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Compare Honduras (2008) - Mauritania (2006)

Compare Honduras (2008) z Mauritania (2006)

 Honduras (2008)Mauritania (2006)
 HondurasMauritania
Administrative divisions 18 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Atlantida, Choluteca, Colon, Comayagua, Copan, Cortes, El Paraiso, Francisco Morazan, Gracias a Dios, Intibuca, Islas de la Bahia, La Paz, Lempira, Ocotepeque, Olancho, Santa Barbara, Valle, Yoro 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: 39.3% (male 1,500,949/female 1,439,084)


15-64 years: 57.2% (male 2,142,953/female 2,140,432)


65 years and over: 3.5% (male 117,774/female 142,571) (2007 est.)
0-14 years: 45.6% (male 726,376/female 723,013)


15-64 years: 52.2% (male 818,408/female 839,832)


65 years and over: 2.2% (male 28,042/female 41,717) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products bananas, coffee, citrus; beef; timber; shrimp, tilapia, lobster; corn, African palm dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn; cattle, sheep
Airports 112 (2007) 25 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total: 12


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 3 (2007)
total: 8


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3


1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 100


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 15


under 914 m: 83 (2007)
total: 17


1,524 to 2,437 m: 9


914 to 1,523 m: 7


under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Area total: 112,090 sq km


land: 111,890 sq km


water: 200 sq km
total: 1,030,700 sq km


land: 1,030,400 sq km


water: 300 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than Tennessee slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico
Background Once part of Spain's vast empire in the New World, Honduras became an independent nation in 1821. After two and a half decades of mostly military rule, a freely elected civilian government came to power in 1982. During the 1980s, Honduras proved a haven for anti-Sandinista contras fighting the Marxist Nicaraguan Government and an ally to Salvadoran Government forces fighting leftist guerrillas. The country was devastated by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, which killed about 5,600 people and caused approximately $2 billion in damage. 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. Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA seized power in a coup in 1984. Opposition parties were legalized and a new constitution approved in 1991. Two multiparty presidential elections since then were widely seen as flawed, but October 2001 legislative and municipal elections were generally free and open. A bloodless coup in August 2005 deposed President TAYA and ushered in a military council headed by Col. Ely Ould Mohamed VALL, which declared it would remain in power for up to two years while it created conditions for genuine democratic institutions and organized elections. For now, however, Mauritania remains an autocratic state, and the country continues to experience ethnic tensions among its black population and different Moor (Arab-Berber) communities.
Birth rate 27.59 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 40.99 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues: $2.089 billion


expenditures: $2.357 billion; including capital expenditures of $106 million (2007 est.)
revenues: $421 million


expenditures: $378 million; including capital expenditures of $154 million (2002 est.)
Capital name: Tegucigalpa


geographic coordinates: 14 06 N, 87 13 W


time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)


daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November; note - these dates become effective in 2007
name: Nouakchott


geographic coordinates: 18 06 N, 15 57 W


time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty
Coastline 820 km 754 km
Constitution 11 January 1982, effective 20 January 1982; amended many times 12 July 1991
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Honduras


conventional short form: Honduras


local long form: Republica de Honduras


local short form: Honduras
conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Mauritania


conventional short form: Mauritania


local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Islamiyah al Muritaniyah


local short form: Muritaniyah
Death rate 5.32 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 12.16 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external $3.871 billion (31 December 2007 est.) $2.5 billion (2000)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Charles A. FORD


embassy: Avenida La Paz, Apartado Postal No. 3453, Tegucigalpa


mailing address: American Embassy, APO AA 34022, Tegucigalpa


telephone: [504] 236-9320, 238-5114


FAX: [504] 236-9037
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Steven KOUTSIS


embassy: 288 Rue Abdallaye (between Presidency building and Spanish Embassy), Nouakchott


mailing address: BP 222, Nouakchott


telephone: [222] 525-2660/525-2663


FAX: [222] 525-1592
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Roberto FLORES BERMUDEZ


chancery: Suite 4-M, 3007 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 966-7702


FAX: [1] (202) 966-9751


consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco


honorary consulate(s): Boston, Detroit, Jacksonville
chief of mission: Ambassador Tijani Ould Mohamed EL KERIM


chancery: 2129 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 232-5700, 5701


