Compare Korea, North (2003) - Central African Republic (2005)

Compare Korea, North (2003) z Central African Republic (2005)

	Korea, North (2003)	Central African Republic (2005)

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)	14 prefectures (prefectures, singular - prefecture), 2 economic prefectures* (prefectures economiques, singular - prefecture economique), and 1 commune; Bamingui-Bangoran, Bangui, Basse-Kotto, Haute-Kotto, Haut-Mbomou, Kemo, Lobaye, Mambere-Kadei, Mbomou, Nana-Grebizi, Nana-Mambere, Ombella-Mpoko, Ouaka, Ouham, Ouham-Pende, Sangha-Mbaere, Vakaga
Age structure	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.)	0-14 years: 42.5% (male 813,596/female 802,728) 15-64 years: 54% (male 1,010,696/female 1,041,903) 65 years and over: 3.4% (male 54,345/female 76,629) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products	rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; cattle, pigs, pork, eggs	cotton, coffee, tobacco, manioc (tapioca), yams, millet, corn, bananas; timber
Airports	72 (2002)	50 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	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)	total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	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)	total: 47 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 23 under 914 m: 13 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 120,540 sq km land: 120,410 sq km water: 130 sq km	total: 622,984 sq km land: 622,984 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Mississippi	slightly smaller than Texas
Background	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.	The former French colony of Ubangi-Shari became the Central African Republic upon independence in 1960. After three tumultuous decades of misrule - mostly by military governments - civilian rule was established in 1993 and lasted for one decade. President Ange-Felix PATASSE's civilian government was plagued by unrest, and in March 2003 he was deposed in a military coup led by General Francois BOZIZE, who has since established a transitional government. Though the government has the tacit support of civil society groups and the main parties, a wide field of affiliated and independent candidates will contest the municipal, legislative, and presidential elections scheduled for February 2005. The government still does not fully control the countryside, where pockets of lawlessness persist.
Birth rate	17.61 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)	35.17 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget	revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA	revenues: NA expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA
Capital	Pyongyang	Bangui
Climate	temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer	tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot, wet summers
Coastline	2,495 km	0 km (landlocked)
Constitution	adopted 1948, completely revised 27 December 1972, revised again in April 1992 and September 1998	passed by referendum 5 December 2004
Country name	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	conventional long form: Central African Republic conventional short form: none local long form: Republique Centrafricaine local short form: none former: Ubangi-Shari, Central African Empire abbreviation: CAR
Currency	North Korean won (KPW)	-
Death rate	6.93 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)	20.27 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external	$12 billion (1996 est.)	$881.4 million (2000 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (Swedish Embassy in P'yongyang represents the US as consular protecting power)	chief of mission: Charge d'Affaires James PANOS embassy: Avenue David Dacko, Bangui mailing address: B. P. 924, Bangui telephone: [236] 61 02 00 FAX: [236] 61 44 94 note: the embassy is currently operating with a minimal staff
Diplomatic representation in the US	none; note - North Korea has a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York	chief of mission: Ambassador Emmanuel TOUABOY chancery: 1618 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-7800 FAX: [1] (202) 332-9893
Disputes - international	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	about 30,000 refugees fleeing the 2002 civil conflict in the CAR still reside in southern Chad; periodic skirmishes over water and grazing rights among related pastoral populations along the border with southern Sudan persist
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	ODA $73 million; note - traditional budget subsidies from France (2000 est.)
Economy - overview	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.	Subsistence agriculture, together with forestry, remains the backbone of the economy of the Central African Republic (CAR), with more than 70% of the population living in outlying areas. The agricultural sector generates half of GDP. Timber has accounted for about 16% of export earnings and the diamond industry, for 54%. Important constraints to economic development include the CAR's landlocked position, a poor transportation system, a largely unskilled work force, and a legacy of misdirected macroeconomic policies. Factional fighting between the government and its opponents remains a drag on economic revitalization, with GDP growth at only 0.5% in 2004. Distribution of income is extraordinarily unequal. Grants from France and the international community can only partially meet humanitarian needs.
