Environment:
current issues: recent drought in north severely affecting
agricultural activities; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion;
poaching and habitat destruction threatens wildlife populations;
water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water
natural hazards: dry, dusty, harmattan winds occur from January to
March; droughts
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical
Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not
ratified - Desertification, Marine Life Conservation
Geographic note: Lake Volta is the world's largest artificial
lake; northeasterly harmattan wind (January to March)
People ———
Population: 17,698,271 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 43% (male 3,856,673; female 3,819,946)
15-64 years: 54% (male 4,658,142; female 4,814,060)
65 years and over: 3% (male 262,159; female 287,291) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.29% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 35 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 11.15 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.98 male(s)/female (1996 est.)