Mauritania (2001) | Gibraltar (2001) | |
![]() | ![]() | |
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 | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
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.) |
0-14 years:
18.73% (male 2,652; female 2,528) 15-64 years: 66.33% (male 9,473; female 8,866) 65 years and over: 14.94% (male 1,733; female 2,397) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn, dates; cattle, sheep | none |
Airports | 26 (2000 est.) | 1 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 (2000 est.) |
total:
1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (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.) |
- |
Area | total:
1,030,700 sq km land: 1,030,400 sq km water: 300 sq km |
total:
6.5 sq km land: 6.5 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico | about 11 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC |
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. | Strategically important, Gibraltar was ceded to Great Britain by Spain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht; the British garrison was formally declared a colony in 1830. In a 1967 referendum, Gibraltarians ignored Spanish pressure and voted overwhelmingly to remain a British dependency. |
Birth rate | 42.95 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 11.25 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$329 million expenditures: $265 million, including capital expenditures of $75 million (1996 est.) |
revenues:
$307 million expenditures: $284 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01 est.) |
Capital | Nouakchott | Gibraltar |
Climate | desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty | Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers |
Coastline | 754 km | 12 km |
Constitution | 12 July 1991 | 30 May 1969 |
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 |
conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Gibraltar |
Currency | ouguiya (MRO) | Gibraltar pound (GIP) |
Death rate | 13.65 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 8.82 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $2.1 billion (1999) | $NA |
Dependency status | - | overseas territory of the UK |
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 |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
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 |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Disputes - international | none | source of friction between Spain and the UK |
Economic aid - recipient | $300 million (1998) | $NA |
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. | Gibraltar benefits from an extensive shipping trade, offshore banking, and its position as an international conference center. The British military presence has been sharply reduced and now contributes about 11% to the local economy. The financial sector accounts for 20% of GDP; tourism (almost 6 million visitors in 1998), shipping services fees, and duties on consumer goods also generate revenue. In recent years, Gibraltar has seen major structural change from a public to a private sector economy, but changes in government spending still have a major impact on the level of employment. |
Electricity - consumption | 140.4 million kWh (1999) | 88.4 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | 151 million kWh (1999) | 95 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
82.78% hydro: 17.22% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Sebkha de Ndrhamcha -3 m highest point: Kediet Ijill 910 m |
lowest point:
Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Rock of Gibraltar 426 m |
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 | limited natural freshwater resources; large concrete or natural rock water catchments collect rainwater |
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 |
- |
Ethnic groups | mixed Maur/black 40%, Maur 30%, black 30% | Spanish, Italian, English, Maltese, Portuguese |
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) | Gibraltar pounds per US dollar - 0.6764 (January 2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996); note - the Gibraltar pound is at par with the British pound |
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 |
chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor and Commander-in-Chief David DURIE (since 5 April 2000); note - DURIE was appointed in February 2000 but took office in April 2000 head of government: Chief Minister Peter CARUANA (since 17 May 1996) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed from among the 15 elected members of the House of Assembly by the governor in consultation with the chief minister; note - there is also a Gibraltar Council that advises the governor elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; chief minister appointed by the governor |
Exports | $333 million (f.o.b., 1999) | $81.1 million (f.o.b., 1997) |
Exports - commodities | iron ore, fish and fish products, gold | (principally reexports) petroleum 51%, manufactured goods 41%, other 8% |
Exports - partners | Japan 18%, France 17%, Italy 16%, Spain 11% (1998) | UK, Morocco, Portugal, Netherlands, Spain, US, Germany |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 July - 30 June |
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 | two horizontal bands of white (top, double width) and red with a three-towered red castle in the center of the white band; hanging from the castle gate is a gold key centered in the red band |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $5.4 billion (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $500 million (1997 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
25% industry: 31% services: 44% (1997) |
agriculture:
NA% industry: NA% services: NA% |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $2,000 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $17,500 (1997 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 5% (2000 est.) | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 20 00 N, 12 00 W | 36 11 N, 5 22 W |
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 | strategic location on Strait of Gibraltar that links the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea |
Highways | total:
7,660 km paved: 866 km unpaved: 6,794 km (1996) |
total:
46.25 km paved: 46.25 km unpaved: 0 km (2001) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
