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Korea South
Background :
An independent Korean state or collection of states has existed almost continuously for several millennia. Between its initial unification in the 7th century - from three predecessor Korean states - until the 20th century, Korea existed as a single independent country. In 1905, following the Russo-Japanese War, Korea became a protectorate of imperial Japan, and in 1910 it was annexed as a colony. Korea regained its independence following Japan's surrender to the United States in 1945. After World War II, a Republic of Korea (ROK) was set up in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula while a Communist-style government was installed in the north (the DPRK). During the Korean War (1950-53), US troops and UN forces fought alongside soldiers from the ROK to defend South Korea from DPRK attacks supported by China and the Soviet Union. 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 14 times the level of North Korea. In 1993, KIM Young-sam became South Korea's first civilian president following 32 years of military rule. 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 Dae-jung and the North's leader KIM Jong Il. In October 2007, a second North-South summit took place between the South's President ROH Moo-hyun and the North Korean leader. Harsh rhetoric and unwillingness by North Korea to engage with President LEE Myung-bak following his February 2008 inauguration has strained inter-Korean relations.
Location :
Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea
Geographic Coordinates Center :
37 00 N, 127 30 E (Latitude, Longtitude)
Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :
| West | 125.89 |
| North | 38.61 |
| East | 129.58 |
| South | 33.19 |
Map references :
Asia
Area :
| total | 99 720 | square km |
| land | 96 920 | square km |
| water | 2 800 | square km |
Land boundaries :
| total | 238 | km |
| North Korea | 238 | km |
Coastline :
2413.00 km
Climate :
temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter
Terrain :
mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south
Elevation extremes :
| lowest point | 0 | metres |
| highest point | 1 950 | metres |
Natural resources :
| coal | graphite |
| hydropower potential | lead |
| molybdenum | tungsten |
Land use :
| arable land | 16.58 | % |
| permanent crops | 2.01 | % |
| other | 81.41 | % |
Irrigated land :
8 780 square km
Total renewable water resources :
69 cubic km
Natural hazards :
| floods | high winds |
| seismic activity | typhoons |
current issues :
air pollution in large cities; acid rain; water pollution from the discharge of sewage and industrial effluents; drift net fishing
international agreements :
| Antarctic Treaty | Antarctic-Environmental Protocol |
| Antarctic-Marine Living Resources | 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 |
Population :
48 508 972
Indicators :
| Growth rate | 0.27 | % |
| Birth rate | 8.93 | births/1,000 population |
| Total fertility rate | 1.21 | children born/woman |
| Death rate | 5.94 | deaths/1,000 population |
| Net migration rate | -0.33 | migrant(s)/1,000 population |
Age structure :
| 0-14 years | 16.80 | % |
| 15-64 years | 72.30 | % |
| 65 years and over | 10.80 | % |
Median age :
| total | 37.30 | years |
| male | 36.00 | years |
| female | 38.50 | years |
Sex ratio :
| at birth | 1.07 | male(s)/female |
| under 15 years | 1.10 | male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 1.04 | male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.67 | male(s)/female |
| total population | 1.00 | male(s)/female |
Health :
| Infant mortality rate | 4.26 | deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth - total population | 78.72 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - male | 75.45 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - female | 82.22 | years |
| HIV-AIDS adult prevalence rate | 0.10 | % |
| HIV-AIDS people living with HIV-AIDS | 13 000 | |
| HIV-AIDS deaths | 500 |
Religions :
| Christian | 26.30 | % |
| Buddhist | 23.20 | % |
| other | 1.30 | % |
| none | 49.30 | % |
Languages :
| Korean | |
| English widely taught in junior high |
Literacy :
| total population | 97.90 | % |
| male | 99.20 | % |
| female | 96.60 | % |
Country name :
| conventional long form | Republic of Korea |
| conventional short form | South Korea |
| local long form | Taehan-min'guk |
| local short form | Han'guk |
Country Codes :
| ISO 3166 | KR |
| ISO Numeric | 410 |
| ISO3 | KOR |
| FIPS | KS |
| ccTLD | kr |
| English | Korea South |
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, Kwangju-gwangyoksi, Pusan-gwangyoksi, Soul-t'ukpyolsi, Taegu-gwangyoksi, Taejon-gwangyoksi, Ulsan-gwangyoksi
