(Geography)

Location:Eastern Asia,southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Sea of Japan & Yellow Sea
Geographic Coordinates:37 00 N, 127 30 E
Map References:Asia
Area:Total- 99720sq km / Land-96920sq km / Water-2800sq km
Area-comparative:Slightly larger than Indiana
Land Boundaries:Tota-238 km / Border Countries North korea-238 km
Coastline:2413 km
Maritime Claims:Territorial Sea 12 nm(bt.3 nm & 12 nm in the Korea Strait) / Contiguous Zone 24 nm
Exclusive Economic Zone:200 nm / Continental Shelf not specified
Climate:Temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter
Terrain:Mostly hills and mountains-Wide coastal plains in west and south
Natural Resources:Coal,Tungsten, Graphite,Molybdenum,Lead,Hydropower Potential
Environment-Current Issues:Air pollution in large cities,acid rain,water pollution from the discharge of sewage and industrial effluents,drift net fishing
Time Difference: GMT + 9 hours
Political System:Based on a Republic form of government with the President as Chief of the State and Prime Minister as the Head of Government. Powers of the government is shared between the executive, legislature and judiciary. The Cabinet comprises of a council of ministers who are appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The political system of South Korea continues to suffer from the aftermath of several years authoritarian rule
Flagship Industries: ICT,Electronics,Semiconductor,Automobile,Shipbuilding,Steel,Petrochemical,etc

(People)

Nationality :Noun and adjective--Korean(s).
Population(2010):48,636,068.
Annual population Growth Rate(2010): 0.258%.
Ethnic Groups:Korean; small Chinese minority (about 20,000).
Education:Years compulsory--9. Enrollment--11.5 million. Attendance--middle school 99%, high school 95%. Literacy--98%.
Health(2010):Infant mortality rate--4.24/1,000. Life expectancy--78.81 yrs. (men 75.56 yrs.; women 82.28 yrs).
Total labor Force(2009):24.37 million.

(Government)

Type:Republic with powers shared between the president, the legislature, and the courts
Liberation:August 15, 1945.
Constitution:July 17, 1948; last revised 1987.
Branches:Executive--President (chief of state); Prime Minister (head of government). Legislative--unicameral National Assembly. Judicial--Supreme Court and appellate courts; Constitutional Court.
Subdivisions: Nine provinces, seven administratively separate cities (Seoul, Busan, Incheon, Daegu, Gwangju, Daejeon, Ulsan).
Political parties:Grand National Party (GNP); Democratic Party (DP), formerly known as United Democratic Party (UDP); Liberty Forward Party (LFP); New Progressive Party (NPP); Pro-Park Alliance (PPA); Renewal Korea Party (RKP).
Suffrage:Universal at 19.
Government Budget(2009):Expenditures--$227.2 billion.
Defense(2008):2.5% of GDP.


(Major Economic Indicatiors)

GDP(purchasing power parity in 2009):$1.364 trillion.
Real GDP growth rate:2007, 5.1%; 2008, 2.3%; 2009, 0.2%.
GDP per capita(2009,current U.S.$):$17,074.
Unemployment rate(2009):3.6%.
Inflation rate(consumer prices):2008, 4.7%; 2009, 2.8%.
Natural resources:Coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower potential.
Agriculture:Products--rice, root crops, barley, vegetables, fruit, cattle, pigs, chickens, milk, eggs, fish. Arable land--16.58% of land area.
Industry:Electronics, telecommunications, automobile production, chemicals, shipbuilding, steel.
Trade(2009):Exports--$363.5 billion: semiconductors, wireless telecommunications equipment, motor vehicles, computers, steel, ships, petrochemicals. Imports-- $323.1 billion: crude oil, food, electronics and electronic equipment, machinery, transportation equipment, steel, organic chemicals, plastics, base metals and articles. Major export markets (2009)--China (23.2%), U.S. (10.1%), Japan (5.8%), Hong Kong (5.3%), Singapore (3.6%). Major importers to South Korea (2009)--China (16.8%), Japan (15.3%), U.S. (9.0%), Saudi Arabia (6.1%), Australia (4.6%).