Natural resources: phosphate deposits, marine products, deep seabed minerals

Land use: arable land: NA% permanent crops: 60% permanent pastures : NA% forests and woodland: NA% other: 40%

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: occasional typhoons

Environment - current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note: two archipelagic island chains of 30 atolls and 1,152 islands; Bikini and Enewetak are former US nuclear test sites; Kwajalein, the famous World War II battleground, is now used as a US missile test range

@Marshall Islands:People

Population: 60,652 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 50% (male 15,550; female 14,926) 15-64 years : 48% (male 14,732; female 14,032) 65 years and over: 2% (male 662; female 750) (July 1997 est.)