Database
 
-World Factbook Database-
 

The World Factbook Database consists of information gathered entirely from the United States Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook. This annual report details the vital statistics of countries in the world and are arranged into these categories: Geography, People, Government, Economy, Communications, Transportation, Military and Transnational Issues.

This database is copied directly from the World Factbook, as it is in the public domain.

The CIA World Factbook Website

Contents
China · Hong Kong · Japan · Korea, North · Korea, South · Macau · Mongolia · Taiwan
 INDEX

../images/line3.gif

Economy

China

Contents

Introduction
Background For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight.
Back to Top China Introduction
Geography
Location Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam
Geographic coordinates 35 00 N, 105 00 E
Map references Asia
Area
  • total: 9,596,960 sq km
  • land: 9,326,410 sq km
  • water: 270,550 sq km
Area- comparative slightly smaller than the US
Land boundaries
  • total: 22,117 km
  • border countries: Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km, India 3,380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea 1,416 km, Kyrgyzstan 858 km, Laos 423 km, Mongolia 4,677 km, Nepal 1,236 km, Pakistan 523 km, Russia (northeast) 3,605 km, Russia (northwest) 40 km, Tajikistan 414 km, Vietnam 1,281 km regional borders: Hong Kong 30 km, Macau 0.34 km
Coastline 14,500 km
Maritime claims
  • territorial sea: 12 nm
  • contiguous zone: 24 nm
  • exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
  • continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north
Terrain mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains, deltas, and hills in east
Elevation extremes
  • lowest point: Turpan Pendi 154 m below sea- level
  • highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m above sea- level
Natural resources coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest)
Land use
  • arable land: 14.86%
  • permanent crops: 1.27%
  • other: 83.87% (2005)
  • irrigated land: 545,960 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and eastern coasts); damaging floods; tsunamis; earthquakes; droughts; land subsidence
Environment - current issues air pollution (greenhouse gases, sulfur dioxide particulates) from reliance on coal produces acid rain; water shortages, particularly in the north; water pollution from untreated wastes; deforestation; estimated loss of one-fifth of agricultural land since 1949 to soil erosion and economic development; desertification; trade in endangered species
Environment - international agreements party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, 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 world's fourth largest country (after Russia, Canada, and US); Mount Everest on the border with Nepal is the world's tallest peak
Back to Top China Geography
People
Population 1,313,973,713 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure
  • 0-14 years: 20.8% (male 145,461,833/female 128,445,739)
  • 15-64 years: 71.4% (male 482,439,115/female 455,960,489)
  • 65 years and over: 7.7% (male 48,562,635/female 53,103,902)
(2006 est.)
Median age
  • total: 32.7 years
  • male: 32.3 years
  • female: 33.2 years
(2006 est.)
Population growth rate 0.59% (2006 est.)
Birth rate 13.25 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate 6.97 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate -0.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio
  • at birth: 1.12 male(s)/female
  • under 15 years: 1.13 male(s)/female
  • 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
  • 65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female
  • total population: 1.06 male(s)/female
(2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate
  • total: 23.12 deaths/1,000 live births
  • male: 20.6 deaths/1,000 live births
  • female: 25.94 deaths/1,000 live births
(2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
  • total population: 72.58 years
  • male: 70.89 years
  • female: 74.46 years
(2006 est.)
Total fertility rate 1.73 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate 0.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS 840,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths 44,000 (2003 est.)
Nationality
  • noun: Chinese (singular and plural)
  • adjective: Chinese
Ethnic groups Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other nationalities 8.1%
Religions
  • Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian 3%- 4%, Muslim 1%- 2%
  • note: officially atheist
(2002 est.)
Languages Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages
Literacy
  • definition: age 15 and over can read and write
  • total population: 90.9%
  • male: 95.1%
  • female: 86.5%
(2002)
Back to Top China People
Government
Country name
  • conventional long form: People's Republic of China
  • conventional short form: China
  • local long form: Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo
  • local short form: Zhongguo
  • abbreviation: PRC
Government type Communist state
Capital Beijing
Administrative Divisions 23 provinces (sheng, singular and plural), 5 autonomous regions (zizhiqu, singular and plural), and 4 municipalities (shi, singular and plural)
  • provinces: Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang
  • autonomous regions: Guangxi, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Xizang (Tibet)
  • municipalities: Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Tianjin
  • note: China considers Taiwan its 23rd province; see separate entries for the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau
Independence
  • 221 BC (unification under the Qin or Ch'in Dynasty)
  • 1 January 1912 (Manchu Dynasty replaced by a Republic)
  • 1 October 1949 (People's Republic established)
National holiday Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China, 1 October (1949)
Constitution most recent promulgation 4 December 1982
Legal system based on civil law system; derived from Soviet and continental civil code legal principles; legislature retains power to interpret statutes; constitution ambiguous on judicial review of legislation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
  • chief of state:
    • President HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003)
    • Vice President ZENG Qinghong (since 15 March 2003)
  • head of government:
    • Premier WEN Jiabao (since 16 March 2003)
    • Executive Vice Premier HUANG Ju (since 17 March 2003)
    • Vice Premiers
      • WU Yi (17 March 2003)
      • ZENG Peiyan (since 17 March 2003)
      • HUI Liangyu (since 17 March 2003)
  • cabinet: State Council appointed by the National People's Congress (NPC)
  • elections: president and vice president elected by the National People's Congress for a five-year term (eligible for a second term)
    • elections last held 15-17 March 2003 (next to be held mid-March 2008)
    • premier nominated by the president, confirmed by the National People's Congress
  • election results:
    • HU Jintao elected president by the 10th National People's Congress with a total of 2,937 votes (four delegates voted against him, four abstained, and 38 did not vote)
    • ZENG Qinghong elected vice president by the 10th National People's Congress with a total of 2,578 votes (177 delegates voted against him, 190 abstained, and 38 did not vote)
    • two seats were vacant
Legislative branch unicameral National People's Congress or Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui (2,985 seats; members elected by municipal, regional, and provincial people's congresses to serve five-year terms)
  • elections: last held December 2002-bFebruary 2003 (next to be held late 2007-February 2008)
  • election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - NA
Judicial branch
  • Supreme People's Court (judges appointed by the National People's Congress)
  • Local Peoples Courts (comprise higher, intermediate, and local courts)
  • Special Peoples Courts (primarily military, maritime, and railway transport courts)
Political parties and leaders
  • Chinese Communist Party or CCP [HU Jintao]
  • eight registered small parties controlled by CCP
Political pressure groups and leaders no substantial political opposition groups exist, although the government has identified the Falungong spiritual movement and the China Democracy Party as subversive groups
International organization participation AfDB, APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BCIE, BIS, CDB, EAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), ONUB, OPCW, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SCO, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US
  • chief of mission: Ambassador ZHOU Wenzhong
    • chancery: 2300 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
    • telephone: [1] (202) 328-2500
    • FAX: [1] (202) 328-2582
  • consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco
  • consulate(s): Los Angeles
Diplomatic representation from the US
  • chief of mission: Ambassador Clark T. RANDT, Jr.
    • embassy: Xiu Shui Bei Jie 3, 100600 Beijing
    • mailing address: PSC 461, Box 50, FPO AP 96521-0002
    • telephone: [86] (10) 6532-3831
    • FAX: [86] (10) 6532-3178
  • consulate(s) general: Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macau, Shanghai, Shenyang
Flag description red with a large yellow five-pointed star and four smaller yellow five-pointed stars (arranged in a vertical arc toward the middle of the flag) in the upper hoist-side corner
Back to Top China Government
Economy
Economy - overview China's economy during the last quarter century has changed from a centrally planned system that was largely closed to international trade to a more market-oriented economy that has a rapidly growing private sector and is a major player in the global economy. Reforms started in the late 1970s with the phasing out of collectivized agriculture, and expanded to include the gradual liberalization of prices, fiscal decentralization, increased autonomy for state enterprises, the foundation of a diversified banking system, the development of stock markets, the rapid growth of the non-state sector, and the opening to foreign trade and investment. China has generally implemented reforms in a gradualist or piecemeal fashion. The process continues with key moves in 2005 including the sale of equity in China's largest state banks to foreign investors and refinements in foreign exchange and bond markets. The restructuring of the economy and resulting efficiency gains have contributed to a more than tenfold increase in GDP since 1978. Measured on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis, China in 2005 stood as the second-largest economy in the world after the US, although in per capita terms the country is still lower middle-income and 150 million Chinese fall below international poverty lines. Economic development has generally been more rapid in coastal provinces than in the interior, and there are large disparities in per capital income between regions. The government has struggled to: (a) sustain adequate job growth for tens of millions of workers laid off from state-owned enterprises, migrants, and new entrants to the work force; (b) reduce corruption and other economic crimes; and (c) contain environmental damage and social strife related to the economy's rapid transformation. From 100 to 150 million surplus rural workers are adrift between the villages and the cities, many subsisting through part-time, low-paying jobs. One demographic consequence of the "one child" policy is that China is now one of the most rapidly aging countries in the world. Another long-term threat to growth is the deterioration in the environment - notably air pollution, soil erosion, and the steady fall of the water table, especially in the north. China continues to lose arable land because of erosion and economic development. China has benefited from a huge expansion in computer Internet use, with more than 100 million users at the end of 2005. Foreign investment remains a strong element in China's remarkable expansion in world trade and has been an important factor in the growth of urban jobs. In July 2005, China revalued its currency by 2.1% against the US dollar and moved to an exchange rate system that references a basket of currencies. Reports of shortages of electric power in the summer of 2005 in southern China receded by September-October and did not have a substantial impact on China's economy. More power generating capacity is scheduled to come on line in 2006 as large scale investments are completed. Thirteen years in construction at a cost of $24 billion, the immense Three Gorges Dam across the Yangtze River will be essentially completed in 2006 and will revolutionize electrification and flood control in the area. The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party in October 2005 approved the draft 11th Five-Year Plan and the National People's Congress is expected to give final approval in March 2006. The plan calls for a 20% reduction in energy consumption per unit of GDP by 2010 and an estimated 45% increase in GDP by 2010. The plan states that conserving resources and protecting the environment are basic goals, but it lacks details on the policies and reforms necessary to achieve these goals.
