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Compare Mauritania (2001) - Kuwait (2003)
Compare Mauritania (2001) z Kuwait (2003)
| Mauritania (2001) | Kuwait (2003) | |
 |  | |
| 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 | 5 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al Farwaniyah, Al 'Asimah, Al Jahra', Hawalli |
| 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: 27.9% (male 310,008; female 298,474)
15-64 years: 69.5% (male 970,282; female 547,753) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 36,306; female 20,338) (2003 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn, dates; cattle, sheep | practically no crops; fish |
| Airports | 26 (2000 est.) | 6 (2002) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total:
8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 (2000 est.) |
total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2002) |
| 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.) |
total: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2002) |
| Area | total:
1,030,700 sq km land: 1,030,400 sq km water: 300 sq km |
total: 17,820 sq km
land: 17,820 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico | slightly smaller than New Jersey |
| 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. | Britain oversaw foreign relations and defense for the ruling Kuwaiti AL-SABAH dynasty from 1899 until independence in 1961. Kuwait was attacked and overrun by Iraq on 2 August 1990. Following several weeks of aerial bombardment, a US-led, UN coalition began a ground assault on 23 February 1991 that liberated Kuwait in four days. Kuwait spent more than $5 billion to repair oil infrastructure damaged during 1990-91. |
| Birth rate | 42.95 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 21.83 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Budget | revenues:
$329 million expenditures: $265 million, including capital expenditures of $75 million (1996 est.) |
revenues: $11 billion
expenditures: $17.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY 02/03) |
| Capital | Nouakchott | Kuwait |
| Climate | desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty | dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters |
| Coastline | 754 km | 499 km |
| Constitution | 12 July 1991 | approved and promulgated 11 November 1962 |
| 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: State of Kuwait
conventional short form: Kuwait local long form: Dawlat al Kuwayt local short form: Al Kuwayt |
| Currency | ouguiya (MRO) | Kuwaiti dinar (KD) |
| Death rate | 13.65 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 2.45 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Debt - external | $2.1 billion (1999) | $10.4 billion (2000 est.) |
| 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 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard H. JONES
embassy: Bayan, Area 14, Al-Masjed Al-Aqsa Street (near the Bayan palace), Kuwait City mailing address: P. O. Box 77 Safat, 13001 Safat, Kuwait Unit 69000, APO AE 09880-9000 telephone: [965] 539-5307, ext. 2240 FAX: [965] 538-0282 |
| 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 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Sheikh SALIM al-Abdallah Jabir Al Sabah
chancery: 2940 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 966-0702 FAX: [1] (202) 966-0517 |
| Disputes - international | none | the Kuwait 1994 land and Khawr 'Abd Allah channel boundary demarcation ended Iraqi claims to Kuwait and Bubiyan and Warbah islands; Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are negotiating maritime boundary with Iran |
| 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. | Kuwait is a small, rich, relatively open economy with proved crude oil reserves of about 98 billion barrels - 10% of world reserves. Petroleum accounts for nearly half of GDP, 95% of export revenues, and 80% of government income. Kuwait's climate limits agricultural development. Consequently, with the exception of fish, it depends almost wholly on food imports. About 75% of potable water must be distilled or imported. Kuwait continues its discussions with foreign oil companies to develop fields in the northern part of the country. Oil production declined by an estimated 8% in 2002 but is expected to return to the 2001 level in 2003. |
| Electricity - consumption | 140.4 million kWh (1999) | 29.29 billion kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - production | 151 million kWh (1999) | 31.49 billion kWh (2001) |
| 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% (2001) |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Sebkha de Ndrhamcha -3 m highest point: Kediet Ijill 910 m |
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 306 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 fresh water resources; some of world's largest and most sophisticated desalination facilities provide much of the water; air and water pollution; desertification |
| 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 |
party to: Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Marine Dumping |
| Ethnic groups | mixed Maur/black 40%, Maur 30%, black 30% | Kuwaiti 45%, other Arab 35%, South Asian 9%, Iranian 4%, other 7% |
| 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) | Kuwaiti dinars per US dollar - 0.3 (2002), 0.31 (2001), 0.31 (2000), 0.3 (1999), 0.3 (1998) |
