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Compare Korea, South (2004) - Lebanon (2004)

Compare Korea, South (2004) z Lebanon (2004)

 Korea, South (2004)Lebanon (2004)
 Korea, SouthLebanon
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)
6 governorates (mohafazat, singular - mohafazah); Beyrouth, Beqaa, Liban-Nord, Liban-Sud, Mont-Liban, Nabatiye
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: 26.9% (male 517,356; female 496,888)


15-64 years: 66.3% (male 1,197,430; female 1,305,339)


65 years and over: 6.9% (male 117,930; female 142,275) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products rice, root crops, barley, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs, chickens, milk, eggs; fish citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco; sheep, goats
Airports 102 (2003 est.) 8 (2003 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: 5


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 91


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 88 (2004 est.)
total: 3


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Area total: 98,480 sq km


land: 98,190 sq km


water: 290 sq km
total: 10,400 sq km


land: 10,230 sq km


water: 170 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than Indiana about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut
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. Lebanon has made progress toward rebuilding its political institutions since 1991 and the end of the devastating 15-year civil war. Under the Ta'if Accord - the blueprint for national reconciliation - the Lebanese have established a more equitable political system, particularly by giving Muslims a greater say in the political process while institutionalizing sectarian divisions in the government. Since the end of the war, the Lebanese have conducted several successful elections, most of the militias have been weakened or disbanded, and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have extended central government authority over about two-thirds of the country. Hizballah, a radical Shia organization, retains its weapons. Syria maintains about 16,000 troops in Lebanon, based mainly east of Beirut and in the Bekaa Valley. Syria's troop deployment was legitimized by the Arab League during Lebanon's civil war and in the Ta'if Accord. Damascus justifies its continued military presence in Lebanon by citing Beirut's requests and the failure of the Lebanese Government to implement all of the constitutional reforms in the Ta'if Accord. Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in May 2000, however, encouraged some Lebanese groups to demand that Syria withdraw its forces as well. The passage of UNSCR 1559 in early October 2004 - a resolution calling for Syria to withdraw from Lebanon and end its interference in Lebanese affairs - further emboldened Lebanese groups opposed to Syria's presence in Lebanon.
Birth rate 12.33 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) 19.31 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget revenues: $135.5 billion


expenditures: $128.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $23.5 billion (2003)
revenues: $4.414 billion


expenditures: $7.026 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)
Capital Seoul Beirut
Climate temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers; Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows
Coastline 2,413 km 225 km
Constitution 17 July 1948 23 May 1926, amended a number of times, most recently Charter of Lebanese National Reconciliation (Ta'if Accord) of October 1989
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: Lebanese Republic


conventional short form: Lebanon


local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah


local short form: Lubnan
Currency South Korean won (KRW) Lebanese pound (LBP)
Death rate 6.13 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) 6.28 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external $130.3 billion (2003 est.) $20.79 billion (2003 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 Jeffrey D. FELTMAN


embassy: Awkar, Lebanon


mailing address: P. O. Box 70-840, Antelias, Lebanon; PSC 815, Box 2, FPO AE 09836-0002


telephone: [961] (4) 542600, 543600


FAX: [961] (4) 544136
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 Dr. Farid ABBOUD


chancery: 2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 939-6300


FAX: [1] (202) 939-6324


consulate(s) general: Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles
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 Syrian troops in central and eastern Lebanon since October 1976; Lebanese Government claims Shab'a Farms area of Israeli-occupied Golan Heights
Economic aid - donor ODA $200 million -
Economic aid - recipient - $3.5 billion (pledges 1997-2001); $4.2 billion in soft loan pledges November 2002 Paris II Aid Conference (2002)
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 1975-91 civil war seriously damaged Lebanon's economic infrastructure, cut national output by half, and all but ended Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern entrepot and banking hub. Peace enabled the central government to restore control in Beirut, begin collecting taxes, and regain access to key port and government facilities. Economic recovery was helped by a financially sound banking system and resilient small- and medium-scale manufacturers. Family remittances, banking services, manufactured and farm exports, and international aid provided the main sources of foreign exchange. Lebanon's economy made impressive gains since the launch in 1993 of "Horizon 2000," the government's $20 billion reconstruction program. Real GDP grew 8% in 1994, 7% in 1995, 4% in 1996 and in 1997, but slowed to 1.2% in 1998, -1.6% in 1999, -0.6% in 2000, 0.8% in 2001, 1.5% in 2002, and 3% in 2003. During the 1990s, annual inflation fell to almost 0% from more than 100%. Lebanon has rebuilt much of its war-torn physical and financial infrastructure. The government nonetheless faces serious challenges in the economic arena. It has funded reconstruction by borrowing heavily - mostly from domestic banks. In order to reduce the ballooning national debt, the re-installed HARIRI government began an economic austerity program to rein in government expenditures, increase revenue collection, and privatize state enterprises. The HARIRI government met with international donors at the Paris II conference in November 2002 to seek bilateral assistance restructuring its domestic debt at lower rates of interest. While privatization of state-owned enterprises had not occurred by the end of 2003, massive receipts from donor nations stabilized government finances in 2002-04.
Electricity - consumption 270.3 billion kWh (2001) 7.44 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2001) 1.183 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 290.7 billion kWh (2001) 6.728 billion kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m