Electricity - consumption	27.91 billion kWh (2001)	98.58 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2001)	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2001)	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production	30.01 billion kWh (2001)	106 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source	fossil fuel: 29% hydro: 71% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)	-
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m highest point: Paektu-san 2,744 m	lowest point: Oubangui River 335 m highest point: Mont Ngaoui 1,420 m
Environment - current issues	water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; water-borne disease; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation	tap water is not potable; poaching has diminished the country's reputation as one of the last great wildlife refuges; desertification; deforestation
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	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Ethnic groups	racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese	Baya 33%, Banda 27%, Mandjia 13%, Sara 10%, Mboum 7%, M'Baka 4%, Yakoma 4%, other 2%
Exchange rates	official: North Korean won per US dollar - 150 (December 2002), 2.15 (December 2001), 2.15 (May 1994), 2.13 (May 1992), 2.14 (September 1991), 2.1 (January 1990); market: North Korean won per US dollar - 300-600 (December 2002), 200 (December 2001)	Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000)
Executive branch	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%	chief of state: President Francois BOZIZE (since 15 March 2003 coup) head of government: Prime Minister Elie DOTE (since 13 June 2005) note - Celestin GAOMBALET resigned 11 June 2005 cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: president elected to five year term with a two-term limit; next presidential elections scheduled for 10 April 2005; prime minister appointed by the political party with a parliamentary majority
Exports	NA (2001)	NA
Exports - commodities	minerals, metallurgical products, manufactures (including armaments); textiles and fishery products	diamonds, timber, cotton, coffee, tobacco
Exports - partners	China 23.5%, Japan 19.9%, Costa Rica 12.4%, Brazil 6.5% (2002)	Belgium 39.2%, Italy 8.6%, Spain 7.9%, US 6.2%, France 6.1%, Indonesia 5.8%, China 4.9% (2004)
Fiscal year	calendar year	calendar year
Flag description	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	four equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, green, and yellow with a vertical red band in center; there is a yellow five-pointed star on the hoist side of the blue band
GDP	purchasing power parity - $22.26 billion (2002 est.)	-
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 30.4% industry: 32.3% services: 37.3% (2000 est.)	agriculture: 55% industry: 20% services: 25% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $1,000 (2002 est.)	purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	1% (2002 est.)	0.5% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates	40 00 N, 127 00 E	7 00 N, 21 00 E
Geography - note	strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia; mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated	landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa
Highways	total: 31,200 km paved: 1,997 km unpaved: 29,203 km (1999 est.)	total: 23,810 km paved: 643 km unpaved: 23,167 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	lowest 10%: 0.7% highest 10%: 47.7% (1993)
Imports	NA (2001)	NA
Imports - commodities	petroleum, coking coal, machinery and equipment; textiles, grain	food, textiles, petroleum products, machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals
Imports - partners	China 24.9%, Brazil 12.1%, India 9.2%, Thailand 9.2%, Germany 7.8%, Japan 7.1%, Singapore 4.5%, Qatar 4% (2002)	France 17.6%, US 16.3%, Cameroon 9.3%, Belgium 5% (2004)
Independence	15 August 1945 (from Japan)	13 August 1960 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	3% (2002)
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	gold and diamond mining, logging, brewing, textiles, footwear, assembly of bicycles and motorcycles
Infant mortality rate	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.)	total: 91 deaths/1,000 live births male: 97.84 deaths/1,000 live births female: 83.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	NA%	3.6% (2001 est.)
