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Compare Korea, South (2004) - Western Sahara (2004)

Compare Korea, South (2004) z Western Sahara (2004)

 Korea, South (2004)Western Sahara (2004)
 Korea, SouthWestern Sahara
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)
none (under de facto control of Morocco)
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: NA


15-64 years: NA


65 years and over: NA
Agriculture - products rice, root crops, barley, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs, chickens, milk, eggs; fish fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads)
Airports 102 (2003 est.) 11 (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: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 91


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 88 (2004 est.)
total: 8


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.)
Area total: 98,480 sq km


land: 98,190 sq km


water: 290 sq km
total: 266,000 sq km


land: 266,000 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than Indiana about the size of Colorado
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. Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed.
Birth rate 12.33 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) NA births/1,000 population
Budget revenues: $135.5 billion


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


expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA
Capital Seoul none
Climate temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew
Coastline 2,413 km 1,110 km
Constitution 17 July 1948 -
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: none


conventional short form: Western Sahara


former: Spanish Sahara
Currency South Korean won (KRW) Moroccan dirham (MAD)
Death rate 6.13 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) NA deaths/1,000 population
Debt - external $130.3 billion (2003 est.) NA
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
none
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)
none
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 Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved - UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991 but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals
Economic aid - donor ODA $200 million -
Economic aid - recipient - NA
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. Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. Incomes and standards of living in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level.
Electricity - consumption 270.3 billion kWh (2001) 83.7 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 290.7 billion kWh (2001) 90 million kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m


highest point: Halla-san 1,950 m
lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m


highest point: unnamed location 463 m
Environment - current issues air pollution in large cities; acid rain; water pollution from the discharge of sewage and industrial effluents; drift net fishing sparse water and lack of arable land
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: none of the selected agreements


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups homogeneous (except for about 20,000 Chinese) Arab, Berber
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) Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 9.574 (2003), 11.584 (2002), 11.303 (2001), 10.626 (2000), 9.804 (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%
none
Exports 804,700 bbl/day (2001) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities Semiconductors, wireless telecommunications equipment, motor vehicles, computers, steel, ships, petrochemicals phosphates 62%
Exports - partners China 18.2%, US 17.8%, Japan 9%, Hong Kong 7.6% (2003) Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts
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 -
GDP purchasing power parity - $857.8 billion (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - NA
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 3.6%


industry: 36.4%


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


industry: NA


services: 40% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $17,800 (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - NA
GDP - real growth rate 3.1% (2003 est.) NA
Geographic coordinates 37 00 N, 127 30 E 24 30 N, 13 00 W
Geography - note strategic location on Korea Strait the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas
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: 6,200 km


paved: 1,350 km


unpaved: 4,850 km (1991 est)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2.9%


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


highest 10%: NA
Imports 2.965 million bbl/day (2001) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil, steel, transport equipment, organic chemicals, plastics fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs
Imports - partners Japan 20.3%, US 13.9%, China 12.3%, Saudi Arabia 5.2% (2003) Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2000)
Independence 15 August 1945 (from Japan) -
Industrial production growth rate 5.1% (2003 est.) NA
Industries electronics, telecommunications, automobile production, chemicals, shipbuilding, steel phosphate mining, handicrafts
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: NA


male: NA


female: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3.6% (2003 est.) NA
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 none
Irrigated land 11,590 sq km (1998 est.) NA sq km
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) -
Labor force 22.92 million (2003) 12,000
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 8.8%, industry 19.1%, services 72.1% (2001) animal husbandry and subsistence farming 50%
Land boundaries total: 238 km


border countries: North Korea 238 km
total: 2,046 km


border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
Land use arable land: 17.18%


permanent crops: 1.95%


other: 80.87% (2001)
arable land: 0.02%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 99.98% (2001)
Languages Korean, English widely taught in junior high and high school Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic
Legal system combines elements of continental European civil law systems, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought -
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)
-
Life expectancy at birth total population: 75.58 years


male: 71.96 years


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


male: NA years


female: NA years
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 97.9%


male: 99.2%


female: 96.6% (2002)
definition: NA


total population: NA


male: NA


female: NA
Location Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco
Map references Asia Africa
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
contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue
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.)
-
Military branches Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, National Maritime Police (Coast Guard) -
Military expenditures - dollar figure $14.522 billion (FY03) NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.7% (FY03) NA
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 14,233,895 (2004 est.) -
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 8,966,241 (2004 est.) -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 341,697 (2004 est.) -
National holiday Liberation Day, 15 August (1945) -
Nationality noun: Korean(s)


adjective: Korean
noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)


adjective: Sahrawi,Sahrawian, Sahraouian
Natural hazards occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; low-level seismic activity common in southwest hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility
Natural resources coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower potential phosphates, iron ore
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) -
Pipelines gas 1,433 km; refined products 827 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 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 none
Population 48,598,175 (July 2004 est.) 267,405 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line 4% (2001 est.) NA
Population growth rate 0.62% (2004 est.) NA
Ports and harbors Chinhae, Inch'on, Kunsan, Masan, Mokp'o, P'ohang, Pusan, Tonghae-hang, Ulsan, Yosu Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun)
Radio broadcast stations AM 58, FM 150, shortwave 2 (2004) AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Railways total: 3,125 km


standard gauge: 3,125 km 1.435-m gauge (661 km electrified) (2003)
-
Religions no affiliation 46%, Christian 26%, Buddhist 26%, Confucianist 1%, other 1% Muslim
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.)
NA
Suffrage 20 years of age; universal none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed
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: sparse and limited system


domestic: NA


international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco
Telephones - main lines in use 22.877 million (2003) about 2,000 (1999 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular 33,591,800 (2003) 0 (1999)
Television broadcast stations 64 (additionally 119 Cable Operators; 239 Relay Cable Operators) (2004) NA
Terrain mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast
Total fertility rate 1.56 children born/woman (2004 est.) NA children born/woman
Unemployment rate 3.4% (2003 est.) NA
Waterways 1,608 km


note: most navigable only by small craft (2004)
-
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