GDP (purchasing power parity) $8.859 trillion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate) $2.225 trillion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 9.9% (official data) (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP) $6,800 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
  • agriculture: 12.5%
  • industry: 47.3%
  • services: 40.3%
  • note: industry includes construction (2005 est.)
Labor force 791.4 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation
  • agriculture: 49%
  • industry: 22%
  • services: 29% (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate 9% official registered unemployment in urban areas in 2004; substantial unemployment and underemployment in rural areas; an official Chinese journal estimated overall unemployment (including rural areas) for 2003 at 20% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line 10% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
  • lowest 10%: 2.4%
  • highest 10%: 30.4% (1998)
Distribution of family income - Gini index 44 (2002)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1.8% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed) 44.4% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget
  • revenues: $392.1 billion
  • expenditures: $424.3 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
Public debt 24.4% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products rice, wheat, potatoes, corn, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, apples, cotton, oilseed; pork; fish
Industries mining and ore processing, iron, steel, aluminum, and other metals, coal; machine building; armaments; textiles and apparel; petroleum; cement; chemicals; fertilizers; consumer products, including footwear, toys, and electronics; food processing; transportation equipment, including automobiles, rail cars and locomotives, ships, and aircraft; telecommunications equipment, commercial space launch vehicles, satellites
Industrial production growth rate 29.5% (2005 est.)
Electricity - production 2.19 trillion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source
  • fossil fuel: 80.2%
  • hydro: 18.5%
  • nuclear: 1.2%
  • other: 0.1% (2001)
Electricity - consumption 2.17 trillion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports 10.6 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 1.546 billion kWh (2003)
Oil - production 3.504 million bbl/day (2004)
Oil - consumption 6.391 million bbl/day (2004)
Oil - exports 340,300 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - imports 3.226 million bbl/day (2004)
Oil - proved reserves 18.26 billion bbl (2004)
Natural gas - production 35.02 billion cu m (2003)
Natural gas - consumption 33.44 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - exports 2.79 billion cu m (2004)
Natural gas - imports 0 cu m (2004)
Natural gas - proved reserves 2.53 trillion cu m (2004)
Current account balance $160.8 billion (2005 est.)
Exports $752.2 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities machinery and equipment, plastics, optical and medical equipment, iron and steel
Exports - partners US 21.4%, Hong Kong 16.3%, Japan 11%, South Korea 4.6%, Germany 4.3% (2005)
Imports $631.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, oil and mineral fuels, plastics, optical and medical equipment, organic chemicals, iron and steel
Imports - partners Japan 15.2%, South Korea 11.6%, Taiwan 11.2%, US 7.4%, Germany 4.6% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold $825.6 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external $252.8 billion (2005 est.)
Economic aid - recipient $NA
Currency (code) yuan (CNY); note - also referred to as the Renminbi (RMB)
Currency code CNY
Exchange rates yuan per US dollar - 8.1943 (2005), 8.2768 (2004), 8.277 (2003), 8.277 (2002), 8.2771 (2001)
Fiscal year calendar year
Back to Top China Economy
Communications
Telephones - main lines in use 311.756 million (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular 334.824 million (2004)
Telephone system
  • general assessment: domestic and international services are increasingly available for private use; unevenly distributed domestic system serves principal cities, industrial centers, and many towns
  • domestic: interprovincial fiber-optic trunk lines and cellular telephone systems have been installed; a domestic satellite system with 55 earth stations is in place
  • international: country code - 86
  • satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions)
  • several international fiber-optic links to Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Russia, and Germany (2000)
Radio broadcast stations
  • AM 369
  • FM 259
  • shortwave 45
(1998)
Radios 417 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations 3,240 (of which 209 are operated by China Central Television, 31 are provincial TV stations, and nearly 3,000 are local city stations) (1997)
Televisions 400 million (1997)
Internet country code .cn
Internet hosts 187,508 (2005)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 3 (2000)
Internet users 111 million (2005)
Back to Top China Communications
Transportation
Airports 489 (2005)
Airports - with paved runways
  • total: 389
  • over 3,047 m: 54
  • 2,438 to 3,047 m: 120
  • 1,524 to 2,437 m: 139
  • 914 to 1,523 m: 23
  • under 914 m: 53
(2005)
Airports - with unpaved runways
  • total: 89
  • over 3,047 m: 4
  • 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
  • 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15
  • 914 to 1,523 m: 29
  • under 914 m: 36
(2005)
Heliports 30 (2005)
Pipelines
  • gas 15,890 km
  • oil 14,478 km
  • refined products 3,280 km
(2004)
Railways
  • total: 74,408 km
  • standard gauge: 74,408 km
  • gauge: 1.435-m
  • electrified: 19,303 km
(2004)
Roadways
  • total: 1,809,829 km
  • paved: 1,447,682 km
    • at least 29,745 km of expressways
  • unpaved: 362,147 km
(2003)
Waterways 123,964 km (2003)
Merchant marine
  • total: 1,700 ships (1000 GRT or over) 20,441,123 GRT/30,808,417 DWT
  • by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 367, cargo 709, chemical tanker 37, combination ore/oil 1, container 146, liquefied gas 29, passenger 8, passenger/cargo 84, petroleum tanker 255, refrigerated cargo 32, roll on/roll off 9, specialized tanker 8, vehicle carrier 13
  • foreign-owned: 14 (Hong Kong 7, Japan 2, South Korea 3, UK 1, US 1)
  • registered in other countries: 1,018 (The Bahamas 5, Bangladesh 1, Belize 71, Cambodia 75, Cyprus 10, Honduras 3, Hong Kong 259, India 1, Liberia 35, Malaysia 1, Malta 15, Mongolia 1, Norway 3, Panama 370, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 106, Singapore 20, Tuvalu 13, unknown 29)
(2005)
Ports and terminals Dalian, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Ningbo, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai
Back to Top China Transportation
Military
Military branches
  • People's Liberation Army (PLA):
  • Ground Forces
  • Navy (includes marines and naval aviation)
  • Air Force (includes Airborne Forces)
  • II Artillery Corps (strategic missile force)
  • People's Armed Police (PAP)
  • Reserve and Militia Forces
(2006)
Military service age and obligation
  • 18-22 years of age for compulsory military service, with 24-month service obligation
  • no minimum age for voluntary service (all officers are volunteers)
  • 17 years of age for women who meet requirements for specific military jobs
(2004)
Manpower available for military service
  • males age 18-49: 342,956,265
  • females age 18-49: 324,701,244
(2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
  • males age 18-49: 281,240,272
  • females age 18-49: 269,025,517
(2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
  • males age 18-49: 13,186,433
  • females age 18-49: 12,298,149
(2005 est.)
Military expenditures - total ($US) $81.48 billion (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP ($US) 4.3% (2005 est.)
Back to Top China Military
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international in 2005, China and India began drafting principles to resolve all aspects of their extensive boundary and territorial disputes together with a security and foreign policy dialogue to consolidate discussions related to the boundary, regional nuclear proliferation, and other matters; recent talks and confidence-building measures have begun to defuse tensions over Kashmir, site of the world's largest and most militarized territorial dispute with portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas); India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964; about 90,000 ethnic Tibetan exiles reside primarily in India as well as Nepal and Bhutan; China asserts sovereignty over the Spratly Islands together with Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions in the Spratlys but is not the legally binding "code of conduct" sought by some parties; Vietnam and China continue to expand construction of facilities in the Spratlys and in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord on marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands; China occupies some of the Paracel Islands also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; China and Taiwan have become more vocal in rejecting both Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally declared equidistance line in the East China Sea, the site of intensive hydrocarbon prospecting; certain islands in the Yalu and Tumen rivers are in an uncontested dispute with North Korea and a section of boundary around Mount Paektu is considered indefinite; China seeks to stem illegal migration of tens of thousands of North Koreans; China and Russia prepare to demarcate the boundary agreed to in October 2004 between the long-disputed islands at the Amur and Ussuri; demarcation of the China-Vietnam boundary proceeds slowly and although the maritime boundary delimitation and fisheries agreements were ratified in June 2004, implementation has been delayed; environmentalists in Burma and Thailand remain concerned about China's construction of hydroelectric dams upstream on the Nujiang/Salween River in Yunnan Province
Refugees and internally displaced persons refugees (country of origin): 299,287 (Vietnam) estimated 30,000-50,000 (North Korea) (2005)
Illicit drugs major transshipment point for heroin produced in the Golden Triangle; growing domestic drug abuse problem; source country for chemical precursors and methamphetamine
Back to Top China Transnational Issues
 
