km (1989 est.)

Environment:
current issues: poaching threatens wildlife populations; water
pollution; deforestation; 1.2 million Rwandan refugees are responsible
for significant deforestation, soil erosion, and wildlife poaching in
eastern Zaire
natural hazards: periodic droughts in south; volcanic activity
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83; signed,
but not ratified - Desertification, Environmental Modification

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

@Zaire:People

Population: 44,060,636 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 48% (female 10,522,368; male 10,527,451)
15-64 years: 50% (female 11,211,353; male 10,630,118)
65 years and over: 2% (female 647,307; male 522,039) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.18% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 48.33 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 16.57 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: NA migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
note: in 1994, more than one million refugees fled into Zaire to
escape the fighting between the Hutus and the Tutsis in Rwanda and
Burundi; a small number of these are returning to their homes in 1995
despite fear of the ongoing violence; additionally, Zaire is host to
105,000 Angolan, more than 250,000 Burundian and 100,000 Sudanese
refugees; repatriation of Angolan refugees was suspended in May 1994
because of the recurrence of fighting in Angola; if present peace
accords hold, repatriation of Angolans may recommence

Infant mortality rate: 108.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 47.54 years
male: 45.68 years
female: 49.46 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.7 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Zairian(s)
adjective: Zairian

Ethnic divisions: over 200 African ethnic groups, the majority are
Bantu; four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the
Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population

Religions: Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim
10%, other syncretic sects and traditional beliefs 10%

Languag