Land use:
arable land: 32%
permanent crops: 6%
meadows and pastures: 6%
forest and woodland: 40%
other: 16%
Irrigated land: 6,340 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: soil erosion; air pollution caused by industrial and
vehicle emissions; water pollution, especially in coastal areas
natural hazards: Azores subject to severe earthquakes
international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine
Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified -
Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Desertification,
Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban
Geographic note: Azores and Madeira Islands occupy strategic
locations along western sea approaches to Strait of Gibraltar
People ———
Population: 9,865,114 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 18% (male 888,157; female 843,309)
15-64 years: 68% (male 3,249,973; female 3,414,793)
65 years and over: 14% (male 601,913; female 866,969) (July 1996
est.)
Population growth rate: 0.02% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 10.53 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 10.2 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)