Land use:
arable land: 17%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 13%
forest and woodland: 33%
other: 37%
Irrigated land: 9,430 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues: the almost total dependence on wood for fuel and
cutting down trees to expand agricultural land without replanting
has resulted in widespread deforestation; soil erosion; water
pollution (use of contaminated water presents human health risks)
natural hazards: severe thunderstorms, flooding, landslides,
drought, and famine depending on the timing, intensity, and duration
of the summer monsoons
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified -
Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
Conservation
Geographic note: landlocked; strategic location between China and
India; contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks
People ———
Population: 22,094,033 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 42% (male 4,776,245; female 4,563,000)
15-64 years: 55% (male 6,172,821; female 5,945,626)
65 years and over: 3% (male 320,350; female 315,991) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.45% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 37 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 12.56 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)