highest point: Halla-san 1,950 m
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m


highest point: Qurnat as Sawda' 3,088 m
Environment - current issues air pollution in large cities; acid rain; water pollution from the discharge of sewage and industrial effluents; drift net fishing deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; air pollution in Beirut from vehicular traffic and the burning of industrial wastes; pollution of coastal waters from raw sewage and oil spills
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, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation
Ethnic groups homogeneous (except for about 20,000 Chinese) Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 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) Lebanese pounds per US dollar - 1,507.5 (2003), 1,507.5 (2002), 1,507.5 (2001), 1,507.5 (2000), 1,507.84 (1999)
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 Emile LAHUD (since 24 November 1998)


head of government: Prime Minister Omar KARAMI (since 21 October 2004); Deputy Prime Minister Issam FARES (since 23 October 2000)


cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president and members of the National Assembly


elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a six-year term; election last held 15 October 1998 (next election date NA); note - on 3 September 2004 the National Assembly voted 96 to 29 to extend Emile LAHUD's six-year term by three years; the prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president in consultation with the National Assembly; by agreement, the president is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of the legislature is a Shia Muslim


election results: For 15 October 1998 election: Emile LAHUD elected president; National Assembly vote - 118 votes in favor, 0 against, 10 abstentions
Exports 804,700 bbl/day (2001) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities Semiconductors, wireless telecommunications equipment, motor vehicles, computers, steel, ships, petrochemicals authentic jewelry, inorganic chemicals, miscellaneous consumer goods, fruit, tobacco, construction minerals, electric power machinery and switchgear, textile fibers, paper
Exports - partners China 18.2%, US 17.8%, Japan 9%, Hong Kong 7.6% (2003) Switzerland 10.8%, UAE 10%, Saudi Arabia 7.5%, US 7.3%, Turkey 5.5%, Jordan 4.4% (2003)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
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), white (double width), and red with a green cedar tree centered in the white band
GDP purchasing power parity - $857.8 billion (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - $17.82 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 3.6%


industry: 36.4%


services: 60% (2003 est.)
agriculture: 12%


industry: 21%


services: 67% (2000)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $17,800 (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - $4,800 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 3.1% (2003 est.) 3% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates 37 00 N, 127 30 E 33 50 N, 35 50 E
Geography - note strategic location on Korea Strait Nahr el Litani only major river in Near East not crossing an international boundary; rugged terrain historically helped isolate, protect, and develop numerous factional groups based on religion, clan, and ethnicity
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: 7,300 km


paved: 6,198 km


unpaved: 1,102 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2.9%


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


highest 10%: NA
Illicit drugs - cannabis cultivation dramatically reduced to 2,500 hectares in 2002; opium poppy cultivation minimal; small amounts of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin transit country on way to European markets and for Middle Eastern consumption
Imports 2.965 million bbl/day (2001) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil, steel, transport equipment, organic chemicals, plastics petroleum products, cars, medicinal products, clothing, meat and live animals, consumer goods, paper, textile fabrics, tobacco
Imports - partners Japan 20.3%, US 13.9%, China 12.3%, Saudi Arabia 5.2% (2003) France 13.4%, Germany 11.7%, Italy 10.7%, Syria 5.3%, China 5.2%, UK 4.9%, US 4.5% (2003)
Independence 15 August 1945 (from Japan) 22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
Industrial production growth rate 5.1% (2003 est.) NA
Industries electronics, telecommunications, automobile production, chemicals, shipbuilding, steel banking; food processing; jewelry; cement; textiles; mineral and chemical products; wood and furniture products; oil refining; metal fabricating
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.)
total: 25.48 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 28.21 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 22.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3.6% (2003 est.) 2.5% (2003 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 ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Irrigated land 11,590 sq km (1998 est.) 1,200 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) four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil and commercial cases and one court for criminal cases); Constitutional Council (called for in Ta'if Accord - rules on constitutionality of laws); Supreme Council (hears charges against the president and prime minister as needed)
Labor force 22.92 million (2003) 1.5 million