Hong Kong
Contents
Introduction
Background Occupied by the UK in 1841, Hong Kong was formally ceded by China the following year; various adjacent lands were added later in the 19th century. Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and the UK on 19 December 1984, Hong Kong became the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China on 1 July 1997. In this agreement, China has promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's socialist economic system will not be imposed on Hong Kong and that Hong Kong will enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the next 50 years.
Back to Top Hong Kong Introduction
Geography
Location Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China
Geographic coordinates 22 15 N, 114 10 E
Map references Southeast Asia
Area
  • total: 1,092 sq km
  • land: 1,042 sq km
  • water: 50 sq km
Area - comparative six times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries
  • total: 30 km
  • regional border: China 30 km
Coastline 733 km
Maritime claims territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate subtropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall
Terrain hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north
Elevation extremes
  • lowest point: South China Sea 0 m below sea level
  • highest point: Tai Mo Shan 958 m above sea level
Natural resources outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar
Land use
  • arable land: 5.05%
  • permanent crops: 1.01%
  • other: 93.94%
(2001)
Irrigated land 20 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards occasional typhoons
Environment - current issues air and water pollution from rapid urbanization
Environment - international agreements party to: Marine Dumping (associate member)
Geography - note more than 200 islands
Back to Top Hong Kong Geography
People
Population 6,940,432 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure
  • 0-14 years: 13.5% (male 488,607/female 445,593)
  • 15-64 years: 73.7% (male 2,495,679/female 2,620,336)
  • 65 years and over: 12.8% (male 413,031/female 477,186)
(2006 est.)
Median age
  • total: 40.7 years
  • male: 40.4 years
  • female: 40.9 years
(2006 est.)
Population growth rate 0.59% (2006 est.)
Birth rate 7.29 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate 6.29 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate 4.89 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio
  • at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
  • under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
  • 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
  • 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
  • total population: 0.96 male(s)/female
(2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate
  • total: 2.95 deaths/1,000 live births
  • male: 3.13 deaths/1,000 live births
  • female: 2.75 deaths/1,000 live births
(2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
  • total population: 81.59 years
  • male: 78.9 years
  • female: 84.5 years
(2006 est.)
Total fertility rate 0.95 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate 0.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS 2,600 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths less than 200 (2003 est.)
Nationality
  • noun: Chinese/Hong Konger
  • adjective: Chinese/Hong Kong
Ethnic groups
  • Chinese 95%
  • other 5%
Religions
  • eclectic mixture of local religions 90%
  • Christian 10%
Languages
  • Chinese (Cantonese)
  • English

