK. | Following World War II, Korea was split into a northern, communist half and a southern, Western-oriented half. KIM Chong-il has ruled North Korea since his father and the country's founder, president KIM Il-song, died in 1994. After decades of mismanagement, the North relies heavily on international food aid to feed its population, while continuing to expend resources to maintain an army of about 1 million. North Korea's long-range missile development and research into nuclear and chemical weapons are of major concern to the international community. |
Birth rate | 11.05 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 19.1 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $485 million
expenditures: $463 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01 est.) |
revenues:
$NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA |
Capital | name: Douglas
geographic coordinates: 54 09 N, 4 28 W time difference: UTC 0 (five hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
P'yongyang |
Climate | temperate; cool summers and mild winters; overcast about one-third of the time | temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer |
Coastline | 160 km | 2,495 km |
Constitution | unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act of 1961 does not embody the unwritten Manx Constitution | adopted 1948, completely revised 27 December 1972, revised again in April 1992 and September 1998 |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Isle of Man |
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 | 11.19 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 6.92 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $NA | $12 billion (1996 est.) |
Dependency status | British crown dependency | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (British crown dependency) | none (Swedish Embassy in P'yongyang represents the US as consular protecting power) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (British crown dependency) | none; note - North Korea has a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, headed by YI Hyong-chol |
Disputes - international | none | 33-km section of boundary with China in the Paektu-san (mountain) area is indefinite; Demarcation Line with South Korea |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | $NA; note - an estimated $200 million to $300 million in humanitarian aid from US, South Korea, Japan, and EU in 1997 plus much additional aid from the UN and non-governmental organizations; substantial continuing humanitarian aid, 1998-2000 |
Economy - overview | Offshore banking, manufacturing, and tourism are key sectors of the economy. The government offers incentives to high-technology companies and financial institutions to locate on the island; this has paid off in expanding employment opportunities in high-income industries. As a result, agriculture and fishing, once the mainstays of the economy, have declined in their shares of GDP. Trade is mostly with the UK. The Isle of Man enjoys free access to EU markets. | North Korea, one of the world's most centrally planned and isolated economies, faces desperate economic conditions. Industrial capital stock is nearly beyond repair as a result of years of underinvestment and spare parts shortages. The nation faces its seventh year of food shortages because of weather-related problems, including major drought in 2000, and chronic shortages of fertilizer and fuel. Massive international food aid deliveries have allowed the regime to escape the major consequence of spreading economic failure, such as mass starvation, but the population remains vulnerable to prolonged malnutrition and deteriorating living conditions. Large-scale military spending eats up resources needed for expanding investment and consumption goods. In 2000, the regime placed emphasis on expanding foreign trade links, embracing modern technology, and attracting foreign investment, but in no way at the expense of relinquishing central control over key national assets or undergoing market-oriented reforms. |
Electricity - consumption | - | 26.598 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | - | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | - | 28.6 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel:
34.62% hydro: 65.38% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Irish Sea 0 m
highest point: Snaefell 621 m |
lowest point:
Sea of Japan 0 m highest point: Paektu-san 2,744 m |
Environment - current issues | waste disposal (both household and industrial); transboundary air pollution | 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 | Manx (Norse-Celtic descent), Briton | racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese |
Exchange rates | Manx pounds per US dollar - 0.55 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001) | official: North Korean won per US dollar - 2.15 (May 1994), 2.13 (May 1992), 2.14 (September 1991), 2.1 (January 1990), 2.3 (December 1989); market: North Korean won per US dollar - 200 |
Executive branch | chief of state: Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor Sir Paul K. HADDACKS (since 17 October 2005)
head of government: Chief Minister Donald GELLING (since 14 December 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch for a five-year term; the chief minister is elected by the Tynwald; election last held 14 December 2004 (next to be held December 2006) election results: Donald GELLING elected chief minister by the Tynwald; note - Richard CORKILL resigned 2 December 2004 |
chief of state:
KIM Chong-il (since NA July 1994); note - in September 1998, KIM Chong-il was reelected Chairman of the National Defense Commission, a position accorded the nation's "highest administrative authority"; KIM Yong-nam was named President of the Supreme People's Assembly Presidium and given the responsibility of representing the state and receiving diplomatic credentials head of government: Premier HONG Song-nam (since 5 September 1998) cabinet: Cabinet (Naegak), members, except for the Minister of People's Armed Forces, are appointed by the Supreme People's Assembly elections: premier elected by the Supreme People's Assembly; election last held NA September 1998 (next to be held NA) election results: HONG Song-nam elected premier; percent of Supreme People's Assembly vote - NA% |
Exports | $NA | $520 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.) |
Exports - commodities | tweeds, herring, processed shellfish, beef, lamb | minerals, metallurgical products, manufactures (including armaments); agricultural and fishery products |
Exports - partners | UK (2004) | Japan 28%, South Korea 21%, China 5%, Germany 4%, Russia 1% (1995) |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | calendar year |
Flag description | red with the Three Legs of Man emblem (Trinacria), in the center; the three legs are joined at the thigh and bent at the knee; in order to have the toes pointing clockwise on both sides of the flag, a two-sided emblem is used | 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 (2000 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 1%
industry: 13% services: 86% (2000 est.) |
agriculture:
30% industry: 42% services: 28% (1999 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $1,000 (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 6.3% NA% | -3% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 54 15 N, 4 30 W | 40 00 N, 127 00 E |
Geography - note | one small islet, the Calf of Man, lies to the southwest, and is a bird sanctuary | 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% |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | $NA | $960 million (c.i.f., 1999 est.) |