| 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: Amir JABIR al-Ahmad al-Jabir Al Sabah (since 31 December 1977)
head of government: Prime Minister SABAH al-Ahmad al-Jabir Al Sabah (since 13 July 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister NAWWAF al-Ahmad Al Sabah (since 2003); Deputy Prime Ministers JABIR MUBARAK al-Hamad Al Sabah (since 2001) and Muhammad Dayfallah al-SHARAR (since 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister and approved by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the monarch |
| Exports | $333 million (f.o.b., 1999) | NA (2001) |
| Exports - commodities | iron ore, fish and fish products, gold | oil and refined products, fertilizers |
| Exports - partners | Japan 18%, France 17%, Italy 16%, Spain 11% (1998) | Japan 24.4%, South Korea 12.9%, US 11.9%, Singapore 10.1%, Taiwan 7%, Netherlands 4.5%, Pakistan 4.4% (2002) |
| Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 April - 31 March |
| 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 | three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a black trapezoid based on the hoist side |
| GDP | purchasing power parity - $5.4 billion (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $36.85 billion (2002 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
25% industry: 31% services: 44% (1997) |
agriculture: 60%
industry: 39.7% services: 0.3% (2000) |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $2,000 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $17,500 (2002 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | 5% (2000 est.) | -2% (2002 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 20 00 N, 12 00 W | 29 30 N, 45 45 E |
| 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 at head of Persian Gulf |
| Heliports | - | 3 (2002) |
| Highways | total:
7,660 km paved: 866 km unpaved: 6,794 km (1996) |
total: 4,450 km
paved: 3,587 km unpaved: 863 km (1999 est.) |
| 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) | NA (2001) |
| Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, petroleum products, capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods | food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing |
| Imports - partners | France 27%, Benelux 9%, Germany 7%, Spain 7% (1998) | US 13.1%, Japan 11.1%, Germany 9.7%, Saudi Arabia 6.6%, UK 6%, Italy 5.4%, France 5.2% (2002) |
| Independence | 28 November 1960 (from France) | 19 June 1961 (from UK) |
| Industrial production growth rate | 2.2% (1999) | -5% (2002 est.) |
| Industries | fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum | petroleum, petrochemicals, desalination, food processing, construction materials |
| Infant mortality rate | 76.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 10.57 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 11.58 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 4.5% (2000 est.) | 2% (2002 est.) |
| 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 | ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, BDEAC, CAEU, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 5 (2000) | 3 (2000) |
| Irrigated land | 490 sq km (1993 est.) | 60 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Judicial branch | Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Court of Appeals; lower courts | High Court of Appeal |
| Labor force | 750,000 (1999) | 1.3 million
note: non-Kuwaitis represent about 80% of the labor force. (1998 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 47%, services 39%, industry 14% | agriculture NA, industries NA, services NA |
| Land boundaries | total:
5,074 km border countries: Algeria 463 km, Mali 2,237 km, Senegal 813 km, Western Sahara 1,561 km |
total: 462 km
border countries: Iraq 240 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km |
| Land use | arable land:
0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 38% forests and woodland: 4% other: 58% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 0.34%
permanent crops: 0.06% other: 99.6% (1998 est.) |
| Languages | Hasaniya Arabic (official), Pular, Soninke, Wolof (official), French | Arabic (official), English widely spoken |
| Legal system | a combination of Shari'a (Islamic law) and French civil law | civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| 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 National Assembly or Majlis al-Umma (50 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 6 July 2003 (next to be held NA 2007) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - Islamists 21, government supporters 14, liberals 3, and independents 12; note - all cabinet ministers are also ex officio members of the National Assembly |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population:
51.14 years male: 49.06 years female: 53.29 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 76.65 years
male: 75.72 years female: 77.62 years (2003 est.) |
| Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 46.7% male: 53.4% female: 40% (1998 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.5% male: 85.1% female: 81.7% (2003 est.) |
| Location | Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara | Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia |
| Map references | Africa | Middle East |
| 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: 12 NM |