both are official

Literacy
  • definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
  • total population: 93.5%
  • male: 96.9%
  • female: 89.6%
(2002)
Back to Top Hong Kong People
Government
Country name
  • conventional long form: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
  • conventional short form: Hong Kong
  • local long form: Xianggang Tebie Xingzhengqu
  • local short form: Xianggang
  • abbreviation: HK
Dependency status special administrative region of China
Government type limited democracy
Administrative divisions none (special administrative region of China)
Independence none (special administrative region of China)
National holiday
  • National Day (Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China)
  • 1 October (1949)

note - 1 July 1997 is celebrated as Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day

Constitution Basic Law, approved in March 1990 by China's National People's Congress, is Hong Kong's "mini-constitution"
Legal system based on English common law
Suffrage direct election 18 years of age; universal for permanent residents living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past seven years; indirect election limited to about 200,000 members of functional constituencies and an 800-member election committee drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central government bodies
Executive branch
  • chief of state: President of China HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003)
  • head of government: Chief Executive Donald TSANG (since 24 June 2005)
  • cabinet: Executive Council consists of 14 official members and 15 non-official members
  • elections: previous chief executive TUNG Chee-hwa was elected to second five-year term in March 2002 by 800-member election committee dominated by pro-Beijing forces, resignation accepted 12 March 2005
  • Donald TSANG acted as chief executive between 12 March 2005 and 25 May 2005
  • Henry TANG acted as chief executive between 25 May 2005 and 24 June 2005
  • TSANG was elected on 16 June 2005 to fill final two years of TUNG's term (next election to be held in March 2007)
Legislative branch
  • unicameral Legislative Council or LEGCO (60 seats; in 2004 30 seats indirectly elected by functional constituencies, 30 elected by popular vote; members serve four-year terms)
  • elections: last held 12 September 2004 (next to be held in September 2008)
  • election results:
    • percent of vote by party
      • pro-democracy group 62%
    • seats by party
      • (pro-Beijing 34)
        • DAB 12
        • Liberal Party 10
        • independents 11
        • FTU 1
      • (pro-democracy 25)
        • independents 11
        • Democratic Party 9
        • CTU 2
        • ADPL 1
        • Frontier Party 1
        • NWSC 1
  • non-voting LEGCO president: 1
Judicial branch Court of Final Appeal in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Political parties and leaders
  • Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood or ADPL [Frederick FUNG Kin-kee]
  • Citizens Party [Alex CHAN Kai-chung]
  • Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong or DAB [MA Lik]
  • Democratic Party [LEE Wing-tat]
  • Frontier Party [Emily LAU Wai-hing]
  • Liberal Party [James TIEN Pei-chun]
note: political blocs include: pro-democracy - ADPL, Democratic Party, Frontier Party; pro-Beijing - DAB, Liberal Party
Political pressure groups and leaders
  • Article 45 Concern Group (pro-democracy)
  • Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (pro-China)
  • Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong
  • Confederation of Trade Unions or CTU (pro-democracy) [LAU Chin-shek, president; LEE Cheuk-yan, general secretary]
  • Federation of Hong Kong Industries
  • Federation of Trade Unions or FTU (pro-China) [CHENG Yiu-tong, executive councilor]
  • Hong Kong Alliance in Support of the Patriotic Democratic Movement in China [Szeto WAH, chairman]
  • Hong Kong and Kowloon Trade Union Council (pro-Taiwan)
  • Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce
  • Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union [CHEUNG Man-kwong, president]
  • Neighborhood and Workers' Service Center or NWSC (pro-democracy)
  • The Alliance [Bernard CHAN, exco member]
International organization participation APEC, AsDB, BIS, ICC, ICFTU, IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), IOC, ISO (correspondent), UPU, WCL, WCO, WMO, WToO (associate), WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US none (special administrative region of China)
Diplomatic representation from the US
  • chief of mission: Consul General James B. CUNNINGHAM
  • consulate(s) general: 26 Garden Road, Hong Kong
  • mailing address: PSC 461, Box 1, FPO AP 96521-0006
  • telephone: [852] 2523-9011
  • FAX: [852] 2845-1598
Flag description red with a stylized, white, five-petal bauhinia flower in the center
Back to Top Hong Kong Government
Economy - overview Hong Kong has a free market, entrepot economy, highly dependent on international trade. Natural resources are limited, and food and raw materials must be imported. Gross imports and exports (i.e., including reexports to and from third countries) each exceed GDP in dollar value. Even before Hong Kong reverted to Chinese administration on 1 July 1997, it had extensive trade and investment ties with China. Hong Kong has been further integrating its economy with China because China's growing openness to the world economy has made manufacturing in China much more cost effective. Hong Kong's reexport business to and from China is a major driver of growth. Per capita GDP is comparable to that of the four big economies of Western Europe. GDP growth averaged a strong 5% from 1989 to 2005, but Hong Kong suffered two recessions in the past eight years because of the Asian financial crisis in 1997-1998 and the global downturn in 2001-2002. Although the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003 also battered Hong Kong's economy, a solid rise in exports, a boom in tourism from the mainland because of China's easing of travel restrictions, and a return of consumer confidence resulted in the resumption of strong growth from late 2003 through 2005.
GDP (purchasing power parity) $227.3 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate) $172.6 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 7.3% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP) $32,900 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
  • agriculture: 0.1%
  • industry: 9.2%
  • services: 90.6%
(2005 est.)
Labor force 3.61 million (October 2005)
Labor force - by occupation
  • manufacturing 7.5%
  • construction 2.9%
  • wholesale and retail trade, restaurants, and hotels 43.9%
  • financing, insurance, and real estate 19.6%
  • transport and communications 7.1%
  • community and social services 18.8%

