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Compare Mauritania (2001) - Virgin Islands (2005)
Compare Mauritania (2001) z Virgin Islands (2005)
| Mauritania (2001) | Virgin Islands (2005) | |
 |  | |
| 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 (territory of the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three islands at the second order; Saint Croix, Saint John, Saint Thomas |
| 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: 23.1% (male 12,676/female 12,421)
15-64 years: 66.2% (male 34,069/female 37,918) 65 years and over: 10.7% (male 5,125/female 6,499) (2005 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn, dates; cattle, sheep | fruit, vegetables, sorghum; Senepol cattle |
| Airports | 26 (2000 est.) | 2 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total:
8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 (2000 est.) |
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2004 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: 352 sq km
land: 349 sq km water: 3 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico | twice the size of 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. | During the 17th century, the archipelago was divided into two territorial units, one English and the other Danish. Sugarcane, produced by slave labor, drove the islands' economy during the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1917, the US purchased the Danish portion, which had been in economic decline since the abolition of slavery in 1848. |
| Birth rate | 42.95 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 14.2 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
| Budget | revenues:
$329 million expenditures: $265 million, including capital expenditures of $75 million (1996 est.) |
revenues: $560
expenditures: NA (2003) |
| Capital | Nouakchott | Charlotte Amalie |
| Climate | desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty | subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season September to November |
| Coastline | 754 km | 188 km |
| Constitution | 12 July 1991 | Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954 |
| 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: United States Virgin Islands
conventional short form: Virgin Islands former: Danish West Indies |
| Currency | ouguiya (MRO) | - |
| Death rate | 13.65 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 6.26 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
| Debt - external | $2.1 billion (1999) | NA |
| Dependency status | - | organized, unincorporated territory of the US with policy relations between the Virgin Islands and the US under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior |
| 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 (territory of the US) |
| 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 (territory of the US) |
| Disputes - international | none | none |
| 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. | Tourism is the primary economic activity, accounting for 80% of GDP and employment. The islands normally host 2 million visitors a year. The manufacturing sector consists of petroleum refining, textiles, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and watch assembly. The agricultural sector is small, with most food being imported. International business and financial services are a small but growing component of the economy. One of the world's largest petroleum refineries is at Saint Croix. The islands are subject to substantial damage from storms. The government is working to improve fiscal discipline, to support construction projects in the private sector, to expand tourist facilities, to reduce crime, and to protect the environment. |
| Electricity - consumption | 140.4 million kWh (1999) | 962.6 million kWh (2002) |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2002) |
| Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2002) |
| Electricity - production | 151 million kWh (1999) | 1.035 billion kWh (2002) |
| Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
82.78% hydro: 17.22% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
- |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Sebkha de Ndrhamcha -3 m highest point: Kediet Ijill 910 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Crown Mountain 474 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 | lack of natural freshwater resources |
| 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% | black 76.2%, white 13.1%, Asian 1.1%, other 6.1%, mixed 3.5% (2000 census) |
| 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) | the US dollar is used |
| 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: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001)
head of government: Governor Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL (since 5 January 1999) cabinet: NA elections: US president and vice president elected on the same ticket for four-year terms; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 5 November 2002 (next to be held November 2006) election results: Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL reelected governor; percent of vote - Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL (Democrat) 50.5%, John de JONGH 24.4% |
| Exports | $333 million (f.o.b., 1999) | NA |
| Exports - commodities | iron ore, fish and fish products, gold | refined petroleum products |
| Exports - partners | Japan 18%, France 17%, Italy 16%, Spain 11% (1998) | US, Puerto Rico |
| Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 October - 30 September |
| 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 | white, with a modified US coat of arms in the center between the large blue initials V and I; the coat of arms shows a yellow eagle holding an olive branch in one talon and three arrows in the other with a superimposed shield of vertical red and white stripes below a blue panel |
| GDP | purchasing power parity - $5.4 billion (2000 est.) | - |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
25% industry: 31% services: 44% (1997) |
agriculture: 1%
industry: 19% services: 80% (2003 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $2,000 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $17,200 (2002 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | 5% (2000 est.) | 2% (2002 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 20 00 N, 12 00 W | 18 20 N, 64 50 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 | important location along the Anegada Passage - a key shipping lane for the Panama Canal; Saint Thomas has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the Caribbean |
