South Korea
Form of government: Republic
Population: 48,636,068 (July 2010 est.)
Capital: Seoul
Area: 99,720 sq km
Largest cities: Seoul, Pusan, Taegu, Incheon
Ethnic groups: homogeneous (except for about 20,000 Chinese)
Languages: Korean, English widely taught in junior high and high school
Religious affiliations: Christian 26.3% (Protestant 19.7%, Roman Catholic 6.6%), Buddhist 23.2%, other or unknown 1.3%, none 49.3% (1995 census)
Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GDP): 4.2% of GDP (2007)
Number of years of compulsory schooling: 9 years
Monetary unit: South Korean won (KRW)
Economy: electronics, telecommunications, automobile production, chemicals, shipbuilding, steel, semiconductors, computers
Major trade partners for exports: China, US, Japan, Hong Kong, (2008)
Major trade partners for imports: China, Japan, US, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Australia (2008)