note: above data exclude public sector (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate 5.5% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share
  • lowest 10%: NA%
  • highest 10%: NA%
Distribution of family income - Gini index 43.4 (1996)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 0.9% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed) 20.8% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget
  • revenues: $31.31 billion
  • expenditures: $32.3 billion; including capital expenditures of $5.9 billion
(2005 est.)
Public debt 1.8% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products fresh vegetables; poultry, pork; fish
Industries textiles, clothing, tourism, banking, shipping, electronics, plastics, toys, watches, clocks
Industrial production growth rate -0.6% (2005 est.)
Electricity - production 37.3 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source
  • fossil fuel: 100%
  • hydro: 0%
  • nuclear: 0%
  • other: 0%
(2001)
Electricity - consumption 39.22 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports 3.086 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports 9.84 billion kWh (2004)
Oil - production 0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - consumption 293,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports NA bbl/day
Oil - imports NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production NA cu m
Natural gas - consumption 692.2 million cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - exports 0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports 71.15 million cu m (2004 est.)
Current account balance $19.7 billion (2005 est.)
Exports $286.3 billion f.o.b., including reexports (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities electrical machinery and appliances, textiles, apparel, footwear, watches and clocks, toys, plastics, precious stones, printed material
Exports - partners
  • China 45%
  • US 16.1%
  • Japan 5.3%
(2005)
Imports $291.6 billion (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities raw materials and semi-manufactures, consumer goods, capital goods, foodstuffs, fuel (most is re-exported)
Imports - partners
  • China 45%
  • Japan 11%
  • Taiwan 7.2%
  • Singapore 5.8%
  • US 5.1%
  • South Korea 4.4%
(2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold $124.3 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external $72.04 billion (2005 est.)
Currency (code) Hong Kong dollar (HKD)
Currency code HKD
Exchange rates Hong Kong dollars per US dollar - 7.7773 (2005), 7.788 (2004), 7.7868 (2003), 7.7989 (2002), 7.7988 (2001)
Fiscal year 1 April - 31 March
Back to Top Hong Kong Economy
Communications
Telephones - main lines in use 3,763,300 (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular 8.214 million (2004)
Telephone system
  • general assessment: modern facilities provide excellent domestic and international services
  • domestic: microwave radio relay links and extensive fiber-optic network
  • international: country code - 852; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean)
  • coaxial cable to Guangzhou, China
  • access to 5 international submarine cables providing connections to ASEAN member nations, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Middle East, and Western Europe
Radio broadcast stations AM 5, FM 9, shortwave 0 (2004)
Radios 4.45 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations 55 low power stations

note: two TV networks, each one broadcasting on two channels (2006)

Televisions 1.84 million (1997)
Internet country code .hk
Internet hosts 859,926 (2005)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 17 (2000)
Internet users 4,878,713 (2005)
Back to Top Hong Kong Communications
Transportation
Airports: 3 (2005)
Airports - with paved runways
  • total: 3
  • over 3,047 m: 1
  • 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
  • under 914 m: 1
(2005)
Heliports 3 (2005)
Roadways
  • total: 1,831 km
  • paved: 1,831 km
(1999)
Merchant marine
  • total: 895 ships (1000 GRT or over) 29,662,934 GRT/50,199,048 DWT
  • by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 485, cargo 122, chemical tanker 39, combination ore/oil 6, container 122, liquefied gas 21, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 72, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 4, vehicle carrier 8
  • foreign-owned: 534 (Belgium 3, Canada 23, China 259, Denmark 6, France 3, Germany 7, Greece 28, Indonesia 3, Japan 64, South Korea 12, Monaco 1, Norway 22, Philippines 15, Singapore 25, Taiwan 8, UAE 1, UK 35, US 19)
  • registered in other countries: 407 (The Bahamas 7, Belgium 1, Belize 8, Bermuda 6, Cambodia 10, China 7, Cyprus 1, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 3, Honduras 2, India 1, Isle of Man 1, Liberia 40, Malaysia 14, Malta 2, Marshall Islands 8, Norway 50, Panama 168, Philippines 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6, Singapore 53, Taiwan 3, Tuvalu 7, Venezuela 1, unknown 6)
(2005)
Ports and terminals Hong Kong
Back to Top Hong Kong Transportation
Military
Military branches no regular indigenous military forces; Hong Kong garrison of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) includes elements of the PLA Ground Forces, PLA Navy, and PLA Air Force; these forces are under the direct leadership of the Central Military Commission in Beijing and under administrative control of the adjacent Guangzhou Military Region
Military service age and obligation 18 years of age (2004)
Manpower available for military service
  • males age 18-49: 1,743,972
  • females age 18-49: 1,904,967
(2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
  • males age 18-49: 1,403,088
  • females age 18-49: 1,527,278
(2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
  • males age 18-49: 40,343
  • females age 18-49: 38,234
(2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure Hong Kong garrison is funded by China; figures are NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA
Military - note defense is the responsibility of China
Back to Top Hong Kong Military
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international none
Illicit drugs makes strenuous law enforcement efforts, but faces difficult challenges in controlling transit of heroin and methamphetamine to regional and world markets; modern banking system provides conduit for money laundering; rising indigenous use of synthetic drugs, especially among young people
Back to Top Hong Kong Transnational Issues
 
