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Compare Congo, Republic of the (2001) - Mauritania (2001)

Compare Congo, Republic of the (2001) z Mauritania (2001)

 Congo, Republic of the (2001)Mauritania (2001)
 Congo, Republic of theMauritania
Administrative divisions 9 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 commune*; Bouenza, Brazzaville*, Cuvette, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pool, Sangha 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
Age structure 0-14 years:
42.43% (male 618,411; female 609,633)

15-64 years:
54.23% (male 765,501; female 804,125)

65 years and over:
3.34% (male 38,772; female 57,894) (2001 est.)
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.)
Agriculture - products cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn, dates; cattle, sheep
Airports 33 (2000 est.) 26 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total:
4

over 3,047 m:
1

1,524 to 2,437 m:
3 (2000 est.)
total:
8

2,438 to 3,047 m:
3

1,524 to 2,437 m:
5 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
29

1,524 to 2,437 m:
7

914 to 1,523 m:
12

under 914 m:
10 (2000 est.)
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.)
Area total:
342,000 sq km

land:
341,500 sq km

water:
500 sq km
total:
1,030,700 sq km

land:
1,030,400 sq km

water:
300 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Montana slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico
Background Upon independence in 1960, the former French region of Middle Congo became the Republic of the Congo. A quarter century of experimentation with Marxism was abandoned in 1990 and a democratically elected government installed in 1992. A brief civil war in 1997 restored former Marxist President SASSOU-NGUESSO. 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.
Birth rate 38.24 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 42.95 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget revenues:
$870 million

expenditures:
$970 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)
revenues:
$329 million

expenditures:
$265 million, including capital expenditures of $75 million (1996 est.)
Capital Brazzaville Nouakchott
Climate tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); constantly high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty
Coastline 169 km 754 km
Constitution Draft constitution approved by transitional parliament in September 2000 12 July 1991
Country name conventional long form:
Republic of the Congo

conventional short form:
none

local long form:
Republique du Congo

local short form:
none

former:
Middle Congo, Congo/Brazzaville, Congo
conventional long form:
Islamic Republic of Mauritania

conventional short form:
Mauritania

local long form:
Al Jumhuriyah al Islamiyah al Muritaniyah

local short form:
Muritaniyah
Currency Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States ouguiya (MRO)
Death rate 16.22 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 13.65 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external $5 billion (1999 est.) $2.1 billion (1999)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission:
Ambassador David H. KAEUPER

embassy:
NA

mailing address:
NA

telephone:
[243] (88) 43608

FAX:
[243] (88) 41036

note:
the embassy is temporarily collocated with the US Embassy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (US Embassy Kinshasa, 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa)
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
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission:
(vacant); Charge d'Affaires ad interim Serge MOMBOULI

chancery:
4891 Colorado Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20011

telephone:
[1] (202) 726-5500

FAX:
[1] (202) 726-1860
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
Disputes - international most of the Congo river boundary with the Democratic Republic of the Congo is indefinite (no agreement has been reached on the division of the river or its islands, except in the Stanley Pool/Pool Malebo area) none
Economic aid - recipient $159.1 million (1995) $300 million (1998)
Economy - overview The economy is a mixture of village agriculture and handicrafts, an industrial sector based largely on oil, support services, and a government characterized by budget problems and overstaffing. Oil has supplanted forestry as the mainstay of the economy, providing a major share of government revenues and exports. In the early 1980s, rapidly rising oil revenues enabled the government to finance large-scale development projects with GDP growth averaging 5% annually, one of the highest rates in Africa. Moreover, the government has mortgaged a substantial portion of its oil earnings, contributing to the government's shortage of revenues. The 12 January 1994 devaluation of Franc Zone currencies by 50% resulted in inflation of 61% in 1994, but inflation has subsided since. Economic reform efforts continued with the support of international organizations, notably the World Bank and the IMF. The reform program came to a halt in June 1997 when civil war erupted. Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, who returned to power when the war ended in October 1997, publicly expressed interest in moving forward on economic reforms and privatization and in renewing cooperation with international financial institutions. However, economic progress was badly hurt by slumping oil prices and the resumption of armed conflict in December 1998, which worsened the Republic of the Congo's budget deficit. Even with the IMF's renewed confidence and high world oil prices, Congo is unlikely to realize growth of more than 5% in 2001-02. With the return to fragile peace, the IMF approved a $14 million credit in November 2000 to aid post-conflict reconstruction. 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.
Electricity - consumption 406.9 million kWh (1999) 140.4 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports 126 million kWh (1999) 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - production 302 million kWh (1999) 151 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
0.66%

