(18) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - about $5 billion, 20-25% of GNP (1991 est.); note
- the officially announced but suspect figure is $1.9 billion (1991) 8% of
GNP (1991 est.)

:Korea, South Geography

Total area:
98,480 km2
Land area:
98,190 km2
Comparative area:
slightly larger than Indiana
Land boundaries:
238 km; North Korea 238 km
Coastline:
2,413 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf:
not specific
Territorial sea:
12 nm (3 nm in the Korea Strait)
Disputes:
Demarcation Line with North Korea; Liancourt Rocks claimed by Japan
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
Land use:
arable land 21%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 1%; forest and
woodland 67%; other 10%; includes irrigated 12%
Environment:
occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; earthquakes in southwest;
air pollution in large cities

:Korea, South People

Population:
44,149,199 (July 1992), growth rate 1.1% (1992)
Birth rate:
16 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
6 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
1 migrant/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
23 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
67 years male, 73 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
1.6 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Korean(s);adjective - Korean
Ethnic divisions:
homogeneous; small Chinese minority (about 20,000)
Religions:
strong Confucian tradition; vigorous Christian minority (24.3% of the total
population); Buddhism; pervasive folk religion (Shamanism); Chondogyo
(religion of the heavenly way), eclectic religion with nationalist overtones
founded in 19th century, about 0.1% of population
Languages:
Korean; English widely taught in high school
Literacy:
96% (male 99%, female 94%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Labor force:
16,900,000; 52% services and other; 27% mining and manufacturing; 21%
agriculture, fishing, forestry (1987)
Organized labor:
23.4% (1989) of labor force in government-sanctioned unions

:Korea, South Government

Long-form name:
Republic of Korea; abbreviated ROK
Type:
republic
Cap