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Compare Korea, South (2004) - Laos (2001)

Compare Korea, South (2004) z Laos (2001)

 Korea, South (2004)Laos (2001)
 Korea, SouthLaos
Administrative divisions 9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 7 metropolitan cities (gwangyoksi, singular and plural)

provinces: Cheju-do, Cholla-bukto (North Cholla), Cholla-namdo (South Cholla), Ch'ungch'ong-bukto (North Ch'ungch'ong), Ch'ungch'ong-namdo (South Ch'ungch'ong), Kangwon-do, Kyonggi-do, Kyongsang-bukto (North Kyongsang), Kyongsang-namdo (South Kyongsang)

metropolitan cities: Inch'on-gwangyoksi (Inchon), Kwangju-gwangyoksi (Kwangju), Pusan-gwangyoksi (Pusan), Soul-t'ukpyolsi (Seoul), Taegu-gwangyoksi (Taegu), Taejon-gwangyoksi (Taejon), Ulsan-gwangyoksi (Ulsan)
16 provinces (khoueng, singular and plural), 1 municipality* (kampheng nakhon, singular and plural), and 1 special zone** (khetphiset, singular and plural); Attapu, Bokeo, Bolikhamxai, Champasak, Houaphan, Khammouan, Louangnamtha, Louangphabang, Oudomxai, Phongsali, Salavan, Savannakhet, Viangchan*, Viangchan, Xaignabouli, Xaisomboun**, Xekong, Xiangkhoang
Age structure 0-14 years: 20.4% (male 5,223,344; female 4,681,594)


15-64 years: 71.4% (male 17,625,302; female 17,072,029)


65 years and over: 8.2% (male 1,597,085; female 2,398,821) (2004 est.)
0-14 years:
42.75% (male 1,212,577; female 1,196,795)

15-64 years:
53.94% (male 1,494,927; female 1,544,851)

65 years and over:
3.31% (male 85,632; female 101,185) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products rice, root crops, barley, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs, chickens, milk, eggs; fish sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton; tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry
Airports 102 (2003 est.) 51 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 88


over 3,047 m: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 21


1,524 to 2,437 m: 14


914 to 1,523 m: 12


under 914 m: 38 (2004 est.)
total:
8

2,438 to 3,047 m:
1

1,524 to 2,437 m:
5

914 to 1,523 m:
2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 91


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 88 (2004 est.)
total:
43

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1

914 to 1,523 m:
17

under 914 m:
25 (2000 est.)
Area total: 98,480 sq km


land: 98,190 sq km


water: 290 sq km
total:
236,800 sq km

land:
230,800 sq km

water:
6,000 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than Indiana slightly larger than Utah
Background Korea was an independent kingdom under Chinese suzerainty for most of the past millennium. Following its victory in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, Japan occupied Korea; five years later it formally annexed the entire peninsula. After World War II, a republic was set up in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula while a Communist-style government was installed in the north. During the Korean War (1950-1953), US and other UN forces intervened to defend South Korea from North Korean attacks supported by the Chinese. An armistice was signed in 1953, splitting the peninsula along a demilitarized zone at about the 38th parallel. Thereafter, South Korea achieved rapid economic growth with per capita income rising to roughly 18 times the level of North Korea. In 1987, South Korean voters elected ROH Tae-woo to the presidency, ending 26 years of military dictatorships. South Korea today is a fully functioning modern democracy. In June 2000, a historic first North-South summit took place between the South's President KIM Tae-chung and the North's leader KIM Jong Il. In 1975 the communist Pathet Lao took control of the government, ending a six-century-old monarchy. Initial closer ties to Vietnam and socialization were replaced with a gradual return to private enterprise, an easing of foreign investment laws, and the admission into ASEAN in 1997.
Birth rate 12.33 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) 37.84 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget revenues: $135.5 billion


expenditures: $128.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $23.5 billion (2003)
revenues:
$211 million

