Main page Compare countries Index countries Index fields

Query:
##ciekawa_strona##

Compare Turkmenistan (2004) - Korea, South (2003)

Compare Turkmenistan (2004) z Korea, South (2003)

 Turkmenistan (2004)Korea, South (2003)
 TurkmenistanKorea, South
Administrative divisions 5 provinces (welayatlar, singular - welayat): Ahal Welayaty (Ashgabat), Balkan Welayaty (Balkanabat), Dashoguz Welayaty, Lebap Welayaty (Turkmenabat), Mary Welayaty


note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)
9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 7 metropolitan cities* (gwangyoksi, singular and plural); Cheju-do, Cholla-bukto, Cholla-namdo, Ch'ungch'ong-bukto, Ch'ungch'ong-namdo, Inch'on-gwangyoksi*, Kangwon-do, Kwangju-gwangyoksi*, Kyonggi-do, Kyongsang-bukto, Kyongsang-namdo, Pusan-gwangyoksi*, Soul-t'ukpyolsi*, Taegu-gwangyoksi*, Taejon-gwangyoksi*, Ulsan-gwangyoksi*
Age structure 0-14 years: 36.2% (male 904,627; female 857,601)


15-64 years: 59.7% (male 1,423,836; female 1,477,224)


65 years and over: 4.1% (male 76,670; female 123,211) (2004 est.)
0-14 years: 20.6% (male 5,256,451; female 4,703,853)


15-64 years: 71.5% (male 17,527,407; female 16,991,229)


65 years and over: 7.9% (male 1,512,157; female 2,297,940) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products cotton, grain; livestock rice, root crops, barley, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs, chickens, milk, eggs; fish
Airports 69 (2003 est.) 102 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways total: 24


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 12


1,524 to 2,437 m: 8


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 1 (2003 est.)
total: 69


over 3,047 m: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 18


1,524 to 2,437 m: 16


914 to 1,523 m: 11


under 914 m: 21 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 45


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 7


under 914 m: 36 (2003 est.)
total: 33


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 31 (2002)
Area total: 488,100 sq km


land: 488,100 sq km


water: negl.
total: 98,480 sq km


land: 98,190 sq km


water: 290 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than California slightly larger than Indiana
Background Annexed by Russia between 1865 and 1885, Turkmenistan became a Soviet republic in 1924. It achieved its independence upon the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. President NIYAZOV retains absolute control over the country and opposition is not tolerated. Extensive hydrocarbon/natural gas reserves could prove a boon to this underdeveloped country if extraction and delivery projects were to be expanded. The Turkmenistan Government is actively seeking to develop alternative petroleum transportation routes in order to break Russia's pipeline monopoly. 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 20 times the level of North Korea. South Korea has maintained its commitment to democratize its political processes. In June 2000, a historic first North-South summit took place between the South's President KIM Dae-jung and the North's leader KIM Chong-il.
Birth rate 27.82 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) 12.6 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues: $3.477 billion


expenditures: $3.908 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)
revenues: $118.1 billion


expenditures: $95.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $22.6 billion (2000)
Capital Ashgabat Seoul
Climate subtropical desert temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter
Coastline 0 km; note - Turkmenistan borders the Caspian Sea (1,768 km) 2,413 km
Constitution adopted 18 May 1992 17 July 1948
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Turkmenistan


local long form: none


local short form: Turkmenistan


former: Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic
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
Currency Turkmen manat (TMM) South Korean won (KRW)
Death rate 8.82 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) 6.03 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $2.4 billion to $5 billion (2001 est.) $135.2 billion (yearend 2002 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Tracey A. JACOBSON


embassy: 9 Pushkin (1984) Street, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan 774000


mailing address: 7070 Ashgabat Place, Washington, D.C. 20521-7070


telephone: [9] (9312) 35-00-45


FAX: [9] (9312) 39-26-14
chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas C. HUBBARD


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
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Mered Bairamovich ORAZOV


chancery: 2207 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 588-1500


FAX: [1] (202) 588-0697
chief of mission: Ambassador HAN Sung-chu (HAN Sung-joo)


