ndary with China is
indefinite; Demarcation Line with South Korea
______________________________________________________________________

KOREA, SOUTH

@Korea, South:Geography

Location: Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula
bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea, south of North Korea

Geographic coordinates: 37 00 N, 127 30 E

Map references: Asia

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:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf : not specified
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm; 3 nm in the Korea Strait

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

Land use:
arable land: 19%
permanent 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;
earthquakes in southwest

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

Environment - international agreements:
party to : Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical
Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: Desertification

@Korea, South:People

Population: 45,948,811 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 23% (male 5,515,667; female 4,925,479)
15-64 years: 71% (male 16,579,117; female 16,096,684)
65 years and over : 6% (male 1,067,663; female 1,764,201) (July 1997
est.)

Population growth rate: 1.02% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 16.17 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 5.66 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth : 1.14 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.12 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.6 m