252 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
252 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
KOREA, NORTH
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 120,540 km2; land area: 120,410 km2
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Comparative area: slightly smaller than Mississippi
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Land boundaries: 1,671 km total; China 1,416 km, South Korea 238
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km, USSR 17 km
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Coastline: 2,495 km
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Maritime claims:
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Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
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Territorial sea: 12 nm;
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Military boundary line: 50 nm in the Sea of Japan and the
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exclusive economic zone limit in the Yellow Sea (all foreign vessels and
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aircraft without permission are banned)
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Disputes: short section of boundary with China is indefinite;
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Demarcation Line with South Korea
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Climate: temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer
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Terrain: mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow
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valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east
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Natural resources: coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite,
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iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower
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Land use: arable land 18%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures
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NEGL%; forest and woodland 74%; other 7%; includes irrigated 9%
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Environment: mountainous interior is isolated, nearly inaccessible,
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and sparsely populated; late spring droughts often followed by severe
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flooding
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Note: strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and USSR
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PEOPLE
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Population: 21,814,656 (July 1991), growth rate 1.9% (1991)
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Birth rate: 24 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 30 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 72 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 2.5 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Korean(s); adjective--Korean
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Ethnic divisions: racially homogeneous
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Religion: Buddhism and Confucianism; religious activities now
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almost nonexistent
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Language: Korean
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Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%)
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Labor force: 9,615,000; agricultural 36%, nonagricultural 64%;
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shortage of skilled and unskilled labor (mid-1987 est.)
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Organized labor: 1,600,000 members; single-trade union system
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coordinated by the General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea under the
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Central Committee
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Democratic People's Republic of Korea; abbreviated
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DPRK
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Type: Communist state; dictatorship
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Capital: P'yongyang
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Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and
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3 special cities* (jikhalsi, singular and plural); Chagang-do,
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Hamgyong-namdo, Hamgyong-bukto, Hwanghae-namdo, Hwanghae-bukto,
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Kaesong-si*, Kangwon-do, Namp'o-si*, P'yongan-bukto,
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P'yongan-namdo, P'yongyang-si*, Yanggang-do
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Independence: 9 September 1948
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Constitution: adopted 1948, revised 27 December 1972
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Legal system: based on German civil law system with Japanese
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influences and Communist legal theory; no judicial review of legislative
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acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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National holiday: Independence Day, 9 September (1948)
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Executive branch: president, two vice presidents, premier, eleven
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vice premiers, State Administration Council (cabinet)
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Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme People's Assembly (Ch'oego
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Inmin Hoeui)
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Judicial branch: Central Court
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Leaders:
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Chief of State--President KIM Il-song (since 28 December 1972);
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Designated Successor KIM Chong-il (son of President, born 16 February
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1942);
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Head of Government--Premier YON Hyong-muk (since NA December 1988)
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Political parties and leaders: major party--Korean Workers' Party
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(KWP), KIM Il-song, general secretary, and his son, KIM Chong-il,
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secretary, Central Committee;
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Korean Social Democratic Party, YI Kye-paek, chairman;
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Chondoist Chongu Party, CHONG Sin-hyok, chairman
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Suffrage: universal at age 17
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Elections:
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President--last held 24 May 1990 (next to be held 1994);
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results--President KIM Il-song was reelected without opposition;
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Supreme People's Assembly--last held on 24 May 1990 (next
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to be held 1994);
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results--percent of vote by party NA;
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seats--(687 total) the KWP approves a single list of candidates
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who are elected without opposition; minor parties hold a few seats
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Communists: KWP claims membership of about 3 million
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Member of: FAO, G-77, IAEA, ICAO, IFAD, IMF (observer), IMO, IOC,
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ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU,
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WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation: none
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Flag: three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and
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blue; the red band is edged in white; on the hoist side of the red band
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is a white disk with a red five-pointed star
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ECONOMY
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Overview: More than 90% of this command economy is socialized;
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agricultural land is collectivized; and state-owned industry produces 95%
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of manufactured goods. State control of economic affairs is unusually
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tight even for a Communist country because of the small size and
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homogeneity of the society and the strict one-man rule of Kim. Economic
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growth during the period 1984-90 averaged approximately 3%. Abundant
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natural resources and hydropower form the basis of industrial
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development. Output of the extractive industries includes coal, iron ore,
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magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, and precious metals.
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Manufacturing emphasis is centered on heavy industry, with light industry
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lagging far behind. Despite the use of high-yielding seed varieties,
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expansion of irrigation, and the heavy use of fertilizers, North Korea
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has not yet become self-sufficient in food production. Four consecutive
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years of poor harvests, coupled with distribution problems, have led to
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chronic food shortages. North Korea remains far behind South Korea in
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economic development and living standards.
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GNP: $29.7 billion, per capita $1,390; real growth rate 2%
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(1990 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
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Unemployment rate: officially none
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Budget: revenues $15.6 billion; expenditures $15.6 billion,
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including capital expenditures of $NA (1989)
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Exports: $1.95 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
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commodities--minerals, metallurgical products, agricultural
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products, manufactures;
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partners--USSR, China, Japan, Hong Kong, FRG, Singapore
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Imports: $2.85 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
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commodities--petroleum, machinery and equipment, coking coal,
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grain;
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partners--USSR, Japan, China, Hong Kong, FRG, Singapore
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External debt: $7 billion (1991)
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Industrial production: growth rate NA%
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Electricity: 6,440,000 kW capacity; 40,250 million kWh produced,
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1,890 kWh per capita (1990)
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Industries: machine building, military products, electric power,
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chemicals, mining, metallurgy, textiles, food processing
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Agriculture: accounts for about 25% of GNP and 36% of work force;
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principal crops--rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; livestock and
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livestock products--cattle, hogs, pork, eggs; not self-sufficient in
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grain; fish catch estimated at 1.7 million metric tons in 1987
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Economic aid: Communist countries, $1.4 billion a year in the 1980s
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Currency: North Korean won (plural--won);
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1 North Korean won (Wn) = 100 chon
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Exchange rates: North Korean won (Wn) per US$1--2.2 (March 1991),
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2.1 (January 1990), 2.3 (December 1989), 2.13 (December 1988), 0.94
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(March 1987), NA (1986), NA (1985)
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Fiscal year: calendar year
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: 4,535 km total; 3,870 km 1.435-meter standard gauge,
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665 km 0.762-meter narrow gauge; 159 km double track;
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3,175 km electrified; government owned (1989)
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Highways: about 30,000 km (1989); 98.5% gravel, crushed stone, or
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earth surface; 1.5% concrete or bituminous
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Inland waterways: 2,253 km; mostly navigable by small craft only
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Pipelines: crude oil, 37 km
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Ports: Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam, Namp'o, Wonsan, Songnim,
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Najin, Sonbong
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Merchant marine: 68 ships (1,000 GRT and over) totaling 465,801
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GRT/709,442 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 1 short-sea passenger,
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1 passenger-cargo, 58 cargo, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL)
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tanker, 4 bulk, 1 combination bulk
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Airports: 55 total, 55 usable (est.); about 30 with
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permanent-surface runways; fewer than 5 with runways over 3,659 m; 20
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with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 30 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: stations--18 AM, no FM, 11 TV; 200,000 TV sets;
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3,500,000 radio receivers; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Korean People's Army (includes of the Army, Navy,
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Air Force), Civil Security Forces
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 6,381,859; 3,899,606 fit for
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military service; 214,690 reach military age (18) annually
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Defense expenditures: $NA, 20-25% of GNP (1991 est.);
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note--the officially announced but suspect figure is $1.7 billion,
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6% of GNP (1991 est.)
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