hydro:
99.34%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
fossil fuel:
82.78%

hydro:
17.22%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point:
Mount Berongou 903 m
lowest point:
Sebkha de Ndrhamcha -3 m

highest point:
Kediet Ijill 910 m
Environment - current issues air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from the dumping of raw sewage; tap water is not potable; deforestation 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, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:
Law of the Sea
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
Ethnic groups Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans NA%; note - Europeans estimated at 8,500, mostly French, before the 1997 civil war; may be half that of 1998, following the widespread destruction of foreign businesses in 1997 mixed Maur/black 40%, Maur 30%, black 30%
Exchange rates Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 699.21 (January 2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996); note - from 1 January 1999, the XAF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XAF per euro ouguiyas per US dollar - 250.870 (December 2000), 238.923 (2000), 209.514 (1999), 188.476 (1998), 151.853 (1997), 137.222 (1996)
Executive branch chief of state:
President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 25 October 1997, following the civil war in which he toppled elected president Pascal LISSOUBA); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government:
President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 25 October 1997, following the civil war in which he toppled elected president Pascal LISSOUBA); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

cabinet:
Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections:
president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 16 August 1992 (next was to be held 27 July 1997 but will be delayed for several years pending the drafting of a new constitution)

election results:
Pascal LISSOUBA elected president in 1992; percent of vote - Pascal LISSOUBA 61.3%, Bernard KOLELAS 38.7%; note - LISSOUBA was deposed in 1997, replaced by Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO
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
Exports $2.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000) $333 million (f.o.b., 1999)
Exports - commodities petroleum 50%, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds iron ore, fish and fish products, gold
Exports - partners US 23%, Benelux 14%, Germany, Italy, Taiwan, China (1998) Japan 18%, France 17%, Italy 16%, Spain 11% (1998)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description divided diagonally from the lower hoist side by a yellow band; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the lower triangle is red; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia 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
GDP purchasing power parity - $3.1 billion (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $5.4 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
10%

industry:
48%

services:
42% (1999 est.)
agriculture:
25%

industry:
31%

services:
44% (1997)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $2,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 3.8% (2000 est.) 5% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates 1 00 S, 15 00 E 20 00 N, 12 00 W
Geography - note about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them most of the population concentrated in the cities of Nouakchott and Nouadhibou and along the Senegal River in the southern part of the country
Highways total:
12,800 km

paved:
1,242 km

unpaved:
11,558 km (1996)
total:
7,660 km

paved:
866 km

unpaved:
6,794 km (1996)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
NA%

highest 10%:
NA%
lowest 10%:
2.3%

highest 10%:
29.9% (1995)
Imports $870 million (f.o.b., 2000) $305 million (f.o.b., 1999)
Imports - commodities petroleum products, capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs machinery and equipment, petroleum products, capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods
Imports - partners France 23%, US 9%, Belgium 8%, UK 7%, Italy (1997 est.) France 27%, Benelux 9%, Germany 7%, Spain 7% (1998)
Independence 15 August 1960 (from France) 28 November 1960 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate NA% 2.2% (1999)
Industries petroleum extraction, cement kilning, lumbering, brewing, sugar milling, palm oil, soap, flour, cigarette making fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum
Infant mortality rate 99.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) 76.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3.5% (2000 est.) 4.5% (2000 est.)
International organization participation ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, CEMAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO 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
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2000) 5 (2000)
Irrigated land 10 sq km (1993 est.) 490 sq km (1993 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court or Cour Supreme Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Court of Appeals; lower courts
Labor force NA 750,000 (1999)
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture 47%, services 39%, industry 14%
Land boundaries total:
5,504 km

border countries:
Angola 201 km, Cameroon 523 km, Central African Republic 467 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Gabon 1,903 km
total:
5,074 km

border countries:
Algeria 463 km, Mali 2,237 km, Senegal 813 km, Western Sahara 1,561 km
Land use arable land:
0%