Imports - commodities | timber, fertilizers, fish | petroleum, coking coal, machinery and equipment; consumer goods, grain |
Imports - partners | UK (2004) | China 33%, Japan 17%, Russia 5%, South Korea 4%, Germany 3% (1995) |
Independence | none (British crown dependency) | 15 August 1945 (from Japan) |
Industrial production growth rate | 3.2% (FY96/97) | NA% |
Industries | financial services, light manufacturing, tourism | 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: 5.82 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.8 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
23.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.7% (2003 est.) | NA% |
International organization participation | UPU | ARF (dialogue partner), ESCAP, FAO, G-77, ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 1 (2000) |
Irrigated land | 0 sq km | 14,600 sq km (1993 est.) |
Judicial branch | High Court of Justice (justices are appointed by the Lord Chancellor of England on the nomination of the lieutenant governor) | Central Court (judges are elected by the Supreme People's Assembly) |
Labor force | 39,690 (2001) | 9.6 million |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture, forestry and fishing 3%, manufacturing 11%, construction 10%, transport and communication 8%, wholesale and retail distribution 11%, professional and scientific services 18%, public administration 6%, banking and finance 18%, tourism 2%, entertainment and catering 3%, miscellaneous services 10% | 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: 9%
permanent crops: 0% other: 91% (permanent pastures, forests, mountain, and heathland) (2002) |
arable land:
14% permanent crops: 2% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 61% other: 23% (1993 est.) |
Languages | English, Manx Gaelic | Korean |
Legal system | English common law and Manx statute | 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 Tynwald consists of the Legislative Council (an 11-member body composed of the President of Tynwald, the Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man, a nonvoting attorney general, and eight others named by the House of Keys) and the House of Keys (24 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Keys - last held 22 November 2001 (next to be held November 2006) election results: House of Keys - percent of vote by party - Man Labor Party 17.3%, Alliance for Progressive Government 14.6%; seats by party - Man Labor Party 2, Alliance for Progressive Government 3, independents 19 |
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: 78.49 years
male: 75.14 years female: 82.02 years (2006 est.) |
total population:
71.02 years male: 68.04 years female: 74.15 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition: NA
total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write Korean total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (1990 est.) |
Location | Western Europe, island in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland | Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea |
Map references | Europe | Asia |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 12 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: 305 ships (1000 GRT or over) 8,266,229 GRT/13,792,927 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 38, cargo 65, chemical tanker 53, container 16, liquefied gas 38, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 74, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 9, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 5 foreign-owned: 213 (Cyprus 1, Denmark 53, Estonia 2, France 2, Germany 56, Greece 45, Italy 5, Japan 4, Monaco 3, Netherlands 1, Norway 27, Singapore 7, Sweden 1, Turkey 3, US 3) registered in other countries: 9 (Antigua and Barbuda 2, Liberia 5, Marshall Islands 1, NZ 1) (2006) |
total:
110 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 661,792 GRT/903,367 DWT ships by type: bulk 4, cargo 94, combination bulk 1, multi-functional large-load carrier 1, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 4, refrigerated cargo 1, short-sea passenger 2 (2000 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | - |
Military branches | - | Korean People's Army (includes Army, Navy, Air Force), Civil Security Forces |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $3.7 billion to $4.9 billion (FY98 est.) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 25% to 33% (FY98 est.) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49:
5,943,735 (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49:
3,574,050 (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | - | 18 years of age |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males:
179,136 (2001 est.) |
National holiday | Tynwald Day, 5 July | Founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), 9 September (1948) |
Nationality | noun: Manxman (men), Manxwoman (women)
adjective: Manx |
noun:
Korean(s) adjective: Korean |
Natural hazards | NA | late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall |
Natural resources | none | coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower |
Net migration rate | 5.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Pipelines | - | crude oil 37 km; petroleum product 180 km |
Political parties and leaders | Alliance for Progressive Government; Man Labor Party; Man Nationalist Party (branch of the British National Party)
note: most members sit as independents |
Chondoist Chongu Party [YU Mi-yong, chairwoman]; Korean Social Democratic Party [KIM Pyong-sik, chairman]; major party - Korean Workers' Party or KWP [KIM Chong-il, General Secretary] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | NA |
Population | 75,441 (July 2006 est.) | 21,968,228 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.52% (2006 est.) | 1.22% (2001 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 1, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 16, FM 14, shortwave 12 (1999) |
Radios | - | 3.36 million (1997) |
Railways | total: 65 km
standard guage: 7 km 1.067-m guage (7 km electrified) narrow guage: 58 km 0.914-m guage (29 km electrified) note: primarily summer tourist attractions (2006) |
total:
5,000 km standard gauge: 4,095 km 1.435-m gauge (3,500 km electrified; 159 km double track) narrow gauge: 665 km 0.762-m gauge dual gauge: 240 km 1.435-m and 1.600-m gauges (four rails interlaced) (1996 est.) |
Religions | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Society of Friends | 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: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
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: 0.48 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | 16 years of age; universal | 17 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: NA
domestic: landline, telefax, mobile cellular telephone system international: fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, satellite earth station, submarine cable |
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 | 51,000 (1999) | 1.1 million (1997) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | NA | NA |
Television broadcast stations | 0 (receives broadcasts from the UK and satellite) (1999) | 38 (1999) |
Terrain | hills in north and south bisected by central valley | mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east |
Total fertility rate | 1.65 children born/woman (2006 est.) | 2.26 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 0.6% (2004 est.) | NA% |
Waterways | - | 2,253 km
note: mostly navigable by small craft only |