expenditures:
$462 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY98/99 est.)
Capital Seoul Vientiane
Climate temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)
Coastline 2,413 km 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution 17 July 1948 promulgated 14 August 1991
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Korea


conventional short form: South Korea


local long form: Taehan-min'guk


local short form: none


note: the South Koreans generally use the term "Han'guk" to refer to their country


abbreviation: ROK
conventional long form:
Lao People's Democratic Republic

conventional short form:
Laos

local long form:
Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao

local short form:
none
Currency South Korean won (KRW) kip (LAK)
Death rate 6.13 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) 13.02 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external $130.3 billion (2003 est.) $2.46 billion (1998 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Christopher R. HILL


embassy: 82 Sejong-no, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-710


mailing address: American Embassy, Unit 15550, APO AP 96205-5550


telephone: [82] (2) 397-4114


FAX: [82] (2) 738-8845
chief of mission:
Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affairs Karen Brevard STEWART

embassy:
19 Rue Bartholonie, B. P. 114, Vientiane

mailing address:
American Embassy, Box V, APO AP 96546

telephone:
[856] (21) 212581, 212582, 212585

FAX:
[856] (21) 212584
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador HONG Seok-hyun


chancery: 2450 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 939-5600


FAX: [1] (202) 387-0205


consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle


consulate(s): New York, Tamuning (Guam)
chief of mission:
Ambassador VANG Rattanavong

chancery:
2222 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:
[1] (202) 332-6416

FAX:
[1] (202) 332-4923
Disputes - international Military Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone has separated North from South Korea since 1953; periodic maritime disputes with North Korea over the Northern Limit Line; unresolved dispute with Japan over Liancourt Rocks (Tok-do/Take-shima) and occasional protests over fishing rights in grounds also claimed by Japan parts of the border with Thailand are indefinite
Economic aid - donor ODA $200 million -
Economic aid - recipient - $345 million (1999 est.)
Economy - overview Since the early 1960s, South Korea has achieved an incredible record of growth and integration into the high-tech modern world economy. Four decades ago GDP per capita was comparable with levels in the poorer countries of Africa and Asia. Today its GDP per capita is 18 times North Korea's and equal to the lesser economies of the European Union. This success through the late 1980s was achieved by a system of close government/business ties, including directed credit, import restrictions, sponsorship of specific industries, and a strong labor effort. The government promoted the import of raw materials and technology at the expense of consumer goods and encouraged savings and investment over consumption. The Asian financial crisis of 1997-99 exposed longstanding weaknesses in South Korea's development model, including high debt/equity ratios, massive foreign borrowing, and an undisciplined financial sector. Growth plunged to a negative 6.6% in 1998, then strongly recovered to 10.8% in 1999 and 9.2% in 2000. Growth fell back to 3.3% in 2001 because of the slowing global economy, falling exports, and the perception that much-needed corporate and financial reforms had stalled. Led by consumer spending and exports, growth in 2002 was an impressive 6.2%, despite anemic global growth, followed by moderate 2.8% growth in 2003. In 2003 the National Assembly approved legislation reducing the six-day work week to five days. The government of Laos - one of the few remaining official communist states - began decentralizing control and encouraging private enterprise in 1986. The results, starting from an extremely low base, were striking - growth averaged 7% during 1988-97. Reform efforts subsequently slowed, and GDP growth dropped an average of 3 percentage points. Because Laos depends heavily on its trade with Thailand, it was damaged by the regional financial crisis beginning in 1997. Government mismanagement deepened the crisis, and from June 1997 to June 1999 the Lao kip lost 87% of its value. Laos' foreign exchange problems peaked in September 1999 when the kip fell from 3,500 kip to the dollar to 9,000 kip to the dollar in a matter of weeks. Now that the currency has stabilized, however, the government seems content to let the current situation persist, despite limited government revenue and foreign exchange reserves. A landlocked country with a primitive infrastructure, Laos has no railroads, a rudimentary road system, and limited external and internal telecommunications. Electricity is available in only a few urban areas. Subsistence agriculture accounts for half of GDP and provides 80% of total employment. For the foreseeable future the economy will continue to depend on aid from the IMF and other international sources; Japan is currently the largest bilateral aid donor; aid from the former USSR/Eastern Europe has been cut sharply.
Electricity - consumption 270.3 billion kWh (2001) 173.6 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) 705 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2001) 142 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production 290.7 billion kWh (2001) 792 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel:
2.78%