FAX: [1] (202) 319-2623
Disputes - international International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled on the delimitation of "bolsones" (disputed areas) along the El Salvador-Honduras border in 1992 with final settlement by the parties in 2006 after an Organization of American States (OAS) survey and a further ICJ ruling in 2003; the 1992 ICJ ruling advised a tripartite resolution to a maritime boundary in the Gulf of Fonseca with consideration of Honduran access to the Pacific; El Salvador continues to claim tiny Conejo Island, not mentioned in the ICJ ruling, off Honduras in the Gulf of Fonseca; Honduras claims the Belizean-administered Sapodilla Cays off the coast of Belize in its constitution, but agreed to a joint ecological park around the cays should Guatemala consent to a maritime corridor in the Caribbean under the OAS-sponsored 2002 Belize-Guatemala Differendum; memorials and countermemorials were filed by the parties in Nicaragua's 1999 and 2001 proceedings against Honduras and Colombia at the ICJ over the maritime boundary and territorial claims in the western Caribbean Sea - final public hearings are scheduled for 2007 Mauritanian claims to Western Sahara have been dormant in recent years
Economic aid - recipient $680.8 million (2005) $305.7 million (2002)
Economy - overview Honduras, the second poorest country in Central America and one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, with an extraordinarily unequal distribution of income and massive unemployment, is banking on expanded trade under the US-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and on debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. Despite improvements in tax collections, the government's fiscal deficit is growing due to increases in current expenditures and financial losses from the state energy and telephone companies. Honduras is the fastest growing remittance destination in the region with inflows representing over a quarter of GDP, equivalent to nearly three-quarters of exports. The economy relies heavily on a narrow range of exports, notably bananas and coffee, making it vulnerable to natural disasters and shifts in commodity prices, however, investments in the maquila and non-traditional export sectors are slowly diversifying the economy. Growth remains dependent on the economy of the US, its largest trading partner, and on reduction of the high crime rate, as a means of attracting and maintaining investment. Half the population still depends on agriculture and livestock for a livelihood, even though many of the nomads and 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 nearly 40% 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 resulted in a buildup of foreign debt which now stands at more than three times the level of annual exports. In February 2000, Mauritania qualified for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative and in December 2001 received strong support from donor and lending countries at a triennial Consultative Group review. A new investment code approved in December 2001 improved the opportunities for direct foreign investment. Ongoing negotiations with the IMF involve problems of economic reforms and fiscal discipline. In 2001, exploratory oil wells in tracts 80 km offshore indicated potential extraction at current world oil prices. Mauritania has an estimated 1 billion barrels of proved reserves. Substantial oil production and exports are scheduled to begin in early 2006 and may average 75,000 barrels per day for that year. Meantime the government emphasizes reduction of poverty, improvement of health and education, and promoting privatization of the economy.
Electricity - consumption 4.036 billion kWh (2005) 172.6 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 57 million kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 5.339 billion kWh (2005) 185.6 million kWh (2003)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Cerro Las Minas 2,870 m
lowest point: Sebkhet Te-n-Dghamcha -5 m


highest point: Kediet Ijill 915 m
Environment - current issues urban population expanding; deforestation results from logging and the clearing of land for agricultural purposes; further land degradation and soil erosion hastened by uncontrolled development and improper land use practices such as farming of marginal lands; mining activities polluting Lago de Yojoa (the country's largest source of fresh water), as well as several rivers and streams, with heavy metals 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; locust infestation
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European) 90%, Amerindian 7%, black 2%, white 1% mixed Maur/black 40%, Moor 30%, black 30%
Exchange rates lempiras per US dollar - 18.9 (2007), 18.895 (2006), 18.92 (2005), 18.206 (2004), 17.345 (2003) ouguiyas per US dollar - NA (2005), NA (2004), 263.03 (2003), 271.74 (2002), 255.63 (2001)
Executive branch chief of state: President Manuel ZELAYA Rosales (since 27 January 2006); Vice President Elvin Ernesto SANTOS Ordonez (since 27 January 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Manuel ZELAYA Rosales (since 27 January 2006); Vice President Elvin Ernesto SANTOS Ordonez (since 27 January 2006)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by president


elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 27 November 2005 (next to be held in November 2009)


election results: Manuel ZELAYA Rosales elected president - 49.8%, Porfirio "Pepe" LOBO Sosa 46.1%, other 4.1%
chief of state: Col. Ely Ould Mohamed VALL, whose Military Council for Justice and Democracy deposed longtime President Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA in a coup on 3 August 2005


head of government: Prime Minister Sidi Mohamed Ould BOUBAKAR (since 8 August 2005)


cabinet: Council of Ministers


elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second consecutive term); note - passage of a constitutional reform referendum in July 2006 limits president to two five-year terms; election last held 7 November 2003 (next to be held 11 March 2007); prime minister appointed by the president


