Irrigated land: NA sq km
Environment:
current issues: depletion of freshwater aquifers threatens water
supplies
natural hazards: low level of islands makes them very sensitive to
sea level rise
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified -
Law of the Sea
Geographic note: 1,190 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls; archipelago of strategic location astride and along major sea lanes in Indian Ocean
People ———
Population: 270,758 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 47% (male 65,559; female 62,399)
15-64 years: 50% (male 69,071; female 65,659)
65 years and over: 3% (male 4,336; female 3,734) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.52% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 41.88 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 6.64 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)