hydro:
97.22%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m


highest point: Halla-san 1,950 m
lowest point:
Mekong River 70 m

highest point:
Phou Bia 2,817 m
Environment - current issues air pollution in large cities; acid rain; water pollution from the discharge of sewage and industrial effluents; drift net fishing unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; a majority of the population does not have access to potable water
Environment - international agreements party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups homogeneous (except for about 20,000 Chinese) Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao Soung (highland) including the Hmong ("Meo") and the Yao (Mien) 9%, ethnic Vietnamese/Chinese 1%
Exchange rates South Korean won per US dollar - 1,191.61 (2003), 1,251.09 (2002), 1,290.99 (2001), 1,130.96 (2000), 1,188.82 (1999) kips per US dollar - 7,578.00 (December 2000), 7,102.03 (1999), 3,298.33 (1998), 1,259.98 (1997), 921.02 (1996)
Executive branch chief of state: President ROH Moo-hyun (since 25 February 2003)


head of government: Prime Minister LEE Hae-chan (since 25 May 2004); Deputy Prime Ministers KIM Jin-pyo (since 28 January 2005), LEE Hun-jai (since 10 February 2004), and OH Myung (since 18 October 2004)


cabinet: State Council appointed by the president on the prime minister's recommendation


elections: president elected by popular vote for single five-year term; election last held 19 December 2002 (next to be held in December 2007); prime minister appointed by president with consent of National Assembly; deputy prime ministers appointed by president on prime minister's recommendation


election results: results of the 19 December 2002 election - ROH Moo-hyun elected president; percent of vote - ROH Moo-hyun (MDP) 48.9%; LEE Hoi-chang (GNP) 46.6%; other 4.5%
chief of state:
President Gen. KHAMTAI Siphandon (since 26 February 1998) and Vice President Lt. Gen. CHOUMMALI Saignason (since NA March 2001)

head of government:
Prime Minister BOUNGNANG Volachit (since NA March 2001); Deputy Prime Ministers THONGLOUN Sisolit (since NA March 2001), SOMSAVAT Lengsavat (since 26 February 1998)

cabinet:
Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by the National Assembly

elections:
president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 21 December 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); prime minister appointed by the president with the approval of the National Assembly for a five-year term

election results:
KHAMTAI Siphandon elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - NA%
Exports 804,700 bbl/day (2001) $323 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities Semiconductors, wireless telecommunications equipment, motor vehicles, computers, steel, ships, petrochemicals wood products, garments, electricity, coffee, tin
Exports - partners China 18.2%, US 17.8%, Japan 9%, Hong Kong 7.6% (2003) Vietnam, Thailand, Germany, France, Belgium
Fiscal year calendar year 1 October - 30 September
Flag description white with a red (top) and blue yin-yang symbol in the center; there is a different black trigram from the ancient I Ching (Book of Changes) in each corner of the white field three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red with a large white disk centered in the blue band
GDP purchasing power parity - $857.8 billion (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - $9 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 3.6%


industry: 36.4%


services: 60% (2003 est.)
agriculture:
51%

industry:
22%

services:
27% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $17,800 (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 3.1% (2003 est.) 4% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates 37 00 N, 127 30 E 18 00 N, 105 00 E
Geography - note strategic location on Korea Strait landlocked
Heliports 206 (2003 est.) -
Highways total: 86,990 km


paved: 64,808 km (including 1,996 km of expressways)