election results: President Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA reelected for a third term with 60.8% of the vote
Exports 765.4 bbl/day (2004) NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities coffee, shrimp, bananas, gold, palm oil, fruit, lobster, lumber iron ore, fish and fish products, gold
Exports - partners US 70.6%, Guatemala 3.5%, El Salvador 3.4% (2006) Italy 14.9%, Japan 12.3%, France 11.8%, Belgium 8.5%, Germany 8.3%, Cote d'Ivoire 7.2%, Spain 6.5%, Russia 5%, Netherlands 4.4% (2005)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with five blue, five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band; the stars represent the members of the former Federal Republic of Central America - Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua; similar to the flag of El Salvador, which features a round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Nicaragua, which features a triangle encircled by the word REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom, centered in the white band 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 - composition by sector agriculture: 13.5%


industry: 31%


services: 55.6% (2007 est.)
agriculture: 25%


industry: 29%


services: 46% (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 6% (2007 est.) 5.5% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates 15 00 N, 86 30 W 20 00 N, 12 00 W
Geography - note has only a short Pacific coast but a long Caribbean shoreline, including the virtually uninhabited eastern Mosquito Coast most of the population concentrated in the cities of Nouakchott and Nouadhibou and along the Senegal River in the southern part of the country
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 1.2%


highest 10%: 42.2% (2003)
lowest 10%: 2.5%


highest 10%: 30.2% (2000)
Illicit drugs transshipment point for drugs and narcotics; illicit producer of cannabis, cultivated on small plots and used principally for local consumption; corruption is a major problem; some money-laundering activity -
Imports 42,620 bbl/day (2004) NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities machinery and transport equipment, industrial raw materials, chemical products, fuels, foodstuffs machinery and equipment, petroleum products, capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods
Imports - partners US 53%, Guatemala 7%, El Salvador 4.5%, Costa Rica 4.1%, Mexico 4.1% (2006) France 18.5%, UK 7.2%, US 7%, China 6%, Spain 5%, Belgium 4.3% (2005)
Independence 15 September 1821 (from Spain) 28 November 1960 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate 5.3% (2007 est.) 2% (2000 est.)
Industries sugar, coffee, textiles, clothing, wood products fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum
Infant mortality rate total: 25.21 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 28.3 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 21.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total: 69.48 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 72.44 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 66.43 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 6.4% (2007 est.) 7% (2003 est.)
International organization participation BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO ABEDA, ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Irrigated land 800 sq km (2003) 490 sq km (2002)
Judicial branch Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (15 judges are elected for seven-year terms by the National Congress) Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Court of Appeals; lower courts
Labor force 2.812 million (2007 est.) 786,000 (2001)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 34%


industry: 23%


services: 43% (2003 est.)
agriculture: 50%


industry: 10%


services: 40% (2001 est.)
Land boundaries total: 1,520 km


border countries: Guatemala 256 km, El Salvador 342 km, Nicaragua 922 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: 9.53%


permanent crops: 3.21%


other: 87.26% (2005)
arable land: 0.2%


permanent crops: 0.01%


other: 99.79% (2005)
Languages Spanish, Amerindian dialects Arabic (official), Pulaar, Soninke, French, Hassaniya, Wolof
Legal system rooted in Roman and Spanish civil law with increasing influence of English common law; recent judicial reforms include abandoning Napoleonic legal codes in favor of the oral adversarial system; accepts ICJ jurisdiction with reservations a combination of Shari'a (Islamic law) and French civil law
Legislative branch unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (128 seats; members are elected proportionally to the number of votes their party's presidential candidate receives to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 27 November 2005 (next to be held in November 2009)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PL 62, PN 55, PUD 5, PDC 4, PINU 2
bicameral legislature consists of the Senate or Majlis al-Shuyukh (56 seats; a portion of seats up for election every two years; members elected by municipal leaders to serve six-year terms) and the National Assembly or Majlis al-Watani (95 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held 9 and 16 April 2004 (next to be held 21 January 2007); National Assembly - last held 19 November and 3 December 2006


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA
Life expectancy at birth total population: 69.35 years


male: 67.78 years


female: 70.99 years (2007 est.)
total population: 53.12 years


male: 50.88 years


female: 55.42 years (2006 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 80%


male: 79.8%


female: 80.2% (2001 census)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 41.7%


male: 51.8%


female: 31.9% (2003 est.)
Location Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Nicaragua and bordering the Gulf of Fonseca (North Pacific Ocean), between El Salvador and Nicaragua Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara
Map references Central America and the Caribbean Africa
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: natural extension of territory or to 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Merchant marine total: 126 ships (1000 GRT or over) 352,534 GRT/481,217 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 9, cargo 58, chemical tanker 5, container 1, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 27, refrigerated cargo 8, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 1


