Mauritania (2003) | Guernsey (2002) | |
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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 (British crown dependency); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 10 parishes including St. Peter Port, St. Sampson, Vale, Castel, St. Saviour, St. