| 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 Cheik 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: B. P. 222, Nouakchott
telephone: [222] 25-26-60, 25-26-63
FAX: [222] 25-15-92 |
| 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: |
total:
750 km (single track); note - owned and operated by
government mining company
standard gauge: 750 km 1.435-m gauge (1995) |
| 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 |
|
