North Korea

Long Name: Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Location: Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea

Area: 46,541 sq. mi. (120,540 sq. km)

Climate: temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer

Terrain: mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east

Population: 23,479,088

Population Growth Rate: 0.732%

Birth Rate (per 1,000): 14.61

Death Rate (per 1,000): 7.29

Life Expectancy: 72.2 years

Ethnic Groups: racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese

Religion: traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, some Christian and syncretic Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way)

Languages: Korean

Literacy: 99%

Government Type: Communist state one-man dictatorship

Capital: Pyongyang

Independence: 15 August 1945 (from Japan)

GDP Per Capita: $1,700

Occupations: agriculture 37%, industry and services 63%

Currency: North Korean won (KPW)

Norway

Long Name: Kingdom of Norway

Location: Northern Europe, bordering the North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Sweden

Area: 125,020 sq. mi. (323,802 sq. km)

Climate: temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current; colder interior with increased precipitation and colder summers; rainy year-round on west coast

Terrain: glaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken by fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeply indented by fjords; arctic tundra in north

Population: 4,644,457

Population Growth Rate: 0.35%

Birth Rate (per 1,000): 11.12

Death Rate (per 1,000): 9.33

Life Expectancy: 79.81 years

Ethnic Groups: Norwegian 94.4% (includes Sami, about 60,000), other European 3.6%, other 2%

Religion: Church of Norway 85.7%, Pentecostal 1%, Roman Catholic 1%, other Christian 2.4%, Muslim 1.8%, other 8.1%

Languages: Bokmal Norwegian (official), Nynorsk Norwegian (official), small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities; note - Sami is official in six municipalities

Literacy: 100%

Government Type: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Oslo

Independence: 7 June 1905 (Norway declared the union with Sweden dissolved); 26 October 1905 (Sweden agreed to the repeal of the union)

GDP Per Capita: $53,300

Occupations: agriculture 4%, industry 22%, services 74%

Currency: Norwegian krone (NOK)

Oman

Long Name: Sultanate of Oman

Location: Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf, between Yemen and UAE

Area: 82,031 sq. mi. (212,460 sq. km)

Climate: dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior; strong southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south

Terrain: central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south

Population: 3,311,640 Population Growth Rate: 3.19%

Birth Rate (per 1,000): 35.26

Death Rate (per 1,000): 3.68

Life Expectancy: 73.91 years

Ethnic Groups: Arab, Baluchi, South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi), African

Religion: Ibadhi Muslim 75%, other (includes Sunni Muslim, Shi'a Muslim, Hindu) 25%

Languages: Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian dialects

Literacy: 81.4%

Government Type: monarchy Capital: Muscat

Independence: 1650 (expulsion of the Portuguese)

GDP Per Capita: $19,000

Occupations: N/A Currency: Omani rial (OMR)

Pakistan

Long Name: Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Location: Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north

Area: 310,402 sq. mi. (803,940 sq. km)

Climate: mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north

Terrain: flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest; Balochistan plateau in west

Population: 172,800,048 Population Growth Rate: 1.999%

Birth Rate (per 1,000): 28.35 Death Rate (per 1,000): 7.85

Life Expectancy: 64.13 years

Ethnic Groups: Punjabi 44.68%, Pashtun (Pathan) 15.42%, Sindhi 14.1%, Sariaki 8.38%, Muhagirs 7.57%, Balochi 3.57%, other 6.28%

Religion: Muslim 95% (Sunni 75%, Shi'a 20%), other (includes Christian and Hindu) 5%

Languages: Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Siraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%, Pashtu 8%, Urdu (official) 8%, Balochi 3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%, English (official; lingua franca of Pakistani elite and most government ministries), Burushaski and other 8%

Literacy: 49.9%

Government Type: federal republic Capital: Islamabad

Independence: 14 August 1947 (from British India)

GDP Per Capita: $2,400

Occupations: agriculture 42%, industry 20%, services 38%

Currency: Pakistani rupee (PKR)