m in the Pacific Ocean
lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
highest point: Mount Everest 8,848 m

Natural resources: the rapid using up of nonrenewable mineral
resources, the depletion of forest areas and wetlands, the
extinction of animal and plant species, and the deterioration in air
and water quality (especially in Eastern Europe and the former USSR)
pose serious long-term problems that governments and peoples are
only beginning to address

Land use:
arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 1%
meadows and pastures: 24%
forest and woodland: 31%
other: 34%

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Environment:
current issues: large areas subject to overpopulation, industrial
disasters, pollution (air, water, acid rain, toxic substances), loss
of vegetation (overgrazing, deforestation, desertification), loss of
wildlife, soil degradation, soil depletion, erosion
natural hazards: large areas subject to severe weather (tropical
cyclones), natural disasters (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis,
volcanic eruptions)
international agreements: selected international environmental
agreements are included under the Environment entry for each country
and in the Selected International Environmental Agreements appendix

People
------

Population: 5,771,939,007 (July 1996 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 31% (male 919,402,570; female 874,330,478)
15-64 years: 62% (male 1,824,524,365; female 1,776,639,084)
65 years and over: 7% (male 162,216,128; female 213,712,993)

Population growth rate: 1.4% (1996 est.)

Birth rate: 23 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.01 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 60 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 62 years
male: 61 years
female: 64 years

Total fertility rate: 2.9 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Government
----------

Data code: none; there is no FIPS 10-4 country code for the World,
so the Factbook uses the "W" data code from DIAM 65-18 "Geopolitical
Data Elements and Related Features," Data Standard No. 3, March
1984, published by the Defense Intelligence Agency; see the
Cross-Reference List of Country Data Codes appendix

Administ