| Merchant marine | none (2000 est.) | total: 39 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 2,273,628 GRT/3,638,645 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 1, container 6, liquefied gas 6, livestock carrier 5, petroleum tanker 19, roll on/roll off 1 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Monaco 1, Saudi Arabia 1 (2002 est.) |
| Military branches | Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Guard, National Police, Presidential Guard | Army, Navy, Air Force (including Air Defense Force), National Police Force, National Guard, Coast Guard |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | $41 million (FY97/98) | $1,967.3 million (FY01)
note: Kuwait is changing its fiscal year; the above figure is for July-March 2001; future budget years will be April-March annually |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 2.7% (FY97/98) | 5.5% (FY01) |
| Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
624,375 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 845,026 (2003 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
302,699 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 508,399 (2003 est.) |
| Military manpower - military age | - | 18 years of age (2003 est.) |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males: 18,885 (2003 est.) |
| National holiday | Independence Day, 28 November (1960) | National Day, 25 February (1950) |
| Nationality | noun:
Mauritanian(s) adjective: Mauritanian |
noun: Kuwaiti(s)
adjective: Kuwaiti |
| Natural hazards | hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April; periodic droughts | sudden cloudbursts are common from October to April and bring heavy rain, which can damage roads and houses; sandstorms and dust storms occur throughout the year, but are most common between March and August |
| Natural resources | iron ore, gypsum, fish, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold | petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas |
| Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 14.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Pipelines | - | gas 169 km; oil 540 km; refined products 57 km (2003) |
| 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 |
none; formation of political parties is illegal |
| 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] | several political groups act as de facto parties: Bedouins, merchants, Sunni and Shi'a activists, and secular leftists and nationalists |
| Population | 2,747,312 (July 2001 est.) | 2,183,161
note: includes 1,291,354 non-nationals (July 2003 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | 50% (1996 est.) | NA% |
| Population growth rate | 2.93% (2001 est.) | 3.34%
note: this rate reflects a return to pre-Gulf crisis immigration of expatriates (2003 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | Bogue, Kaedi, Nouadhibou, Nouakchott, Rosso | Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Kuwait, Mina' 'Abd Allah, Mina' al Ahmadi, Mina' Su'ud |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) | AM 6, FM 11, shortwave 1 (1998) |
| Radios | 360,000 (1997) | - |
| Railways | total:
750 km (single track); note - owned and operated by government mining company standard gauge: 750 km 1.435-m gauge (1995) |
0 km |
| Religions | Muslim 100% | Muslim 85% (Sunni 70%, Shi'a 30%), Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and other 15% |
| 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: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.77 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.79 male(s)/female total population: 1.52 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | adult males who have been naturalized for 30 years or more or have resided in Kuwait since before 1920 and their male descendants at age 21
note: only 10% of all citizens are eligible to vote; in 1996, naturalized citizens who do not meet the pre-1920 qualification but have been naturalized for 30 years were eligible to vote for the first time |
| 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: the quality of service is excellent
domestic: new telephone exchanges provide a large capacity for new subscribers; trunk traffic is carried by microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and open-wire and fiber-optic cable; a cellular telephone system operates throughout Kuwait, and the country is well supplied with pay telephones international: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; linked to Bahrain, Qatar, UAE via the Fiber-Optic Gulf (FOG) cable; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean, 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean), and 2 Arabsat |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 26,000 (2000) | 412,000 (1997) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | NA | 210,000 (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations | 1 (1997) | 13 (plus several satellite channels) (1997) |
| Terrain | mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills | flat to slightly undulating desert plain |
| Total fertility rate | 6.22 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 3.08 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 23% (1995 est.) | 7% (2002 est.) |
| Waterways | note:
ferry traffic on the Senegal River |
none |
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