Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: low level of islands makes them very sensitive to sea level rise
Environment - current issues: depletion of freshwater aquifers threatens water supplies
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note: 1,190 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls; archipelago of strategic location astride and along major sea lanes in Indian Ocean
@Maldives:People
Population: 280,391 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 47% (male 67,967; female 64,643) 15-64 years : 50% (male 71,316; female 67,993) 65 years and over: 3% (male 4,534; female 3,938) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.47% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 40.98 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)