Japan
Contents
Introduction
Background: In 1603, a Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered in a long period of isolation from foreign influence in order to secure its power. For 250 years this policy enabled Japan to enjoy stability and a flowering of its indigenous culture. Following the Treaty of Kanagawa with the US in 1854, Japan opened its ports and began to intensively modernize and industrialize. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Japan became a regional power that was able to defeat the forces of both China and Russia. It occupied Korea, Formosa (Taiwan), and southern Sakhalin Island. In 1931-32 Japan occupied Manchuria, and in 1937 it launched a full-scale invasion of China. Japan attacked US forces in 1941 - triggering America's entry into World War II - and soon occupied much of East and Southeast Asia. After its defeat in World War II, Japan recovered to become an economic power and a staunch ally of the US. While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national unity, actual power rests in networks of powerful politicians, bureaucrats, and business executives. The economy experienced a major slowdown starting in the 1990s following three decades of unprecedented growth, but Japan still remains a major economic power, both in Asia and globally. In 2005, Japan began a two-year term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.
Back to Top Japan Introduction
Geography
Location: Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula
Geographic coordinates: 36 00 N, 138 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area:
  • total: 377,835 sq km
  • land: 374,744 sq km
  • water: 3,091 sq km
note: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto)
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than California
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 29,751 km
Maritime claims:
  • territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the international straits - La Perouse or Soya, Tsugaru, Osumi, and Eastern and Western Channels of the Korea or Tsushima Strait
  • contiguous zone: 24 nm
  • exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate: varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north
Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous
Elevation extremes:
  • lowest point: Hachiro-gata -4 m
  • highest point: Mount Fuji 3,776 m
Natural resources: negligible mineral resources, fish
Land use:
  • arable land: 11.64%
  • permanent crops: 0.9%
  • other: 87.46%
(2005)
Irrigated land: 25,920 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards: many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis; typhoons
Environment - current issues: air pollution from power plant emissions results in acid rain; acidification of lakes and reservoirs degrading water quality and threatening aquatic life; Japan is one of the largest consumers of fish and tropical timber, contributing to the depletion of these resources in Asia and elsewhere
Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, 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
Geography - note: strategic location in northeast Asia
Back to Top Japan Geography
People
Population: 127,463,611 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
  • 0-14 years: 14.2% (male 9,309,524/female 8,849,476)
  • 15-64 years: 65.7% (male 42,158,122/female 41,611,754)
  • 65 years and over: 20% (male 10,762,585/female 14,772,150)
(2006 est.)
Median age:
  • total: 42.9 years
  • male: 41.1 years
  • female: 44.7 years
(2006 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.02% (2006 est.)
Birth rate: 9.37 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 9.16 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
  • at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
  • under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
  • 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
  • 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
  • total population: 0.95 male(s)/female
(2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  • total: 3.24 deaths/1,000 live births
  • male: 3.5 deaths/1,000 live births
  • female: 2.97 deaths/1,000 live births
(2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
  • total population: 81.25 years
  • male: 77.96 years
  • female: 84.7 years
(2006 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.4 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 12,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 500 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
  • noun: Japanese (singular and plural)
  • adjective: Japanese
Ethnic groups: Japanese 99%, others 1% (Korean 511,262, Chinese 244,241, Brazilian 182,232, Filipino 89,851, other 237,914)

note: up to 230,000 Brazilians of Japanese origin migrated to Japan in the 1990s to work in industries; some have returned to Brazil (2004)

