Terrain: gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern plateau; low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pic Baumann 986 m
Natural resources: phosphates, limestone, marble
Land use:
arable land: 25%
permanent crops: 1%
meadows and pastures: 4%
forest and woodland: 28%
other: 42%
Irrigated land: 70 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: deforestation attributable to slash-and-burn
agriculture and the use of wood for fuel; recent droughts affecting
agriculture
natural hazards: hot, dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in
north during winter; periodic droughts
international agreements: party to - Endangered Species, Law of the
Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Tropical Timber 94
People ———
Population: 4,570,530 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 49% (male 1,116,030; female 1,105,957)
15-64 years: 49% (male 1,085,774; female 1,163,374)
65 years and over: 2% (male 46,089; female 53,306) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.56% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 46.23 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)