South Korea Political Map

Political Map: Defined
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Introduction    Korea, South Top of Page Background: An independent Korean state or collection of states has existed almost continuously for several millennia. Between its initial unification in the 7th century - from three predecessor Korean states - until the 20th century, Korea existed as a single independent country. In 1905, following the Russo-Japanese War, Korea became a protectorate of imperial Japan, and in 1910 it was annexed as a colony. Korea regained its independence following Japan's surrender to the United States in 1945. After World War II, a Republic of Korea (ROK) was set up in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula while a Communist-style government was installed in the north (the DPRK). During the Korean War (1950-53), US troops and UN forces fought alongside soldiers from the ROK to defend South Korea from DPRK attacks supported by China and the Soviet Union. An armistice was signed in 1953, splitting the peninsula along a demilitarized zone at about the 38th parallel. Thereafter, South Korea achieved rapid economic growth with per capita income rising to roughly 14 times the level of North Korea. In 1993, KIM Young-sam became South Korea's first civilian president following 32 years of military rule. South Korea today is a fully functioning modern democracy. In June 2000, a historic first North-South summit took place between the South's President KIM Dae-jung and the North's leader KIM Jong Il. In October 2007, a second North-South summit took place between the South's President ROH Moo-hyun and the North Korean leader.    Geography    Korea, South Top of Page Location: Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea Geographic coordinates: 37 00 N, 127 30 E Map references: Area: total: 98,480 sq km land: 98,190 sq km water: 290 sq km Area - comparative: slightly larger than Indiana Land boundaries: total: 238 km border countries: North Korea 238 km Coastline: 2,413 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 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 Elevation extremes: lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m highest point: Halla-san 1,950 m Natural resources: coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower potential Land use: arable land: 16.58% permanent crops: 2.01% other: 81.41% (2005) Irrigated land: 8,780 sq km (2003) Total renewable water resources: 69.7 cu km (1999) Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): Total: 18.59 cu km/yr (36%/16%/48%) Per capita: 389 cu m/yr (2000) 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: strategic location on Korea Strait    People    Korea, South Top of Page Population: 49,044,790 (July 2007 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 18.3% (male 4,714,103/female 4,262,873) 15-64 years: 72.1% (male 18,004,719/female 17,346,594) 65 years and over: 9.6% (male 1,921,803/female 2,794,698) (2007 est.) Median age: total: 35.8 years male: 34.8 years female: 36.8 years (2007 est.) Population growth rate: 0.394% (2007 est.) Birth rate: 9.93 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) Death rate: 5.99 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.106 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.038 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.688 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2007 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 6.05 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.43 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.23 years male: 73.81 years female: 80.93 years (2007 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.28 children born/woman (2007 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 8,300 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.) Nationality: noun: Korean(s) adjective: Korean Ethnic groups: homogeneous (except for about 20,000 Chinese) Religions: Christian 26.3% (Protestant 19.7%, Roman Catholic 6.6%), Buddhist 23.2%, other or unknown 1.3%, none 49.3% (1995 census) Languages: Korean, English widely taught in junior high and high school Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.9% male: 99.2% female: 96.6% (2002) This page was last updated on 24 January, 2008 - The Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook -