Irrigated land: 6,300 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: Azores subject to severe earthquakes
Environment - current issues: soil erosion; air pollution caused by industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution, especially in coastal areas
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants,
Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Environmental Modification, Nuclear Test Ban
Geography - note: Azores and Madeira Islands occupy strategic locations along western sea approaches to Strait of Gibraltar
@Portugal:People
Population: 10,048,232 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 17% (male 880,501; female 834,062) 15-64 years: 68% (male 3,319,143; female 3,468,009) 65 years and over: 15% (male 628,101; female 918,416) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.18% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 11.49 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)