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)
Disputes - international prolonged regional drought created water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan reached an agreement on improving water usage along the Amu Darya in 2004; delimitation of Caspian seabed remains unresolved Military Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone has separated North from South Korea since 1953; Liancourt Rocks (Take-shima/Tok-do) are disputed with Japan
Economic aid - donor - ODA $200 million
Economic aid - recipient $16 million from the US (2001) -
Economy - overview Turkmenistan is largely desert country with intensive agriculture in irrigated oases and large gas and oil resources. One-half of its irrigated land is planted in cotton, making it at one time the world's tenth-largest producer. Poor harvests in recent years have led to a nearly 46% decline in cotton exports. With an authoritarian ex-Communist regime in power and a tribally based social structure, Turkmenistan has taken a cautious approach to economic reform, hoping to use gas and cotton sales to sustain its inefficient economy. Privatization goals remain limited. In 1998-2003, Turkmenistan suffered from the continued lack of adequate export routes for natural gas and from obligations on extensive short-term external debt. At the same time, however, total exports rose by 38% in 2003, largely because of higher international oil and gas prices. Overall prospects in the near future are discouraging because of widespread internal poverty, the burden of foreign debt, and the unwillingness of the government to adopt market-oriented reforms. However, Turkmenistan's cooperation with the international community in transporting humanitarian aid to Afghanistan may foreshadow a change in the atmosphere for foreign investment, aid, and technological support. Turkmenistan's economic statistics are state secrets, and GDP and other figures are subject to wide margins of error. In particular, the 20% rate of GDP growth is a guess. As one of the Four Tigers of East Asia, South Korea has achieved an incredible record of growth and integration into the high-tech modern world economy. Three 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 six-day work week was reduced to five days.
Electricity - consumption 8.509 billion kWh (2001) 270.3 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 980 million kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 20 million kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 10.18 billion kWh (2001) 290.7 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 62.4%


hydro: 0.8%


nuclear: 36.6%


other: 0.2% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Vpadina Akchanaya -81 m; note - Sarygamysh Koli is a lake in northern Turkmenistan with a water level that fluctuates above and below the elevation of Vpadina Akchanaya (the lake has dropped as low as -110 m)


highest point: Gora Ayribaba 3,139 m
lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m


highest point: Halla-san 1,950 m
Environment - current issues contamination of soil and groundwater with agricultural chemicals, pesticides; salination, water-logging of soil due to poor irrigation methods; Caspian Sea pollution; diversion of a large share of the flow of the Amu Darya into irrigation contributes to that river's inability to replenish the Aral Sea; desertification air pollution in large cities; acid rain; water pollution from the discharge of sewage and industrial effluents; drift net fishing
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Ethnic groups Turkmen 85%, Uzbek 5%, Russian 4%, other 6% (2003) homogeneous (except for about 20,000 Chinese)
Exchange rates Turkmen manats per US dollar - 5,200 (2003), 5,200 (2002), 5,200 (2001), 5,200 (2000), 5,200 (1999);note - the official exchange rate has not varied for the last six years; the unofficial rate has fluctuated slightly, hovering around 21,000 manats to the dollar South Korean won per US dollar - 1,251.09 (2002), 1,290.99 (2001), 1,130.96 (2000), 1,188.82 (1999), 1,401.44 (1998)
Executive branch chief of state: President and Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Saparmurat NIYAZOV (since 27 October 1990, when the first direct presidential election occurred); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President and Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Saparmurat NIYAZOV (since 27 October 1990, when the first direct presidential election occurred); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president


note: NIYAZOV's term in office was extended indefinitely on 28 December 1999 during a session of the People's Council (Halk Maslahaty)


elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 21 June 1992 (next to be held in 2008 when NIYAZOV turns 70 and is constitutionally ineligible to run); note - President NIYAZOV was unanimously approved as president for life by the People's Council on 28 December 1999; deputy chairmen of the cabinet of ministers are appointed by the president


election results: Saparmurat NIYAZOV elected president without opposition; percent of vote - Saparmurat NIYAZOV 99.5%
chief of state: President NO Mu-hyun (ROH Moo-hyun) (since 25 February 2003)


head of government: Prime Minister KO Kun (KOH Kun) (since 27 February 2003); Deputy Prime Ministers KIM Chin-p'yo (KIM Jin-pyo) (since 27 February 2003) and YUN Tok-hong (since 6 March 2003)


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


elections: president elected by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 19 December 2002 (next to be held NA December 2007); prime minister appointed by the president; deputy prime ministers appointed by the president on the prime minister's recommendation


election results: results of the 19 December 2002 election - NO Muh-hyun elected president, took office 25 February 2003; percent of vote - NO Muh-hyun (MDP) 48.9%; YI Hoe-ch'ang (GNP) 46.6%; other 4.5%
Exports NA (2001) 804,700 bbl/day (2001)
Exports - commodities gas 57%, oil 26%, cotton fiber 3%, textiles 2% (2001) electronic products, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, steel, ships; textiles, clothing, footwear; fish
Exports - partners Ukraine 39.2%, Italy 18.1%, Iran 14.7%, Turkey 6.5% (2003) US 20.4%, China 14.7%, Japan 9.4%, Hong Kong 6.3% (2002)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description green field with a vertical red stripe near the hoist side, containing five carpet guls (designs used in producing rugs) stacked above two crossed olive branches similar to the olive branches on the UN flag; a white crescent moon and five white stars appear in the upper corner of the field just to the fly side of the red stripe 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 - $27.88 billion (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - $941.5 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 24.8%