unpaved: 22,182 km (1999 est.)
total:
14,000 km

paved:
3,360 km

unpaved:
10,640 km (1991)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2.9%


highest 10%: 22.5% (1999 est.)
lowest 10%:
4.2%

highest 10%:
26.4% (1992)
Illicit drugs - world's third-largest illicit opium producer (estimated cultivation in 1999 - 21,800 hectares, a 16% decrease over 1998; estimated potential production in 1999 - 140 metric tons, about the same as in 1998); potential heroin producer; transshipment point for heroin and methamphetamine produced in Burma; illicit producer of cannabis
Imports 2.965 million bbl/day (2001) $540 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil, steel, transport equipment, organic chemicals, plastics machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel
Imports - partners Japan 20.3%, US 13.9%, China 12.3%, Saudi Arabia 5.2% (2003) Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, China, Singapore, Hong Kong
Independence 15 August 1945 (from Japan) 19 July 1949 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate 5.1% (2003 est.) 7.5% (1999 est.)
Industries electronics, telecommunications, automobile production, chemicals, shipbuilding, steel tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism
Infant mortality rate total: 7.18 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 7.64 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 6.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
92.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3.6% (2003 est.) 33% (2000 est.)
International organization participation AfDB, APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CP, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC ACCT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 1 (2000)
Irrigated land 11,590 sq km (1998 est.) 1,250 sq km (1993 est.)

note:
rainy season irrigation - 2,169 sq km; dry season irrigation - 750 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court (justices appointed by president with consent of National Assembly); Constitutional Court (justices appointed by president based partly on nominations by National Assembly and Chief Justice of the court) People's Supreme Court (the president of the People's Supreme Court is elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the National Assembly Standing Committee; the vice president of the People's Supreme Court and the judges are appointed by the National Assembly Standing Committee)
Labor force 22.92 million (2003) 1 million - 1.5 million
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 8.8%, industry 19.1%, services 72.1% (2001) agriculture 80% (1997 est.)
Land boundaries total: 238 km


border countries: North Korea 238 km
total:
5,083 km

border countries:
Burma 235 km, Cambodia 541 km, China 423 km, Thailand 1,754 km, Vietnam 2,130 km
Land use arable land: 17.18%


permanent crops: 1.95%


other: 80.87% (2001)
arable land:
3%

permanent crops:
0%

permanent pastures:
3%

forests and woodland:
54%

other:
40% (1993 est.)
Languages Korean, English widely taught in junior high and high school Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages
Legal system combines elements of continental European civil law systems, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and Socialist practice
Legislative branch unicameral National Assembly or Kukhoe (299 seats -- members elected for four-year terms; 243 in single-seat constituencies, 56 by proportional representation


elections: last held 15 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2008; by-elections scheduled for April 2005))


election results: percent of vote by party - Uri 51%, GNP 41%, DLP 3%, MDP 3%, others 2%; seats by party - Uri 152, GNP 121, DLP 10, MDP 9, others 7 (2004)
unicameral National Assembly (99 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; note - by presidential decree, on 27 October 1997, the number of seats increased from 85 to 99)

elections:
last held 21 December 1997 (next to be held NA 2002)

election results:
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - LPRP or LPRP-approved (independent, non-party members) 99
Life expectancy at birth total population: 75.58 years


male: 71.96 years


female: 79.54 years (2004 est.)
total population:
53.48 years

male:
51.58 years

female:
55.44 years (2001 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 97.9%


male: 99.2%


female: 96.6% (2002)
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
57%

male:
70%

female:
44% (1999 est.)
Location Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam
Map references Asia Southeast Asia
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the Korea Strait