Capital :
| name | Seoul |
| geographic coordinates | 37 33 N, 126 59 E |
| time difference | 9.00 |
International organization participation :
| ADB | APEC |
| APT | ARF |
| ASEAN (dialogue partner) | AfDB (nonregional member) |
| Australia Group | BIS |
| CICA | CP |
| EAS | EBRD |
| FAO | FATF |
| G-20 | IADB |
| IAEA | IBRD |
| ICAO | ICC |
| ICCt | ICRM |
| IDA | IEA |
| IFAD | IFC |
| IFRCS | IHO |
| ILO | IMF |
| IMO | IMSO |
| IOC | IOM |
| IPU | ISO |
| ITSO | ITU |
| ITUC | Interpol |
| LAIA | MIGA |
| MINURSO | NEA |
| NSG | OAS (observer) |
| OECD | OPCW |
| OSCE (partner) | PCA |
| PIF (partner) | Paris Club (associate) |
| SAARC (observer) | UN |
| UNCTAD | UNESCO |
| UNHCR | UNIDO |
| UNIFIL | UNMIL |
| UNMIS | UNMOGIP |
| UNOCI | UNWTO |
| UPU | WCO |
| WFTU | WHO |
| WIPO | WMO |
| WTO | ZC |
Independence :
1945-08-15
National holiday :
Liberation Day
1945-08-15
Executive branch :
| President LEE Myung-bak | Prime Minister CHUNG Un-chan |
GDP - Gross Domestic product :
| PPP - Purchasing Power Parity | 1 343 000 000 000 | $ |
| Official Exchange Rate | 800 300 000 000 | |
| RGR - Real Growth rate | -0.80 | % |
| PPP - per capita | 27 700 | $ |
GDP Composition by sector :
| agriculture | 3.00 | % |
| industry | 39.40 | % |
| services | 57.60 | % |
Labor force - by occupation :
| agriculture | 7.20 | % |
| industry | 25.10 | % |
| services | 67.70 | % |
Other Indicators :
| Labor force | 24 370 000 | people |
| Unemployment rate | 4.10 | % |
| Population below poverty line | 15.00 | % |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 31.30 | |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.80 | % |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 28.20 | % of GDP |
| Current account balance | 30 380 000 000 | $ |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 245 900 000 000 | $ |
| Debt external | 333 600 000 000 | $ |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad | 74 600 000 000 | $ |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | 86 000 000 000 | $ |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | 494 600 000 000 | $ |
| Military expenditures | 2.70 | % of GDP |
| Public debt | 28.00 | % of GDP |
Household income or consumption by percentage share :
| lowest 10% | 2.70 | % |
| highest 10% | 24.20 | % |
Budget :
| revenues | 191 500 000 000 | $ |
| expenditures | 227 200 000 000 | $ |
Agriculture - products :
| barley | cattle |
| eggs | fish |
| fruits | milk |
| pigs | poultry |
| rice | root crops |
| vegetables |
Industries :
| automobile production | chemicals |
| electronics | shipbuilding |
| steel | telecommunications |
Energy :
| Electricity Production | 440 000 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 385 100 000 000 | kWh |
| Oil Production | 30 440 | bbl/day |
| Oil Consumption | 2 175 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Exports | 800 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Imports | 2 982 000 | bbl/day |
| Natural gas Production | 443 000 000 | cubic metres |
| Natural gas Consumption | 34 760 000 000 | cubic metres |
| Natural gas Imports | 36 210 000 000 | cubic metres |
| Electricity Exports | 50 000 000 000 | cubic metres |
Value :
355 100 000 000 $
Partners :
| China (cn) | 21.50 | % |
| United States (us) | 10.90 | % |
| Japan (jp) | 6.60 | % |
| Hong Kong (hk) | 4.60 | % |
Commodities :
| computers | motor vehicles |
| petrochemicals | semiconductors |
| ships | steel |
| wireless telecommunications equipment |
Value :
313 400 000 000 $
Partners :
| China (cn) | 17.70 | % |
| Japan (jp) | 14.00 | % |
| United States (us) | 8.90 | % |
| Saudi Arabia (sa) | 7.80 | % |
| UAE | 4.40 | % |
| Australia (au) | 4.10 | % |
Commodities :
| electronics and electronic equipment | machinery |
| oil | organic chemicals |
| plastics | steel |
| transportation equipment |
Currency-code :
KRW
Currency-name :
South Korean won
Communications :
| Telephons Main lines in use | 21 325 000 | |
| Telephons Mobile, Cellular | 45 607 000 | |
| FM Radio broadcast stations | 322 | |
| Television broadcast stations | 57 | |
| Internet Country code (ccTLD) | kr | |
| Internet Hosts | 301 270 | |
| Internet Users | 37 476 000 |
Transportation :
| Airports with paved runways | 72 | |
| Heliports | 516 | |
| Pipelines - gas | 1 423 | km |
| Pipelines - refined products | 827 | km |
| Roadways - total | 103 029 | km |
| Roadways - expressways | 3 367 | km |
| Roadways - paved | 80 642 | km |
| Roadways - unpaved | 22 387 | km |
| Railways | 3 381 | km |
| Waterways | 1 608 | km |
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