manent crops: 2%

permanent pastures: 1%

forests and woodland: 65%

other: 13% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 13,350 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods;
low-level seismic activity common in southwest

Environment - current issues: air pollution in large cities; acid
rain; water pollution from the discharge of sewage and industrial
effluents; drift net fishing

Environment - international agreements: party to:
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Korea, South People

Population: 47,904,370 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 21.59% (male 5,475,453; female 4,864,918)

15-64 years: 71.14% (male 17,291,202; female 16,789,380)

65 years and over: 7.27% (male 1,352,312; female 2,131,105) (2001
est.)

Population growth rate: 0.89% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 14.85 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 5.93 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.11 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.13 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female

total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 7.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.65 years

male: 70.97 years

female: 78.74 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.72 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.01% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 3,800 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 180 (1999 est.)

Nationality: noun: Korean(s)

adjective: Korean

Ethnic groups: homogeneous (except for about 20,000 Chinese)

Religions: Christian 49%, Buddhist 47%, Confucianist 3%, Shamanist,
Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way), and other 1%

Languages: Korean, English widely taught in junior high and high
school

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 98%

male: 99.3%

female: 96.7% (1995 est.)

Korea, South