Environment:
current issues: water pollution from fertilizer runoff; inadequate
wastewater treatment
natural hazards: earthquakes and volcanic activity
international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands; signed, but not
ratified - Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life
Conservation
Geographic note: strategic location between Greenland and Europe; westernmost European country; more land covered by glaciers than in all of continental Europe
People ———
Population: 270,292 (July 1996 est.)
note: population data estimates based on average growth rate may
differ slightly from official population data because of volatile
migration rates
Age structure:
0-14 years: 24% (male 33,605; female 31,933)
15-64 years: 64% (male 88,064; female 85,724)
65 years and over: 12% (male 13,916; female 17,050) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.83% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 16.94 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 6.17 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate: -2.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.01 male(s)/female (1996 est.)