South Korea/Catalogs/Facts and figures

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Based on the Facts and figures provided by Korea.net, accessed on 2008-11-07.

(PD) Image: CIA
Taegeukgi, the national flag of South Korea.

Country

(PD) Image: NASA
The Korean peninsula.

• Country name: Republic of Korea
  • Official Korean title: 대한민국 (Dae-han Min-guk), meaning 'Great Han people's nation'
  • Informal references: 한국 (Han-guk), literally meaning 'Han nation'; an equivalent of 'Korea' & 남한 (Nam-han), literally meaning the 'southern Han,' an equivalent of 'South Korea'
• Capital city: Seoul
• National flag: Taegeukgi
• National flower: Mugunhwa (Rose of Sharon)
• Currency: Won (￦)

Geography

• Territory: 99,678 km²
• Climate: Temperate
• Highest mountain: Hallasan (1950 m)
• Longest rivers: Han River or Han-gang (481.7 km)

© Photo: Justin Adams
A Buddhist festival celebrating the birth of Buddha, in the city of Busan.

People

• Language: Korean, written in alphabet Hangeul
• Population: 48.46 million (2007)
  • Foreign residents: 1.1 million
  • Median age: 36.1 yrs
  • Population increase rate: 0.33%
  • Life expectancy: males - 75.7 yrs & females - 82.4 yrs (2006)
  • Religion: approximately 50% of the population practices religion: Buddhism (43.0%) ; Protestantism (34.5%) ; Catholicism (20.6%)

Government

• Political system: a democratic republic; division of power among the executive, legislative, and the judiciary
• President: Yi Myeongbak (or Lee Myungbak) since 2008.
• Suffrage: universal at age 19 (western equivalent of 18)
• Elections:
  • Presidential: every 5 yrs
  • National assembly: every 4 yrs
  • Local councils: every 4 yrs
  • Political parties: Grand National Party; United Democratic Party; Liberal Forward Party; Democratic Labor Party; Pro-Park Geun-hye Alliance; Renewal of Korea Party
• AID: in 2006, $455 million in Official Developmental Aid (ODA)

Economy

• GDP: $969.9 billion (2007)
• Per Capita GNI: $20,045
• GDP Growth Rate: 5% (2007)
• Foreign Exchange Reserves: $262.2 billion
• Exports: $371.5 billion (2007)
• Imports: $356.8 billion
• FTA's: Chile, Singapore, European Free Trade Association, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and USA.