note: in addition, there are as many as 1 million foreign workers (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 8.8%, industry 19.1%, services 72.1% (2001) agriculture NA, industry NA, services NA
Land boundaries total: 238 km


border countries: North Korea 238 km
total: 454 km


border countries: Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km
Land use arable land: 17.18%


permanent crops: 1.95%


other: 80.87% (2001)
arable land: 16.62%


permanent crops: 13.98%


other: 69.4% (2001)
Languages Korean, English widely taught in junior high and high school Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian
Legal system combines elements of continental European civil law systems, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and civil law; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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 or Majlis Alnuwab (Arabic) or Assemblee Nationale (French) (128 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of sectarian proportional representation to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 27 August and 3 September 2000 (next to be held spring 2005)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by sect - Muslim 64 ( of which Sunnis 27, Shia 27, Druze 8, Alawite 2), Christian 64 (of which Maronite 34)
Life expectancy at birth total population: 75.58 years


male: 71.96 years


female: 79.54 years (2004 est.)
total population: 72.35 years


male: 69.91 years


female: 74.91 years (2004 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: 87.4%


male: 93.1%


female: 82.2% (2003 est.)
Location Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria
Map references Asia Middle East
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
territorial sea: 12 nm
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: 49 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 198,602 GRT/248,313 DWT


by type: bulk 5, cargo 23, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 1, container 2, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 8, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 4, vehicle carrier 3


foreign-owned: Greece 7, India 1, Netherlands 4, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Spain 1, Syria 2


registered in other countries: 52 (2004 est.)
Military branches Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, National Maritime Police (Coast Guard) Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF; includes Army, Navy, and Air Force)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $14.522 billion (FY03) $541 million (2002)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.7% (FY03) 4.8% (FY99)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 14,233,895 (2004 est.) males age 15-49: 1,049,097 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 8,966,241 (2004 est.) males age 15-49: 643,050 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 341,697 (2004 est.) -
National holiday Liberation Day, 15 August (1945) Independence Day, 22 November (1943)
Nationality noun: Korean(s)


adjective: Korean
noun: Lebanese (singular and plural)


adjective: Lebanese
Natural hazards occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; low-level seismic activity common in southwest dust storms, sandstorms
Natural resources coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower potential limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region, arable land
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Pipelines gas 1,433 km; refined products 827 km (2004) oil 209 km (2004)
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] political activity is organized along largely sectarian lines; numerous political groupings exist, consisting of individual political figures and followers motivated by religious, ethnic, clan, and economic considerations
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 NA
Population 48,598,175 (July 2004 est.) 3,777,218 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line 4% (2001 est.) 28% (1999 est.)
Population growth rate 0.62% (2004 est.) 1.3% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors Chinhae, Inch'on, Kunsan, Masan, Mokp'o, P'ohang, Pusan, Tonghae-hang, Ulsan, Yosu Antilyas, Batroun, Beirut, Chekka, El Mina, Ez Zahrani, Jbail, Jounie, Naqoura, Sidon, Tripoli, Tyre
Radio broadcast stations AM 58, FM 150, shortwave 2 (2004) AM 20, FM 22, shortwave 4 (1998)
Railways total: 3,125 km


standard gauge: 3,125 km 1.435-m gauge (661 km electrified) (2003)
total: 401 km


standard gauge: 319 km 1.435-m


narrow gauge: 82 km 1.050-m


note: rail system was unusable because of damage during the civil war in the 1980s; short sections are operable (2003)
Religions no affiliation 46%, Christian 26%, Buddhist 26%, Confucianist 1%, other 1% Muslim 59.7% (Shi'a, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri), Christian 39% (Maronite Catholic, Melkite Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Catholic, Armenian Catholic, Roman Catholic, Protestant), other 1.3%


note: seventeen religious sects recognized
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: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female


total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage 20 years of age; universal 21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at age 21 with elementary education
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: telecommunications system severely damaged by civil war; rebuilding well underway


domestic: primarily microwave radio relay and cable


international: country code - 961; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) (erratic operations); coaxial cable to Syria; microwave radio relay to Syria but inoperable beyond Syria to Jordan; 3 submarine coaxial cables
Telephones - main lines in use 22.877 million (2003) 678,800 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 33,591,800 (2003) 775,100 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 64 (additionally 119 Cable Operators; 239 Relay Cable Operators) (2004) 15 (plus 5 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains
Total fertility rate 1.56 children born/woman (2004 est.) 1.95 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate 3.4% (2003 est.) 18% (1997 est.)
Waterways 1,608 km


note: most navigable only by small craft (2004)
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