Natural hazards: periodic droughts in south; volcanic activity
Environment—current issues: poaching threatens wildlife
populations; water pollution; deforestation; refugees who arrived in
mid-1994 were responsible for significant deforestation, soil
erosion, and wildlife poaching in the eastern part of the country
(most of those refugees were repatriated in November and December
1996)
Environment—international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear
Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical
Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Geography—note: straddles Equator; very narrow strip of land that controls the lower Congo river and is only outlet to South Atlantic Ocean; dense tropical rain forest in central river basin and eastern highlands
People
Population: 50,481,305 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 48% (male 12,200,532; female 12,136,372)
15-64 years: 49% (male 12,135,901; female 12,692,057)
65 years and over: 3% (male 564,084; female 752,359) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.96% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 46.37 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 14.99 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)