North Korea

Background: Following World War II, Korea was split into a northern, communist half and a southern, Western-oriented half. KIM Chong-il has ruled North Korea since his father and the country's founder, president KIM Il-song, died in 1994. After decades of mismanagement, the North relies heavily on international food aid to feed its population, while continuing to expend resources to maintain an army of about 1 million.
Location: Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea. Area: Land: 120,410 sq km, water: 130 sq km. Area - comparative: Slightly smaller than Mississippi. Land boundaries: Total: 1,673 km, border countries: China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, Russia 19 km. Coastline: 2,495 km.
Climate and Terrain: Temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer. Mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east. Elevation extremes: Lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m; highest point: Paektu-san 2,744 m. Natural resources: Coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnetite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower. Land use: Arable land: 14%.
People: Population: 21,968,228 (July 2001 est.) Ethnic groups: Racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese. Religions: Autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent; government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of religious freedom. Languages: Korean.
Government: Capital: P'yongyang. Government type: Authoritarian socialist; one-man dictatorship.
Economy overview: North Korea, one of the world's most centrally planned and isolated economies, faces desperate economic conditions. Industrial capital stock is nearly beyond repair as a result of years of underinvestment and spare parts shortages. The nation faces its seventh year of food shortages because of weather-related problems, including major drought in 2000, and chronic shortages of fertilizer and fuel. Large-scale military spending eats up resources needed for expanding investment and consumption goods. GDP - composition by sector: Agriculture: 30%, industry: 42%, services: 28%. Labor force: 9.6 million. Labor force - by occupation: Agricultural 36%, nonagricultural 64%. Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 25% to 33%.
Statistics: Telephones 1.1 million. Radio broadcast stations: AM 16, FM 14, short-wave 12. Radios: 3.36 million. Television broadcast stations: 38. Televisions: 1.2 million. Internet country code: .kp Railways: Total: 5,000 km standard gauge: 4,095 km 1.435-m gauge (3,500 km electrified; 159 km double track) narrow gauge: 665 km 0.762-m gauge dual gauge: 240 km 1.435-m and 1.600-m gauges (four rails interlaced). Highways: Total: 31,200 km paved: 1,997 km unpaved: 29,203 km. Airports - with paved runways: Total: 39, with unpaved runways: Total: 48.