| |
| Background: |
Independent from France in 1960,
Mauritania annexed the southern third of the former Spanish Sahara (now
Western Sahara) in 1976, but relinquished it after three years of raids by
the Polisario guerrilla front seeking independence for the territory.
Opposition parties were legalized and a new constitution approved in 1991.
Two multiparty presidential elections since then were widely seen as being
flawed; Mauritania remains, in reality, a one-party state. The country
continues to experience ethnic tensions between its black minority
population and the dominant Maur (Arab-Berber) populace.
|
| Location: |
Northern Africa, bordering the
North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara
|
| Geographic coordinates: |
20 00 N, 12 00 W
|
| Area: |
total: 1,030,700 sq km
land: 1,030,400 sq km
water: 300
sq km |
| Area -
comparative: |
slightly larger than three times
the size of New Mexico |
| Land
boundaries: |
total: 5,074 km
border countries: Algeria 463 km, Mali 2,237 km,
Senegal 813 km, Western Sahara 1,561 km |
| Maritime
claims: |
contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the
continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Climate: |
desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty
|
| Terrain: |
mostly barren, flat plains of the
Sahara; some central hills |
| Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Sebkha
de Ndrhamcha -3 m
highest point: Kediet Ijill 910 m
|
| Natural
resources: |
iron ore, gypsum, fish, copper,
phosphate, diamonds, gold |
| Land
use: |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent
pastures: 38%
forests and woodland: 4%
other: 58% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated land: |
490 sq km (1993 est.)
|
| Natural
hazards: |
hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco
wind blows primarily in March and April; periodic droughts
|
| Environment - current issues: |
overgrazing, deforestation, and
soil erosion aggravated by drought are contributing to desertification;
very limited natural fresh water resources away from the Senegal which is
the only perennial river |
| Environment - international agreements: |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not
ratified: none of the selected agreements
|
| Geography - note: |
most of the population concentrated
in the cities of Nouakchott and Nouadhibou and along the Senegal River in
the southern part of the country |
| Population: |
2,747,312 (July 2001 est.)
|
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years: 46.14%
(male 634,940; female 632,654)
15-64 years: 51.59%
(male 698,433; female 718,883)
65 years and over:
2.27% (male 25,840; female 36,562) (2001 est.) |
| Population growth rate: |
2.93% (2001 est.)
|
| Birth
rate: |
42.95 births/1,000 population (2001
est.) |
| Death
rate: |
13.65 deaths/1,000 population (2001
est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001
est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth: 1.03
male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years
and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total
population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
|
| Infant
mortality rate: |
76.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2001
est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population:
51.14 years
male: 49.06 years
female: 53.29 years (2001 est.)
|
| Total
fertility rate: |
6.22 children born/woman (2001
est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
1.8% (2000 est.)
|
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
6,600 (1999 est.)
|
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
610 (1999 est.)
|
| Nationality: |
noun: Mauritanian(s)
adjective: Mauritanian |
| Ethnic
groups: |
mixed Maur/black 40%, Maur 30%,
black 30% |
| Languages: |
Hasaniya Arabic (official), Pular,
Soninke, Wolof (official), French |
| Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and
over can read and write
total population: 46.7%
male: 53.4%
female: 40% (1998
est.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional long
form: Islamic Republic of Mauritania
conventional
short form: Mauritania
local long form: Al
Jumhuriyah al Islamiyah al Muritaniyah
local short
form: Muritaniyah |
| Government type: |
republic
|
| Administrative divisions: |
12 regions (regions, singular -
region) and 1 capital district*; Adrar, Assaba, Brakna, Dakhlet
Nouadhibou, Gorgol, Guidimaka, Hodh Ech Chargui, Hodh El Gharbi, Inchiri,
Nouakchott*, Tagant, Tiris Zemmour, Trarza |
| Independence: |
28 November 1960 (from France)
|
| National
holiday: |
Independence Day, 28 November
(1960) |
| Constitution: |
12 July 1991
|
| Legal
system: |
a combination of Shari'a (Islamic
law) and French civil law |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal
|
| Executive branch: |
chief of state:
President Col. Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA (since 12 December 1984)
head of government: Prime Minister Cheikh El Avia
Ould Mohamed KHOUNA (since 17 November 1998)
cabinet:
Council of Ministers
elections: president elected by
popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 12 December 1997
(next to be held NA December 2003); prime minister appointed by the
president
election results: President Col. Maaouya
Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA reelected with 90.9% of the vote
|
| Legislative branch: |
bicameral legislature consists of
the Senate or Majlis al-Shuyukh (56 seats; 17 up for election every two
years; members elected by municipal leaders to serve six-year terms) and
the National Assembly or Majlis al-Watani (79 seats; members elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections:
Senate - last held 17 April 1998 (next to be held NA 2001); National
Assembly - last held 11 and 18 October 1996 (next to be held NA 2001)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - NA; National Assembly - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - PRDS 71, AC 1, independents and other 7
|
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme;
Court of Appeals; lower courts |
| Political parties and leaders: |
Action for Change or AC [Messoud
Ould BOULKHEIR]; Assembly for Democracy and Unity or RDU [Ahmed Ould SIDI
BABA]; Democratic and Social Republican Party or PRDS (ruling party)
[President Col. Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA]; Mauritanian Party for
Renewal and Concorde or PMRC [Molaye El Hassen Ould JIYID]; National Union
for Democracy and Development or UNDD [Tidjane KOITA]; Party for Liberty,
Equality and Justice or PLEJ [Daouda M'BAGNIGA]; Popular Front or FP
[Ch'bih Ould CHEIKH MALAININE]; Popular Progress Alliance or APP [Mohamed
El Hafed Ould ISMAEL]; Popular Social and Democratic Union or UPSD
[Mohamed Mahmoud Ould MAH]; Progress Force Union or UFP [Mohamed Ould
MOLOUD]; Union for Progress and Democracy or UNDD [Naha Mint MOUKNASS]
note: parties legalized by constitution ratified 12
July 1991; however, politics continue to be tribally based
|
| Political pressure groups and leaders: |
Arab nationalists; Ba'athists;
General Confederation of Mauritanian Workers or CGTM [Abdallahi Ould
MOHAMED, secretary general]; Independent Confederation of Mauritanian
Workers or CLTM [Samory Ould BEYE]; Islamists; Mauritanian Workers Union
or UTM [Mohamed Ely Ould BRAHIM, secretary general]
|
| International organization participation: |
ABEDA, ACCT (associate), ACP, AfDB,
AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CAEU, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Ahmed Ben Khalifa BEN JIDOU
chancery: 2129
Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1]
(202) 232-5700
FAX: [1] (202) 319-2623
|
| Diplomatic representation from the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador John W. LIMBERT
embassy: Rue Abdallaye,
Nouakchott
mailing address: BP 222, Nouakchott
telephone: [222] 525-2660, 525-2663
FAX: [222] 525-1592 |
| Flag
description: |
green with a yellow five-pointed
star above a yellow, horizontal crescent; the closed side of the crescent
is down; the crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of
Islam |
| Economy
- overview: |
A majority of the population still
depends on agriculture and livestock for a livelihood, even though most of
the nomads and many subsistence farmers were forced into the cities by
recurrent droughts in the 1970s and 1980s. Mauritania has extensive
deposits of iron ore, which account for half of total exports. The decline
in world demand for this ore, however, has led to cutbacks in production.
