Natural resources: fish
Land use:
arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 3%
forests and woodland: 3%
other: 84% (1993 est.)
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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, 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
People
Population: 300,220 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 47% (male 72,414; female 68,764)
15-64 years: 50% (male 76,446; female 73,275)
65 years and over: 3% (male 4,944; female 4,377) (1999 est.)