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	ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC (observer), OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	1 (2000)	-
Irrigated land	14,600 sq km (1998 est.)	NA sq km
Judicial branch	Central Court (judges are elected by the Supreme People's Assembly)	Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Constitutional Court (3 judges appointed by the president, 3 by the president of the National Assembly, and 3 by fellow judges); Court of Appeal; Criminal Courts; Inferior Courts
Labor force	9.6 million	NA
Labor force - by occupation	agricultural 36%, nonagricultural 64%	-
Land boundaries	total: 1,673 km border countries: China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, Russia 19 km	total: 5,203 km border countries: Cameroon 797 km, Chad 1,197 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 1,577 km, Republic of the Congo 467 km, Sudan 1,165 km
Land use	arable land: 14.12% permanent crops: 2.49% other: 83.39% (1998 est.)	arable land: 3.1% permanent crops: 0.14% other: 96.76% (2001)
Languages	Korean	French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national language), tribal languages
Legal system	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	based on French law
Legislative branch	unicameral Supreme People's Assembly or Ch'oego Inmin Hoeui (687 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 3 August 2003 (next to be held in August 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; the KWP approves a list of candidates who are elected without opposition; some seats are held by minor parties	unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (109 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms elections: last held 22-23 November and 13 December 1998 (next to be held 13 March 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - MLPC 43%, RDC 18%, MDD 9%, FPP 6%, PSD 5%, ADP 4%, PUN 3%, FODEM 2%, PLD 2%, UPR 1%, FC 1%, independents 6%; seats by party - MLPC 47, RDC 20, MDD 8, FPP 7, PSD 6, ADP 5, PUN 3, FODEM 2, PLD 2, UPR 1, FC 1, independents 7
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 70.79 years male: 68.1 years female: 73.61 years (2003 est.)	total population: 43.39 years male: 43.27 years female: 43.52 years (2005 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write Korean total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99%	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 51% male: 63.3% female: 39.9% (2003 est.)
Location	Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea	Central Africa, north of Democratic Republic of the Congo
Map references	Asia	Africa
Maritime claims	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	none (landlocked)
Merchant marine	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	Korean People's Army (includes Army, Navy, Air Force), Civil Security Forces	Central African Armed Forces (FACA): Ground Forces, Air Force; General Directorate of Gendarmerie Inspection (DGIG), Republican Guard (2004)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$5,217.4 million (FY02)	$15.5 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	33.9% (FY02)	1% (2004)
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	Founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), 9 September (1948)	Republic Day, 1 December (1958)
Nationality	noun: Korean(s) adjective: Korean	noun: Central African(s) adjective: Central African
Natural hazards	late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall	hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas; floods are common
Natural resources	coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower	diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil, hydropower
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines	oil 136 km (2003)	-
Political parties and leaders	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]	Alliance for Democracy and Progress or ADP [Jacques MBOLIEDAS]; Central African Democratic Assembly or RDC [Andre KOLINGBA]; Civic Forum or FC [Gen. Timothee MALENDOMA]; Democratic Forum for Modernity or FODEM [Charles MASSI]; Liberal Democratic Party or PLD [Nestor KOMBO-NAGUEMON]; Movement for Democracy and Development or MDD [David DACKO]; Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People or MLPC [the party of deposed president, Ange-Felix PATASSE]; Patriotic Front for Progress or FPP [Abel GOUMBA]; People's Union for the Republic or UPR [Pierre Sammy MAKFOY]; National Unity Party or PUN [Jean-Paul NGOUPANDE]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Enoch LAKOUE]
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	NA
Population	22,466,481 (July 2003 est.)	3,799,897 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 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	NA (1993)
Population growth rate	1.07% (2003 est.)	1.49% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors	Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam (Hamhung), Kimch'aek, Kosong, Najin, Namp'o, Sinuiju, Songnim, Sonbong (formerly Unggi), Ungsang, Wonsan	Bangui, Nola, Salo, Nzinga
Radio broadcast stations	AM 16, FM 14, shortwave 12 (1999)	AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 1 (2002)
Railways	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	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	indigenous beliefs 35%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15% note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.5 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2003 est.)	at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage	17 years of age; universal	21 years of age; universal
Telephone system	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	general assessment: fair system domestic: network consists principally of microwave radio relay and low-capacity, low-powered radiotelephone communication international: country code - 236; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	1.1 million (1997)	9,000 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	NA	13,000 (2003)
Television broadcast stations	38 (1999)	1 (2001)
Terrain	mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east	vast, flat to rolling, monotonous plateau; scattered hills in northeast and southwest
Total fertility rate	2.25 children born/woman (2003 est.)	4.5 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate	NA%	8% (23% for Bangui) (2001 est.)
Waterways	2,253 km note: mostly navigable by small craft only	2,800 km (primarily on the Oubangui and Sangha rivers) (2004)

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