industry: 46.2%


services: 28.9% (2003 est.)
agriculture: 4.4%


industry: 41.6%


services: 54% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $5,800 (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - $19,600 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 23.1% (2003 est.) 6.3% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 40 00 N, 60 00 E 37 00 N, 127 30 E
Geography - note landlocked; the western and central low-lying, desolate portions of the country make up the great Garagum (Kara-Kum) desert, which occupies over 80% of the country; eastern part is plateau strategic location on Korea Strait
Heliports 1 (2003 est.) 204 (2002)
Highways total: 24,000 km


paved: 19,488 km


unpaved: 4,512 km (1999 est.)
total: 86,990 km


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


unpaved: 22,182 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2.6%


highest 10%: 31.7% (1998)
lowest 10%: 2.6%


highest 10%: 24.8% (1998 est.)
Illicit drugs transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and Western European markets; transit point for heroin precursor chemicals bound for Afghanistan -
Imports NA (2001) 2.965 million bbl/day (2001)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment 60%, foodstuffs 15% (1999) machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil, steel, transport equipment, textiles, organic chemicals, grains
Imports - partners Russia 21.5%, Ukraine 15.3%, Turkey 9.4%, UAE 7.6%, Germany 4.2%, China 4.2% (2003) Japan 19.6%, US 15.2%, China 11.4%, Saudi Arabia 5% (2002)
Independence 27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union) 15 August 1945 (from Japan)
Industrial production growth rate 14% (2003 est.) 6.5% (2002 est.)
Industries natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles, food processing electronics, automobile production, chemicals, shipbuilding, steel, textiles, clothing, footwear, food processing
Infant mortality rate total: 73.13 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 76.9 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 69.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
total: 7.31 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 7.77 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 6.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 9.5% (2003 est.) 2.8% (2002 est.)
International organization participation AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO AfDB, APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IEA (observer), IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMISET, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNU, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 11 (2000)
Irrigated land 17,500 sq km (2003 est.) 11,590 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president) Supreme Court (justices are appointed by the president with the consent of the National Assembly)
Labor force 2.34 million (1996) 22 million (2001)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 48%, industry 15%, services 37% (1998 est.) services 69%, industry 21.5%, agriculture 9.5% (2001)
Land boundaries total: 3,736 km


border countries: Afghanistan 744 km, Iran 992 km, Kazakhstan 379 km, Uzbekistan 1,621 km
total: 238 km


border countries: North Korea 238 km
Land use arable land: 3.72%


permanent crops: 0.14%


other: 96.14% (2001)
arable land: 17.44%


permanent crops: 2.05%


other: 80.51% (1998 est.)
Languages Turkmen 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7% Korean, English widely taught in junior high and high school
Legal system based on civil law system combines elements of continental European civil law systems, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought
Legislative branch under the 1992 constitution, there are two parliamentary bodies, a unicameral People's Council or Halk Maslahaty (supreme legislative body of up to 2,500 delegates, some of which are elected by popular vote and some of which are appointed; meets at least yearly) and a unicameral Parliament or Mejlis (50 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)


elections: People's Council - last held in April 2003; Mejlis - last held 19 December 2004 (next to be held December 2009)


election results: Mejlis - DPT 100%; seats by party - DPT 50; note - all 50 elected officials are members of the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan and are preapproved by President NIYAZOV


note: in late 2003, a new law was adopted, reducing the powers of the Mejlis and making the Halk Maslahaty the supreme legislative organ; the Halk Maslahaty can now legally dissolve the Mejlis, and the president is now able to participate in the Mejlis as its supreme leader; the Mejlis can no longer adopt or amend the constitution, or announce referendums or its elections; since the president is both the "Chairman for Life" of the Halk Maslahaty and the supreme leader of the Mejlis, the 2003 law has the effect of making him the sole authority of both the executive and legislative branches of government
unicameral National Assembly or Kukhoe (273 seats total - 227 elected by direct, popular vote; members serve four-year terms); note - beginning in 2004, all members will be directly elected; possible redistricting before 2004 may affect the number of seats in the National Assembly


elections: last held 13 April 2000 (next to be held NA April 2004)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - GNP 133, MDP 115, ULD 17, other 8; note - the distribution of seats as of April 2003 was: GNP 153, MDP 101, ULD 11, DPP 1, PPR 1, independents 5; one seat vacant
Life expectancy at birth total population: 61.29 years


male: 57.87 years


female: 64.88 years (2004 est.)
total population: 75.36 years


male: 71.73 years


female: 79.32 years (2003 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 98%