| Highways | total:
7,660 km paved: 866 km unpaved: 6,794 km (1996) |
total: 1,257 km
paved: 1,192 km unpaved: 65 km note: the only US possession where driving on the left side of the road is practiced (2003) |
| 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 |
| Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, petroleum products, capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods | crude oil, foodstuffs, consumer goods, building materials |
| Imports - partners | France 27%, Benelux 9%, Germany 7%, Spain 7% (1998) | US, Puerto Rico |
| Independence | 28 November 1960 (from France) | - |
| Industrial production growth rate | 2.2% (1999) | NA% |
| Industries | fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum | tourism, petroleum refining, watch assembly, rum distilling, construction, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics |
| Infant mortality rate | 76.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 8.03 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 9.11 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 4.5% (2000 est.) | 2.2% (2003) |
| 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), IOC, UPU |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 5 (2000) | - |
| Irrigated land | 490 sq km (1993 est.) | NA |
| Judicial branch | Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Court of Appeals; lower courts | US District Court of the Virgin Islands (under Third Circuit jurisdiction); Territorial Court (judges appointed by the governor for 10-year terms) |
| Labor force | 750,000 (1999) | 48,900 (2003 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 47%, services 39%, industry 14% | agriculture 1%, industry 19%, services 80% (2003 est.) |
| Land boundaries | total:
5,074 km border countries: Algeria 463 km, Mali 2,237 km, Senegal 813 km, Western Sahara 1,561 km |
0 km |
| Land use | arable land:
0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 38% forests and woodland: 4% other: 58% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 11.76%
permanent crops: 2.94% other: 85.3% (2001) |
| Languages | Hasaniya Arabic (official), Pular, Soninke, Wolof (official), French | English 74.7%, Spanish or Spanish Creole 16.8%, French or French Creole 6.6%, other 1.9% (2000 census) |
| Legal system | a combination of Shari'a (Islamic law) and French civil law | based on US laws |
| 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 Senate (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms)
elections: last held 6 November 2002 (next to be held 2 November 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Democratic Party 10, ICM 2, independent 3 note: the Virgin Islands elects one non-voting representative to the US House of Representatives; election last held 6 November 2002 (next to be held 2 November 2004); results - Donna M. CHRISTIAN-CHRISTENSON (Democrat) reelected |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population:
51.14 years male: 49.06 years female: 53.29 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 78.91 years
male: 75.08 years female: 82.96 years (2005 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: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
| Location | Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara | Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico |
| Map references | Africa | Central America and the Caribbean |
| 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
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
| Merchant marine | none (2000 est.) | - |
| Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the US |
| Military branches | Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Guard, National Police, Presidential Guard | - |
| 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) | Transfer Day (from Denmark to the US), 27 March (1917) |
| Nationality | noun:
Mauritanian(s) adjective: Mauritanian |
noun: Virgin Islander(s)
adjective: Virgin Islander |
| Natural hazards | hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April; periodic droughts | several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts and floods; occasional earthquakes |
| Natural resources | iron ore, gypsum, fish, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold | sun, sand, sea, surf |
| Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | -8.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
| 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 |
Democratic Party [Arturo WATLINGTON]; Independent Citizens' Movement or ICM [Usie RICHARDS]; Republican Party [Gary SPRAUVE] |
| 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] | NA |
| Population | 2,747,312 (July 2001 est.) | 108,708 (July 2005 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | 50% (1996 est.) | NA% |
| Population growth rate | 2.93% (2001 est.) | -0.07% (2005 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | Bogue, Kaedi, Nouadhibou, Nouakchott, Rosso | Charlotte Amalie, Limetree Bay |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) | AM 6, FM 17, shortwave 0 (2004) |
| 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) |
- |
| Religions | Muslim 100% | Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%, other 7% |
| 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: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal; note - island residents are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections |
| 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: modern system with total digital switching, uses fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay
domestic: full range of services available international: country code - 1-340; 2 submarine cable connections (Taino Carib, Americas-1); satellite earth stations - NA |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 26,000 (2000) | 69,400 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | NA | 41,000 (2002) |
| Television broadcast stations | 1 (1997) | 16 (2004) |
| Terrain | mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills | mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land |
| Total fertility rate | 6.22 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 2.19 children born/woman (2005 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 23% (1995 est.) | 9.3% (2003 est.) |
| Waterways | note:
ferry traffic on the Senegal River |
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