The nation's coastal waters are among the richest fishing areas in the
world, but overexploitation by foreigners threatens this key source of
revenue. The country's first deepwater port opened near Nouakchott in
1986. In the past, drought and economic mismanagement have resulted in a
buildup of foreign debt. In March 1999, the government signed an agreement
with a joint World Bank-IMF mission on a $54 million enhanced structural
adjustment facility (ESAF). Mauritania withdrew its membership in the
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in 2000. Privatization
and debt relief are in full swing, and the rate of economic growth appears
to be accelerating, especially in the construction, telecommunication, and
information sectors. Diamonds and petroleum are beginning to be explored
and exploited. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $5.4
billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP -
real growth rate: |
5% (2000 est.)
|
| GDP -
per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $2,000
(2000 est.) |
| GDP -
composition by sector: |
agriculture: 25%
industry: 31%
services: 44%
(1997) |
| Population below poverty line: |
50% (1996 est.)
|
| Household income or consumption by percentage
share: |
lowest 10%: 2.3%
highest 10%: 29.9% (1995) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): |
4.5% (2000 est.)
|
| Labor
force: |
750,000 (1999)
|
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 47%, services 39%,
industry 14% |
| Unemployment rate: |
23% (1995 est.)
|
| Budget: |
revenues: $329 million
expenditures: $265 million, including capital
expenditures of $75 million (1996 est.) |
| Industries: |
fish processing, mining of iron ore
and gypsum |
| Industrial production growth rate: |
2.2% (1999)
|
| Electricity - production: |
151 million kWh (1999)
|
| Electricity - production by source: |
fossil fuel: 82.78%
hydro: 17.22%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity - consumption: |
140.4 million kWh (1999)
|
| Electricity - exports: |
0 kWh (1999)
|
| Electricity - imports: |
0 kWh (1999)
|
| Agriculture - products: |
dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn,
dates; cattle, sheep |
| Exports: |
$333 million (f.o.b., 1999)
|
| Exports
- commodities: |
iron ore, fish and fish products,
gold |
| Exports
- partners: |
Japan 18%, France 17%, Italy 16%,
Spain 11% (1998) |
| Imports: |
$305 million (f.o.b., 1999)
|
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery and equipment, petroleum
products, capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods
|
| Imports
- partners: |
France 27%, Benelux 9%, Germany 7%,
Spain 7% (1998) |
| Debt -
external: |
$2.1 billion (1999)
|
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$300 million (1998)
|
| Exchange
rates: |
ouguiyas per US dollar - 250.870
(December 2000), 238.923 (2000), 209.514 (1999), 188.476 (1998), 151.853
(1997), 137.222 (1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year
|
| Telephones - main lines in use: |
26,000 (2000)
|
| Telephones - mobile cellular: |
NA |
| Telephone system: |
general assessment:
limited system of cable and open-wire lines, minor microwave radio relay
links, and radiotelephone communications stations (improvements being
made)
domestic: mostly cable and open-wire lines; a
recently completed domestic satellite telecommunications system links
Nouakchott with regional capitals
international:
satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 2 Arabsat
|
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)
|
| Television broadcast stations: |
1 (1997)
|
| Televisions: |
87,000 (1998)
|
| Internet
country code: |
.mr |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
5 (2000)
|
| Internet
users: |
3,500 (2000)
|
| Railways: |
704 km (single-track); note - owned
and operated by government mining company
standard
gauge: 704 km 1.435-m gauge (2001) |
| Highways: |
total: 7,660 km
paved: 866 km
unpaved: 6,794 km
(1996) |
| Waterways: |
note: ferry traffic on
the Senegal River |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Bogue, Kaedi, Nouadhibou,
Nouakchott, Rosso |
| Merchant
marine: |
none (2000 est.)
|
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437
m: 5 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total: 18
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437
m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914
m: 3 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Army, Navy, Air Force, National
Gendarmerie, National Guard, National Police, Presidential Guard
|
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age 15-49:
624,375 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age 15-49:
302,699 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$41 million (FY97/98)
|
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
2.7% (FY97/98)
|
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
|
|
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