Republic of Korea

National name: Taehan Min'guk

President: Roh Moo Hyun (2003)

Prime Minister: Han Duck Soo (2006)

land area: 37,911 sq mi (98,189 sq km)

Population (2006 est.): 48,846,823 (growth rate: 0.4%); birth rate: 10.0/1000; infant mortality rate: 6.2/1000; life expectancy: 77.0; density per sq mi: 1,288

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Seoul, 10,287,847 (city proper)

Other large cities: Pusan, 3,504,900; Inchon, 2,479,600 (part of Seoul metro. area); Taegu, 2,369,800

Monetary unit: Won

Languages: Korean, English widely taught

Ethnicity/race: homogeneous (except for about 20,000 Chinese)

Religions: no affiliation 46%, Christian 26%, Buddhist 26%, Confucianist 1%, other 1%

Literacy rate: 98% (2003 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $965.3 billion; per capita $20,400. Real growth rate: 3.9%. Inflation: 2.6%. Unemployment: 3.7%. Arable land: 17%. Agriculture: rice, root crops, barley, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs, chickens, milk, eggs; fish. Labor force: 23.53 million; agriculture 6.4%, industry 26.4%, services 67.2%. Industries: electronics, telecommunications, automobile production, chemicals, shipbuilding, steel. Natural resources: coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower potential. Exports: $288.2 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): semiconductors, wireless telecommunications equipment, motor vehicles, computers, steel, ships, petrochemicals. Imports: $256 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil, steel, transport equipment, organic chemicals, plastics. Major trading partners: China, U.S., Japan, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia (2004).

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 24 million (2000); mobile cellular: 28 million (Sept. 2000). Radio broadcast stations: AM 104, FM 136, shortwave 5 (2001). Radios: 47.5 million (2000). Television broadcast stations: 121 (plus 850 repeater stations and the eight-channel American Forces Korea Network) (1999). Televisions: 15.9 million (1997). Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 11 (2000). Internet users: 25.6 million (2002).

Transportation: Railways: total: 3,125 km (2002). Highways: total: 86,990 km; paved: 64,808 km (including 1,996 km of expressways); unpaved: 22,182 km (1999 est). Waterways: 1,609 km; use restricted to small native craft. Ports and harbors: Chinhae, Inch'on, Kunsan, Masan, Mokp'o, P'ohang, Pusan, Tonghae-hang, Ulsan, Yosu. Airports: 102 (2002).

International disputes: 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.

Major sources and definitions

 

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