2.3% highest 10%: 29.9% (1995) |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | $305 million (f.o.b., 1999) | $492 million (c.i.f., 1997) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, petroleum products, capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods | fuels, manufactured goods, and foodstuffs |
Imports - partners | France 27%, Benelux 9%, Germany 7%, Spain 7% (1998) | UK, Spain, Japan, Netherlands |
Independence | 28 November 1960 (from France) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | 2.2% (1999) | NA% |
Industries | fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum | tourism, banking and finance, ship-building and repairing; support to large UK naval and air bases; tobacco, mineral water, beer, canned fish |
Infant mortality rate | 76.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | 5.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 4.5% (2000 est.) | 1.5% (1998) |
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 | Interpol (subbureau) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 5 (2000) | 2 (2000) |
Irrigated land | 490 sq km (1993 est.) | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Court of Appeals; lower courts | Supreme Court; Court of Appeal |
Labor force | 750,000 (1999) | 14,800 (including non-Gibraltar laborers) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 47%, services 39%, industry 14% | services 60%, industry 40%, agriculture NEGL% |
Land boundaries | total:
5,074 km border countries: Algeria 463 km, Mali 2,237 km, Senegal 813 km, Western Sahara 1,561 km |
total:
1.2 km border countries: Spain 1.2 km |
Land use | arable land:
0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 38% forests and woodland: 4% other: 58% (1993 est.) |
arable land:
0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 100% (1993 est.) |
Languages | Hasaniya Arabic (official), Pular, Soninke, Wolof (official), French | English (used in schools and for official purposes), Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian |
Legal system | a combination of Shari'a (Islamic law) and French civil law | English law |
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 |
unicameral House of Assembly (18 seats - 15 elected by popular vote, one appointed for the Speaker, and two ex officio members; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 10 February 2000 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - GSD 58%, GSLP 41%; seats by party - GSD 8, GSLP 7 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
51.14 years male: 49.06 years female: 53.29 years (2001 est.) |
total population:
79.09 years male: 76.23 years female: 82.1 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 46.7% male: 53.4% female: 40% (1998 est.) |
definition:
NA total population: above 80% male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara | Southwestern Europe, bordering the Strait of Gibraltar, which links the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southern coast of Spain |
Map references | Africa | Europe |
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 |
territorial sea:
3 NM |
Merchant marine | none (2000 est.) | total:
49 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 669,056 GRT/1,003,809 DWT ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 15, chemical tanker 6, container 7, multi-functional large-load carrier 3, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 14, roll on/roll off 1 (2000 est.) |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
Military branches | Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Guard, National Police, Presidential Guard | British Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $41 million (FY97/98) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 2.7% (FY97/98) | - |
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.) |
- |
National holiday | Independence Day, 28 November (1960) | Commonwealth Day, second Monday of March |
Nationality | noun:
Mauritanian(s) adjective: Mauritanian |
noun:
Gibraltarian(s) adjective: Gibraltar |
Natural hazards | hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April; periodic droughts | NA |
Natural resources | iron ore, gypsum, fish, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold | NEGL |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | NEGL migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Pipelines | - | 0 km |
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 |
Gibraltar Social Democrats or GSD [Peter CARUANA]; Gibraltar Socialist Labor Party or GSLP [Joseph John BOSSANO] |
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] | Chamber of Commerce; Gibraltar Representatives Organization; Housewives Association |
Population | 2,747,312 (July 2001 est.) | 27,649 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 50% (1996 est.) | NA% |
Population growth rate | 2.93% (2001 est.) | 0.24% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Bogue, Kaedi, Nouadhibou, Nouakchott, Rosso | Gibraltar |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) | AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | 360,000 (1997) | 37,000 (1997) |
Railways | total:
750 km (single track); note - owned and operated by government mining company standard gauge: 750 km 1.435-m gauge (1995) |
total:
NA km; 1.000-m gauge system in dockyard area only |
Religions | Muslim 100% | Roman Catholic 76.9%, Church of England 6.9%, Muslim 6.9%, Jewish 2.3%, none or other 7% (1991) |
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.) |
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal, plus other UK subjects who have been residents six months or more |
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 |
general assessment:
adequate, automatic domestic system and adequate international facilities domestic: automatic exchange facilities international: radiotelephone; microwave radio relay; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 26,000 (2000) | 19,000 (1997) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | NA | 1,620 (1997) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (1997) | 1 (plus three low-power repeaters) (1997) |
Terrain | mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills | a narrow coastal lowland borders the Rock of Gibraltar |
Total fertility rate | 6.22 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 1.64 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 23% (1995 est.) | 13.5% (1996) |
Waterways | note:
ferry traffic on the Senegal River |
none |