Natural resources: iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold
Land use:
arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 3%
permanent pastures: 59%
forests and woodland: 18%
other: 19% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 20 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara
(December to March)
Environment—current issues: tropical rain forest subject to
deforestation; soil erosion; loss of biodiversity; pollution of
coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage
Environment—international agreements:
party to: Desertification, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical
Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine
Life Conservation
People
Population: 2,923,725 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 45% (male 656,101; female 649,389)
15-64 years: 52% (male 775,429; female 738,904)
65 years and over: 3% (male 50,126; female 53,776) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 4.92% (1999 est.)