male: 99%


female: 97% (1989 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 98.1%


male: 99.3%


female: 97% (2003 est.)
Location Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea
Map references Asia Asia
Maritime claims - contiguous zone: 24 NM


continental shelf: not specified


exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM; between 3 NM and 12 NM in the Korea Strait
Merchant marine total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,873 GRT/8,345 DWT


by type: combination ore/oil 1, petroleum tanker 1


registered in other countries: 2 (2004 est.)
total: 541 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,490,521 GRT/10,602,751 DWT


ships by type: bulk 114, cargo 174, chemical tanker 63, combination bulk 9, container 52, liquefied gas 17, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 69, refrigerated cargo 21, roll on/roll off 6, short-sea passenger 2, specialized tanker 6, vehicle carrier 5


note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Australia 1, Bulgaria 1, China 1, Greece 1, Japan 1, Malaysia 1, Norway 1, Panama 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, UK 1 (2002 est.)
Military branches Ministry of Defense (Army, Air and Air Defense, Navy, Border Troops, and Internal Troops), National Guard Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, National Maritime Police (Coast Guard)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $90 million (FY99) $13,094.3 million (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 3.4% (FY99) 2.8% (FY02)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 1,272,436 (2004 est.) males age 15-49: 14,252,851 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 1,031,806 (2004 est.) males age 15-49: 8,994,941 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 55,866 (2004 est.) males: 345,331 (2003 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 27 October (1991) Liberation Day, 15 August (1945)
Nationality noun: Turkmen(s)


adjective: Turkmen
noun: Korean(s)


adjective: Korean
Natural hazards NA occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; low-level seismic activity common in southwest
Natural resources petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower potential
Net migration rate -0.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines gas 6,549 km; oil 1,395 km (2004) gas 1,433 km; refined products 827 km (2003)
Political parties and leaders Democratic Party of Turkmenistan or DPT [Saparmurat NIYAZOV]


note: formal opposition parties are outlawed; unofficial, small opposition movements exist underground or in foreign countries; the two most prominent opposition groups-in-exile have been Gundogar and Erkin; Gundogar was led by former Foreign Minister Boris SHIKHMURADOV until his arrest and imprisonment in the wake of the 25 November 2002 assassination attempt on President NIYAZOV; Erkin is led by former Foreign Minister Abdy KULIEV and is based out of Moscow; the Union of Democratic Forces, a coalition of opposition-in-exile groups, is based in Europe
Democratic People's Party or DPP [leader NA]; Grand National Party or GNP [CH'OE Pyong-ryol, chairman]; Millennium Democratic Party or MDP [CHO Sun-hyong, chairman]; United Liberal Democrats or ULD [KIM Chong-p'il, president]; Uri Party [KIM Kun-t'ae, chairman]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA 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
Population 4,863,169 (July 2004 est.) 48,289,037 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line 34.4% (2001 est.) 4% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate 1.81% (2004 est.) 0.66% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors Turkmenbasy Chinhae, Inch'on, Kunsan, Masan, Mokp'o, P'ohang, Pusan, Tonghae-hang, Ulsan, Yosu
Radio broadcast stations AM 16, FM 8, shortwave 2 (1998) AM 104, FM 136, shortwave 5 (2001)
Railways total: 2,440 km


broad gauge: 2,440 km 1.520-m gauge (2003)
total: 3,125 km


standard gauge: 3,125 km 1.435-m gauge (661 km electrified) (2002)
Religions Muslim 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%, unknown 2% Christian 49%, Buddhist 47%, Confucianist 3%, Shamanist, Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way), and other 1%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
at birth: 1.1 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.12 male(s)/female


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


65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female


total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 20 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: poorly developed


domestic: NA


international: country code - 993; linked by cable and microwave radio relay to other CIS republics and to other countries by leased connections to the Moscow international gateway switch; a new telephone link from Ashgabat to Iran has been established; a new exchange in Ashgabat switches international traffic through Turkey via Intelsat; satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 1 Intelsat
general assessment: excellent domestic and international services


domestic: NA


international: 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)
Telephones - main lines in use 374,000 (2002) 24 million (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular 52,000 (2004) 28 million (September 2000)
Television broadcast stations 4 (government owned and programmed) (2004) 121 (plus 850 repeater stations and the eight-channel American Forces Korea Network) (1999)
Terrain flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes rising to mountains in the south; low mountains along border with Iran; borders Caspian Sea in west mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south
Total fertility rate 3.45 children born/woman (2004 est.) 1.56 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate NA 3.1% (2002 est.)
Waterways 1,300 km (Amu Darya and Kara Kum canal important inland waterways) (2003) 1,609 km


note: restricted to small native craft
Sitemap: Compare countries listing (map site) | Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.