foreign-owned: 40 (Bangladesh 1, Canada 1, China 3, Egypt 4, Greece 1, Hong Kong 1, Israel 1, Japan 4, South Korea 6, Lebanon 2, Mexico 1, Singapore 10, Taiwan 2, Tanzania 1, US 1, Vietnam 1) (2007)
-
Military branches Army, Navy (includes Naval Infantry), Honduran Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Hondurena, FAH) (2007) Mauritanian Armed Forces: Army, Navy (Marine Mauritanienne; includes naval infantry), Air Force (Force Aerienne Islamique de Mauritanie, FAIM) (2005)
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $19.32 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 0.6% (2006 est.) 1.4% (2005 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 15 September (1821) Independence Day, 28 November (1960)
Nationality noun: Honduran(s)


adjective: Honduran
noun: Mauritanian(s)


adjective: Mauritanian
Natural hazards frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; extremely susceptible to damaging hurricanes and floods along the Caribbean coast hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April; periodic droughts
Natural resources timber, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, antimony, coal, fish, hydropower iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold, oil, fish
Net migration rate -1.36 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Political parties and leaders Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Felicito AVILA]; Democratic Unification Party or PUD [Cesar HAM]; Liberal Party or PL [Patricia RODAS]; National Innovation and Unity Party or PINU [Jorge AQUILAR Paredes]; National Party of Honduras or PN [Porfirio LOBO] Action for Change or AC (no longer active) [Messoud Ould BOULKHEIR]; Alliance for Justice and Democracy or AJD [Cisse Amadou CHEIKHOU]; National Union for Democracy and Development or UNDD [Tidjane KOITA]; Party for Liberty, Equality, and Justice or PLEJ [Ba Mamdou ALASSANE]; Party of Democratic Convergence or PCD [Cheikh Ould HORMA]; Popular Front or FP [Ch'bih Ould CHEIKH MALAININE]; Popular Progressive Alliance or APP [Messoud Ould BOULKHEIR]; Progress Force Union or UFP (no longer active) [Mohamed Ould MAOULOUD]; Rally of Democratic Forces or RFD [Ahmed Ould DADDAH]; Rally for Democracy and Unity or RDU [Ahmed Ould SIDI BABA]; Republican Party for Democracy and Renewal or PRDR (formerly ruling Democratic and Social Republican Party or PRDS) [Boullah Ould MOGUEYA]; Right Way or SAWAB [Cheikh Ould Sidi Ould HANANA]; Union for Democracy and Progress or UDP [Naha Mint MOUKNASS]; Union of Forces of Progress or UFP [Mohamed Ould MAOULOUD]


note: the Party of Democratic Convergence was banned in October 2005 because it was regarded as Islamist and therefore in breach of Mauritanian law
Political pressure groups and leaders Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Honduras or CODEH; Confederation of Honduran Workers or CTH; Coordinating Committee of Popular Organizations or CCOP; General Workers Confederation or CGT; Honduran Council of Private Enterprise or COHEP; National Association of Honduran Campesinos or ANACH; National Union of Campesinos or UNC; Popular Bloc or BP; United Confederation of Honduran Workers or CUTH Arab nationalists; Ba'thists; 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 7,483,763


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 2007 est.)
3,177,388 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line 50.7% (2004) 40% (2004 est.)
Population growth rate 2.091% (2007 est.) 2.88% (2006 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 241, FM 53, shortwave 12 (1998) AM 1, FM 14, shortwave 1 (2001)
Railways total: 699 km


narrow gauge: 279 km 1.067-m gauge; 420 km 0.914-m gauge (2006)
717 km


standard gauge: 717 km 1.435-m gauge (2005)
Religions Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant 3% Muslim 100%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.043 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.001 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.826 male(s)/female


total population: 1.011 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female


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


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal and compulsory 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: inadequate system


domestic: beginning in 2003, private sub-operators allowed to provide fixed-lines in order to expand telephone coverage; fixed-line teledensity has increased to about 10 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone service has been increasing rapidly and subscribership in 2006 exceeded 30 per 100 persons


international: country code - 504; landing point for both the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) and the MAYA-1 fiber optic submarine cable system that together provide connectivity to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave 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: country code - 222; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 2 Arabsat
Telephones - main lines in use 708,400 (2006) 41,000 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular 2.241 million (2006) 745,600 (2005)
Television broadcast stations 11 (plus 17 repeaters) (1997) 1 (2002)
Terrain mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills
Total fertility rate 3.48 children born/woman (2007 est.) 5.86 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate 27.8% (2007 est.) 20% (2004 est.)
Waterways 465 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2007) -
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