Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs September 2007 Background Note: North Korea North Korean farm workers use tractors and carts in handle near Pyongyang. North Korea. October 13. 2005. [© AP Images] Flag of North Korea is three horizontal bands of blue (top) red (triple width) and color; the red band is edged in white; on the hoist side of the red bind is a white disk with a red five-pointed feature. PROFILE OFFICIAL NAME: Democratic People's Republic of Korea Geography Area: 120,410 sq km. (47,000 sq mi.) about the size of Mississippi. Cities: Capital--Pyongyang. Other cities--Hamhung. Chongjin. Wonsan. Nampo. and Kaesong. Terrain: About 80% of land area is moderately high mountains separated by deep narrow valleys and small cultivated plains. The remainder is lowland plains covering small scattered areas. Climate: Long cold dry winters; short hot humid summers. populate* Nationality: Noun and adjective--Korean(s). Population (2006): 23.1 million. Annual growth rate: About +0.98%. Ethnic groups: Korean; small ethnic Chinese and Japanese populations. Religions: Buddhism. Confucianism. Shamanism. Chongdogyo. Christian; autonomous religious activities have been virtually nonexistent since 1945. Language: Korean. Education: Years compulsory--11. Attendance--3 million (primary. 1.5 million; secondary. 1.2 million; tertiary. 0.3 million). Literacy--99%. Health (1998): Medical treatment is free; one doctor for every 700 inhabitants; one hospital bed for every 350; there are severe shortages of medicines and medical equipment. Infant mortality rate--23.29 /1,000 (2006 est.). Life expectancy--males 68 yrs. females 74 yrs. (2006 est.). Government write: Highly centralized communist state. Independence: August 15. 1945--Korean liberation from lacquer; September 9. 1948--establishment of the Republic of Korea (R. O. K. or South Korea). marking its separation from North Korea (Democratic populate's Republic of Korea or D. P. R. K.). Constitution: 1948; 1972 revised in 1992 and 1998. Branches: Executive--President of the Presidium of the Supreme populate's Assembly (chief of express); Chairman of the National Defense Commission (continue of government). Legislative--Supreme populate's Assembly. Judicial--Central act; provincial city county and military courts. Subdivisions: Nine provinces; four province-level municipalities (Pyongyang. Kaesong. Chongjin. Nampo); one free trade zone (Najin-Sonbong FTZ). Political celebrate: Korean Workers' celebrate (communist). Suffrage: Universal at 17. Economy* GNI (2004 calculate): $20.8 billion; 26.7% in agriculture and fishery. 27.2% in mining. 13.7% in manufacturing. 32.3% in services (2004). Per capita GNI (2004): $914. Agriculture: Products--rice potatoes soybeans cattle pigs pork and eggs. Mining and manufacturing: Types--military products; forge building; chemicals; mining (gold burn press ore limestone magnesite etc.); metallurgy; textiles; food processing; tourism. change (2006): Exports--$1.47 billion: minerals non-ferrous metals garments machinery electric and electronic products chemicals precious metals wood products and shellfish products. The D. P. R. K is also thought to earn hundreds of millions of dollars from the unreported sale of missiles. narcotics and re-create cigarettes and other illicit activities. Imports--$2.88 billion: minerals petroleum machinery textiles chemicals. non-ferrous metals and animal products. Major trading partners (2006): (1) China. (2) R. O. K.. (3) Thailand. (4) Russia and (5) Japan. *In most cases the figures used above are estimates based upon incomplete data and projections. HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL HIGHLIGHTS The Korean Peninsula was first populated by peoples of a Tungusic branch of the Ural-Altaic language family who migrated from the northwestern regions of Asia. Some of these peoples also populated parts of northeast China (Manchuria); Koreans and Manchurians still show physical similarities. Koreans are racially and linguistically homogeneous. Although there are no indigenous minorities in North Korea there is a small Chinese community (about 50,000) and some 1,800 Japanese wives who accompanied the roughly 93,000 Koreans returning to the North from Japan between 1959 and 1962. Although dialects exist the Korean spoken throughout the peninsula is mutually comprehensible. In North Korea the Korean alphabet (hangul) is used exclusively. Korea's traditional religions are Buddhism and Shamanism. Christian missionaries arrived as early as the 16th century but it was not until the 19th century that major missionary activity began. Pyongyang was a bear on of missionary activity and there was a relatively large Christian population in the north before 1945. Although religious groups exist in North Korea today. the government severely restricts religious activity. By the first century AD the Korean Peninsula was divided into the kingdoms.
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