withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 9.02 cu km/yr (20%/25%/55%)
per capita: 401 cu m/yr (2000)

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, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, 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

People
Korea, North

Population:

23,479,088 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 22.9% (male 2,733,352/female 2,654,186)
15-64 years: 68.2% (male 7,931,484/female 8,083,626)
65 years and over: 8.8% (male 751,401/female 1,325,040) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 32.7 years
male: 31.2 years
female: 34.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.732% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

14.61 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

7.29 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 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: 0.57 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 21.86 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 23.46 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 20.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 72.2 years
male: 69.45 years
female: 75.08 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2 children born/woman (2008 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

Langua