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: not specified
none (landlocked)
Merchant marine total: 535 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 5,978,949 GRT/9,761,699 DWT


by type: bulk 97, cargo 174, chemical tanker 61, combination bulk 10, container 60, liquefied gas 19, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 73, refrigerated cargo 20, roll on/roll off 7, short-sea/passenger 2, specialized tanker 6, vehicle carrier 3


foreign-owned: Bahrain 1, China 1, Gibraltar 1, Honduras 1, Indonesia 1, Japan 3, Malaysia 1, Panama 1, Philippines 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, United Kingdom 1, United States 1


registered in other countries: 442 (2004 est.)
total:
1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,370 GRT/3,000 DWT

ships by type:
cargo 1 (2000 est.)
Military branches Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, National Maritime Police (Coast Guard) Lao People's Army (LPA; includes riverine element), Air Force, National Police Department
Military expenditures - dollar figure $14.522 billion (FY03) $55 million (FY98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.7% (FY03) 4.2% (FY96/97)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 14,233,895 (2004 est.) males age 15-49:
1,319,537 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 8,966,241 (2004 est.) males age 15-49:
710,627 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 341,697 (2004 est.) males:
64,437 (2001 est.)
National holiday Liberation Day, 15 August (1945) Republic Day, 2 December (1975)
Nationality noun: Korean(s)


adjective: Korean
noun:
Lao(s) or Laotian(s)

adjective:
Lao or Laotian
Natural hazards occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; low-level seismic activity common in southwest floods, droughts, and blight
Natural resources coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower potential timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Pipelines gas 1,433 km; refined products 827 km (2004) petroleum products 136 km
Political parties and leaders Democratic Labor Party or DLP [KIM Hye-kyung, chairwoman]; Grand National Party or GNP [PARK Geun-hye, chairwoman]; Millennium Democratic Party or MDP [HAHN Hwa-kap, chairman]; United Liberal Democrats or ULD [KIM Hak-won, chairman]; Uri Party [LIM Chae-jung, interim chairman] Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [KHAMTAI Siphandon, party president]; other parties proscribed
Political pressure groups and leaders Federation of Korean Industries; Federation of Korean Trade Unions; Korean Confederation of Trade Unions; Korean National Council of Churches; Korean Traders Association; Korean Veterans' Association; National Council of Labor Unions; National Democratic Alliance of Korea; National Federation of Farmers' Associations; National Federation of Student Associations noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975
Population 48,598,175 (July 2004 est.) 5,635,967 (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line 4% (2001 est.) 46.1% (1993 est.)
Population growth rate 0.62% (2004 est.) 2.48% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors Chinhae, Inch'on, Kunsan, Masan, Mokp'o, P'ohang, Pusan, Tonghae-hang, Ulsan, Yosu none
Radio broadcast stations AM 58, FM 150, shortwave 2 (2004) AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios - 730,000 (1997)
Railways total: 3,125 km


standard gauge: 3,125 km 1.435-m gauge (661 km electrified) (2003)
0 km
Religions no affiliation 46%, Christian 26%, Buddhist 26%, Confucianist 1%, other 1% Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.09 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.12 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female


total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2004 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:
0.85 male(s)/female

total population:
0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Suffrage 20 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: excellent domestic and international services


domestic: NA


international: country code - 82; fiber-optic submarine cable to China; the Russia-Korea-Japan submarine cable; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific Ocean region)
general assessment:
service to general public is poor but improving, with over 20,000 telephones currently in service and an additional 48,000 expected by 2001; the government relies on a radiotelephone network to communicate with remote areas

domestic:
radiotelephone communications

international:
satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region)
Telephones - main lines in use 22.877 million (2003) 25,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 33,591,800 (2003) 4,915 (1997)
Television broadcast stations 64 (additionally 119 Cable Operators; 239 Relay Cable Operators) (2004) 4 (1999)
Terrain mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus
Total fertility rate 1.56 children born/woman (2004 est.) 5.12 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate 3.4% (2003 est.) 5.7% (1997 est.)
Waterways 1,608 km


note: most navigable only by small craft (2004)
4,587 km approximately

note:
primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,897 additional km are intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m
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