Religions: observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)
Languages: Japanese
Literacy:
  • definition: age 15 and over can read and write
  • total population: 99%
  • male: 99%
  • female: 99%
(2002)
Back to Top Japan People
Government
Country name:
  • conventional long form: none
  • conventional short form: Japan
Government type: constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government
Capital: Tokyo
Administrative divisions: 47 prefectures; Aichi, Akita, Aomori, Chiba, Ehime, Fukui, Fukuoka, Fukushima, Gifu, Gunma, Hiroshima, Hokkaido, Hyogo, Ibaraki, Ishikawa, Iwate, Kagawa, Kagoshima, Kanagawa, Kochi, Kumamoto, Kyoto, Mie, Miyagi, Miyazaki, Nagano, Nagasaki, Nara, Niigata, Oita, Okayama, Okinawa, Osaka, Saga, Saitama, Shiga, Shimane, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Tokushima, Tokyo, Tottori, Toyama, Wakayama, Yamagata, Yamaguchi, Yamanashi
Independence: 660 B.C. (traditional founding by Emperor JIMMU)
National holiday: Birthday of Emperor AKIHITO, 23 December (1933)
Constitution: 3 May 1947
Legal system: modeled after European civil law system with English-American influence; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
  • chief of state: Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989)
    head of government: Prime Minister Junichiro KOIZUMI (since 26 April 2001)
  • cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister
  • elections: Diet designates prime minister; constitution requires that prime minister commands parliamentary majority; following legislative elections, leader of majority party or leader of majority coalition in House of Representatives usually becomes prime minister; KOIZUMI's term as leader of the LDP is scheduled to end in September 2006; a new prime minister may be chosen at that time; monarch is hereditary
Legislative branch:
  • bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of the House of Councillors or Sangi-in (242 seats - members elected for six-year terms; half reelected every three years; 146 members in multi-seat constituencies and 96 by proportional representation) and the House of Representatives or Shugi-in (480 seats - members elected for four-year terms; 300 in single-seat constituencies; 180 members by proportional representation in 11 regional blocs)
  • elections: House of Councillors - last held 11 July 2004 (next to be held in July 2007); House of Representatives - last held 11 September 2005 (next election by September 2009)
  • election results: House of Councillors - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - LDP 115, DPJ 82, Komeito 24, JCP 9, SDP 5, others 7; distribution of seats as of January 2006 - LDP 112, DPJ 83, Komeito 24, JCP 9, SDP 6, others 8
  • House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - LDP 47.8%, DPJ 36.4%, others 15.8%; seats by party - LDP 296, DPJ 113, Komeito 31, JCP 9, SDP 7, others 24; distribution of seats as of January 2006 - LDP 294, DPJ 112, Komeito 31, JCP 9, SDP 7, others 27
(2006)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the monarch after designation by the cabinet; all other justices are appointed by the cabinet)
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party of Japan or DPJ [Ichiro OZAWA]; Japan Communist Party or JCP [Kazuo SHII]; Komeito [Takenori KANZAKI]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Junichiro KOIZUMI]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Mizuho FUKUSHIMA]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: AfDB, APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAIA, MIGA, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMOVIC, UNRWA, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
  • chief of mission: Ambassador Ryozo KATO
  • chancery: 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
    telephone: [1] (202) 238-6700
  • FAX: [1] (202) 328-2187
  • consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Agana (Guam), Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, Seattle
  • consulate(s): Anchorage, Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
  • chief of mission: Ambassador J. Thomas SCHIEFFER
  • embassy: 1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420
  • mailing address: Unit 45004, Box 258, APO AP 96337-5004
  • telephone: [81] (03) 3224-5000
  • FAX: [81] (03) 3505-1862
  • consulate(s) general: Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo
  • consulate(s): Fukuoka, Nagoya
Flag description: white with a large red disk (representing the sun without rays) in the center
Back to Top Japan Government
Economy
Economy - overview: Government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, mastery of high technology, and a comparatively small defense allocation (1% of GDP) helped Japan advance with extraordinary rapidity to the rank of second most technologically powerful economy in the world after the US and the third-largest economy in the world after the US and China, measured on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis. One notable characteristic of the economy is how manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors work together in closely-knit groups called keiretsu. A second basic feature has been the guarantee of lifetime employment for a substantial portion of the urban labor force. Both features are now eroding. Japan's industrial sector is heavily dependent on imported raw materials and fuels. The tiny agricultural sector is highly subsidized and protected, with crop yields among the highest in the world. Usually self sufficient in rice, Japan must import about 60% of its food on a caloric basis. Japan maintains one of the world's largest fishing fleets and accounts for nearly 15% of the global catch. For three decades, overall real economic growth had been spectacular - a 10% average in the 1960s, a 5% average in the 1970s, and a 4% average in the 1980s. Growth slowed markedly in the 1990s, averaging just 1.7%, largely because of the after effects of overinvestment during the late 1980s and contractionary domestic policies intended to wring speculative excesses from the stock and real estate markets and to force a restructuring of the economy. From 2000 to 2003, government efforts to revive economic growth met with little success and were further hampered by the slowing of the US, European, and Asian economies. In 2004 and 2005, growth improved and the lingering fears of deflation in prices and economic activity lessened. Japan's huge government debt, which totals 170% of GDP, and the aging of the population are two major long-run problems. Some fear that a rise in taxes could endanger the current economic recovery. Internal conflict over the proper way to reform the financial system will continue as Japan Post's banking, insurance, and delivery services undergo privatization between 2007 and 2017.
GDP (purchasing power parity): $4.018 trillion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): $4.664 trillion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2.7% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): $31,500 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
  • agriculture: 1.7%
  • industry: 25.8%
  • services: 72.5%
(2005 est.)
Labor force: 66.4 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
  • agriculture: 4.6%
  • industry: 27.8%
  • services: 67.7%
(2004)
Unemployment rate: 4.4% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  • lowest 10%: 4.8%
  • highest 10%: 21.7%
(1993)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 37.9 (2000)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): -0.3% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): 23.2% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:
  • revenues: $1.429 trillion
  • expenditures: $1.775 trillion; including capital expenditures (public works only) of about $71 billion
(2005 est.)
Public debt: 158% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products: rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit; pork, poultry, dairy products, eggs; fish
Industries: among world's largest and technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals, textiles, processed foods
Industrial production growth rate: 1.5% (2005 est.)
Electricity - production: 1.017 trillion kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source:
  • fossil fuel: 60%
  • hydro: 8.4%
  • nuclear: 29.8%
  • other: 1.8%
(2001)
Electricity - consumption: 946.3 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003)
Oil - production: 120,700 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - consumption: 5.578 million bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports: 93,360 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports: 5.449 million bbl/day (2001)
Oil - proved reserves: 29.29 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production: 2.814 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: 86.51 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports: 77.73 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves: 39.64 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance: $165.6 billion (2005 est.)
Exports: $550.5 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities: transport equipment, motor vehicles, semiconductors, electrical machinery, chemicals
Exports - partners: US 22.9%, China 13.4%, South Korea 7.8%, Taiwan 7.3%, Hong Kong 6.1% (2005)
Imports: $451.1 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, fuels, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, raw materials (2001)
Imports - partners: China 21%, US 12.7%, Saudi Arabia 5.5%, UAE 4.9%, South Korea 4.7%, Australia 4.4%, Indonesia 4% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $835.5 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external: $1.545 trillion (31 December 2004)
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $8.9 billion (2004)
Currency (code): yen (JPY)
Currency code: JPY
Exchange rates: yen per US dollar - 110.22 (2005), 108.19 (2004), 115.93 (2003), 125.39 (2002), 121.53 (2001)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Back to Top Japan Economy
Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 58.788 million (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 91,473,900 (2004)
Telephone system:
  • general assessment: excellent domestic and international service
  • domestic: high level of modern technology and excellent service of every kind
  • international: country code - 81; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region), and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions); submarine cables to China, Philippines, Russia, and US (via Guam)
(1999)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 215 plus 370 repeaters, FM 89 plus 485 repeaters, shortwave 21 (2001)
Radios: 120.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 211 plus 7,341 repeaters

note: in addition, US Forces are served by 3 TV stations and 2 TV cable services (1999)

Televisions: 86.5 million (1997)
Internet country code: .jp
Internet hosts: 21,304,292 (2005)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 73 (2000)
Internet users: 86.3 million (2005)
Back to Top Japan Communications
Transportation
Airports: 173 (2005)
Airports - with paved runways:
  • total: 142
  • over 3,047 m: 7
  • 2,438 to 3,047 m: 39
  • 1,524 to 2,437 m: 37
  • 914 to 1,523 m: 29
  • under 914 m: 30
(2005)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
  • total: 31
  • over 3,047 m: 1
  • 914 to 1,523 m: 4
  • under 914 m: 26
(2005)
Heliports: 15 (2005)
Pipelines: gas 2,719 km; oil 170 km; oil/gas/water 60 km (2004)
Railways:
  • total: 23,577 km (16,519 km electrified)
  • standard gauge: 3,204 km 1.435-m gauge (3,204 km electrified)
  • narrow gauge: 77 km 1.372-m gauge (77 km electrified); 20,265 km 1.067-m gauge (13,227 km electrified); 11 km 0.762-m gauge (11 km electrified)
(2004)
Roadways:
  • total: 1,177,278 km
  • paved: 914,745 km (including 6,946 km of expressways)
  • unpaved: 262,533 km
(2002)
Waterways: 1,770 km (seagoing vessels use inland seas) (2006)
Merchant marine:
  • total: 683 ships (1000 GRT or over) 10,468,077 GRT/12,050,990 DWT
  • by type: barge carrier 5, bulk carrier 127, cargo 30, chemical tanker 21, container 12, liquefied gas 53, passenger 14, passenger/cargo 154, petroleum tanker 157, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 50, vehicle carrier 56
  • registered in other countries: 2,351 (Australia 1, The Bahamas 51, Belize 5, Burma 4, Cambodia 2, China 2, Cyprus 17, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 4, Honduras 4, Hong Kong 64, Indonesia 4, Isle of Man 4, Liberia 100, Malaysia 1, Malta 1, Marshall Islands 5, Norway 1, Panama 1,921, Philippines 25, Portugal 9, Singapore 93, Sweden 2, Thailand 4, Vanuatu 26, unknown 1)
(2005)
Ports and terminals: Chiba, Kawasaki, Kiire, Kisarazu, Kobe, Mizushima, Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo, Yohohama
Back to Top Japan Transportation
Military
Military branches: Japanese Defense Agency (JDA): Ground Self-Defense Force (Rikujou Jietai, GSDF), Maritime Self-Defense Force (Kaijou Jietai, MSDF), Air Self-Defense Force (Koukuu Jietai, ASDF) (2006)
Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
Manpower available for military service:
  • males age 18-49: 27,003,112
  • females age 18-49: 26,153,482
(2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
  • males age 18-49: 22,234,663
  • females age 18-49: 21,494,947
(2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
  • males age 18-49: 683,147
  • females age 18-49: 650,157
(2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $44.31 billion (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1% (2005 est.)
Back to Top Japan Military
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: the sovereignty dispute over the islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan, and the Habomai group, known in Japan as the "Northern Territories" and in Russia as the "Southern Kuril Islands," occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia and claimed by Japan, remains the primary sticking point to signing a peace treaty formally ending World War II hostilities; Japan and South Korea claim Liancourt Rocks (Take-shima/Tok-do) occupied by South Korea since 1954; China and Taiwan dispute both Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of the Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally declared exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea, the site of intensive hydrocarbon prospecting
Back to Top Japan Transnational Issues
 
