Natural hazards: sandstorms and dust storms in summer
Environment—current issues: very limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Environment—international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography—note: strategic location on Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping lanes
People
Population: 16,942,230 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 48% (male 4,118,292; female 3,971,886)
15-64 years: 49% (male 4,243,809; female 4,065,429)
65 years and over: 3% (male 278,133; female 264,681) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.34% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 43.31 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 9.88 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)