Rome - Due to drastically rising food prices, 862 million people around the world are suffering from starvation or malnutrition.

A list comprised by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) in Rome shows 37 countries which are in urgent need of foreign food assistance. Of these, 21 are in Africa, 10 in Asia, five in Central and South America, and one - Moldova - in Europe.

Following is a breakdown, by continent, of some of the neediest countries:

AFRICA:

-- Zimbabwe: A serious economic crisis is the cause of the food problems, in addition to long stretches of rainfall after periods of drought. More than 4 million people are affected.

-- Lesotho and Swaziland: The two countries have suffered poor harvests after three years of drought.

-- Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Sudan: Heavy fighting has produced many refugees in need of food aid.

-- Somalia: About 2 million people are affected, a result of civil war and adverse weather conditions.

-- Mauritania and Kenya: Ongoing drought has resulted in great suffering. In Kenya, where 500,000 people are starving, the situation has worsened in the conflict in the wake of the presidential elections.

ASIA:

-- North Korea: Millions of people have been dependent on foreign food assistance for years. Among the causes are the communist command-style economy and poor harvests following storms.

-- Bangladesh: Annual flooding and heavy storms continue to destroy farming lands and add above all to the misery of the poor. About 40 per cent of the population is undernourished.

-- Tajikistan: Shortages in both cities and rural regions are linked to an energy crisis. Last winter was the coldest in five decades.

CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA:

-- Haiti, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Bolivia: Above all, tropical storms and flooding repeatedly worsen those countries' food supply situations.

-- Ecuador: The food crisis is linked with economic problems and high inflation. Flooding during an extremely rainy winter inflicted 1 billion dollars worth of damage. (dpa)