Korea, North
Contents
Introduction
Background: An independent kingdom for much of its long history, Korea was occupied by Japan in 1905 following the Russo-Japanese War. Five years later, Japan formally annexed the entire peninsula. Following World War II, Korea was split with the northern half coming under Soviet-sponsored Communist domination. After failing in the Korean War (1950-53) to conquer the US-backed Republic of Korea (ROK) in the southern portion by force, North Korea (DPRK), under its founder President KIM Il-so'ng, adopted a policy of ostensible diplomatic and economic "self-reliance" as a check against excessive Soviet or Communist Chinese influence. The DPRK demonized the US as the ultimate threat to its social system through state-funded propaganda, and molded political, economic, and military policies around the core ideological objective of eventual unification of Korea under Pyongyang's control. KIM's son, the current ruler KIM Jong Il, was officially designated as his father's successor in 1980, assuming a growing political and managerial role until the elder KIM's death in 1994. After decades of economic mismanagement and resource misallocation, the DPRK since the mid-1990s has relied heavily on international aid to feed its population while continuing to expend resources to maintain an army of 1 million. North Korea's long-range missile development, as well as its nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons programs and massive conventional armed forces, are of major concern to the international community. In December 2002, following revelations that the DPRK was pursuing a nuclear weapons program based on enriched uranium in violation of a 1994 agreement with the US to freeze and ultimately dismantle its existing plutonium-based program, North Korea expelled monitors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In January 2003, it declared its withdrawal from the international Non-Proliferation Treaty. In mid-2003 Pyongyang announced it had completed the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel rods (to extract weapons-grade plutonium) and was developing a "nuclear deterrent." Since August 2003, North Korea has participated in the Six-Party Talks with China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, and the US designed to resolve the stalemate over its nuclear programs. The fourth round of Six-Party Talks were held in Beijing during July-September 2005. All parties agreed to a Joint Statement of Principles in which, among other things, the six parties unanimously reaffirmed the goal of verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner. In the Joint Statement, the DPRK committed to "abandoning all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs and returning, at an early date, to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and to IAEA safeguards." The Joint Statement also commits the US and other parties to certain actions as the DPRK denuclearizes. The US offered a security assurance, specifying that it had no nuclear weapons on ROK territory and no intention to attack or invade the DPRK with nuclear or other weapons. The US and DPRK will take steps to normalize relations, subject to the DPRK's implementing its denuclearization pledge and resolving other longstanding concerns. While the Joint Statement provides a vision of the end-point of the Six-Party process, much work lies ahead to implement the elements of the agreement.
Back to Top Korea, North Introduction
Geography
Location: Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea
Geographic coordinates: 40 00 N, 127 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area:
  • total: 120,540 sq km
  • 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
Maritime claims:
  • territorial sea: 12 nm
  • exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
note: military boundary line 50 nm in the Sea of Japan and the exclusive economic zone limit in the Yellow Sea where all foreign vessels and aircraft without permission are banned
Climate: temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer
Terrain: 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, magnesite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower
Land use:
  • arable land: 22.4%
  • permanent crops: 1.66%
  • other: 75.94%
(2005)
Irrigated land: 14,600 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards: late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall
Environment - current issues: water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; waterborne disease; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation
Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution

signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note: strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia; mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated
Back to Top Korea, North Geography
People
Population: 23,113,019 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
  • 0-14 years: 23.8% (male 2,788,944/female 2,708,331)
  • 15-64 years: 68% (male 7,762,442/female 7,955,522)
  • 65 years and over: 8.2% (male 667,792/female 1,229,988)
(2006 est.)
Median age:
  • total: 32 years
  • male: 30.7 years
  • female: 33.4 years
(2006 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.84% (2006 est.)
Birth rate: 15.54 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 7.13 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
  • at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
  • under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
  • 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
  • 65 years and over: 0.54 male(s)/female
  • total population: 0.94 male(s)/female
(2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  • total: 23.29 deaths/1,000 live births
  • male: 24.97 deaths/1,000 live births
  • female: 21.52 deaths/1,000 live births
(2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
  • total population: 71.65 years
  • male: 68.92 years
  • female: 74.51 years
(2006 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.1 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality:
  • noun: Korean(s)
  • adjective: Korean
Ethnic groups: racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese
Religions: traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, some Christian and syncretic Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way)

note: autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent; government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of religious freedom

Languages: Korean
Literacy:
  • definition: age 15 and over can read and write
  • total population: 99%
  • male: 99%
  • female: 99%
Back to Top Korea, North People
Government
Country name:
  • conventional long form: Democratic People's Republic of Korea
  • conventional short form: North Korea
  • local long form: Choson-minjujuui-inmin-konghwaguk
  • local short form: Choson
  • abbreviation: DPRK
Government type: Communist state one-man dictatorship
Capital: Pyongyang
Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 4 municipalities (si, singular and plural)
provinces: Chagang-do (Chagang), Hamgyong-bukto (North Hamgyong), Hamgyong-namdo (South Hamgyong), Hwanghae-bukto (North Hwanghae), Hwanghae-namdo (South Hwanghae), Kangwon-do (Kangwon), P'yongan-bukto (North P'yongan), P'yongan-namdo (South P'yongan), Yanggang-do (Yanggang)
municipalites: Kaesong-si (Kaesong), Najin Sonbong-si (Najin), Namp'o-si (Namp'o), P'yongyang-si (Pyongyang)