permanent crops:
0%

permanent pastures:
29%

forests and woodland:
62%

other:
9% (1993 est.)
arable land:
0%

permanent crops:
0%

permanent pastures:
38%

forests and woodland:
4%

other:
58% (1993 est.)
Languages French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo has the most users) Hasaniya Arabic (official), Pular, Soninke, Wolof (official), French
Legal system based on French civil law system and customary law a combination of Shari'a (Islamic law) and French civil law
Legislative branch unicameral National Transitional Council (75 seats, members elected by reconciliation forum of 1,420 delegates on NA January 1998); note - the National Transitional Council replaced the bicameral Parliament

elections:
National Transitional Council - last held NA January 1998 (next to be held NA 2001); note - at that election the National Transitional Council is to be replaced by a bicameral assembly

election results:
National Transitional Council - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA
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
Life expectancy at birth total population:
47.57 years

male:
44.38 years

female:
50.85 years (2001 est.)
total population:
51.14 years

male:
49.06 years

female:
53.29 years (2001 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
74.9%

male:
83.1%

female:
67.2% (1995 est.)
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
46.7%

male:
53.4%

female:
40% (1998 est.)
Location Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara
Map references Africa Africa
Maritime claims territorial sea:
200 NM
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
Merchant marine - none (2000 est.)
Military branches Army, Air Force, Navy, Gendarmerie Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Guard, National Police, Presidential Guard
Military expenditures - dollar figure $110 million (FY93) $41 million (FY97/98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 3.8% (FY93) 2.7% (FY97/98)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
684,922 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49:
624,375 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
347,946 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49:
302,699 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - military age 20 years of age -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males:
32,350 (2001 est.)
-
National holiday Independence Day, 15 August (1960) Independence Day, 28 November (1960)
Nationality noun:
Congolese (singular and plural)

adjective:
Congolese or Congo
noun:
Mauritanian(s)

adjective:
Mauritanian
Natural hazards seasonal flooding hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April; periodic droughts
Natural resources petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, natural gas, hydropower iron ore, gypsum, fish, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Pipelines crude oil 25 km -
Political parties and leaders the most important of the many parties are the Democratic and Patriotic Forces or FDP (an alliance of Convention for Alternative Democracy, Congolese Labor Party or PCT, Liberal Republican Party, National Union for Democracy and Progress, Patriotic Union for the National Reconstruction, and Union for the National Renewal) [Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, president]; Association for Democracy and Social Progress or RDPS [Jean-Pierre Thystere TCHICAYA, president]; Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development or MCDDI [Michel MAMPOUYA]; Pan-African Union for Social Development or UPADS [Martin MBERI]; Union of Democratic Forces or UFD [Sebastian EBAO] 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 Congolese Trade Union Congress or CSC; General Union of Congolese Pupils and Students or UGEEC; Revolutionary Union of Congolese Women or URFC; Union of Congolese Socialist Youth or UJSC 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]
Population 2,894,336

note:
estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2001 est.)
2,747,312 (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 50% (1996 est.)
Population growth rate 2.2% (2001 est.) 2.93% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors Brazzaville, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire Bogue, Kaedi, Nouadhibou, Nouakchott, Rosso
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 1 (1999) AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios 341,000 (1997) 360,000 (1997)
Railways total:
894 km

narrow gauge:
894 km 1.067-m gauge (2000)
total:
750 km (single track); note - owned and operated by government mining company

standard gauge:
750 km 1.435-m gauge (1995)
Religions Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2% Muslim 100%
Sex ratio at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years:
0.95 male(s)/female

65 years and over:
0.67 male(s)/female

total population:
0.97 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
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.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment:
services barely adequate for government use; key exchanges are in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, and Loubomo; intercity lines frequently out-of-order

domestic:
primary network consists of microwave radio relay and coaxial cable

international:
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
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
Telephones - main lines in use 22,000 (1997) 26,000 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular 1,000 (1996) NA
Television broadcast stations 1 (1999) 1 (1997)
Terrain coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills
Total fertility rate 5 children born/woman (2001 est.) 6.22 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 23% (1995 est.)
Waterways 1,120 km

note:
the Congo and Ubangi (Oubangui) rivers provide 1,120 km of commercially navigable water transport; other rivers are used for local traffic only
note:
ferry traffic on the Senegal River
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