Nov 7 (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Tuesday called for a freeze on the use of cluster bombs in or near populated areas, saying they had "atrocious, inhumane effects" on civilians.

Here are some key facts about the controversial weapon:

- Cluster bombs are munitions that disperse into bomblets and scatter over hundreds of square metres (yards). They were designed for use against infantry and tanks.

- Anywhere between 7 and 30 percent of the bomblets fail to detonate. They either sink into the ground or lie on the surface and become virtual landmines that can maim and kill for years after a conflict has ended.

- The global stockpile is estimated at some four billion munitions, with around a quarter in U.S. hands.

- Civilians, more than a quarter of them children, make up almost all the victims of cluster bombs over the last three decades, according to Handicap International. The weapons have killed or maimed 11,044 people, of whom 98 percent are civilians, the humanitarian agency said in a report last week.

- The most recent use of cluster bombs was by Israel during its 34-day war against Hezbollah guerrillas in southern Lebanon. Up to a million unexploded bomblets now threaten civilians, according to humanitarian agencies.

- Cluster bombs are not banned, but some critics say they should be because they cause too many civilian casualties.

Sources: Reuters; Cluster Munition Coalition (www.stopclustermunitions.org)

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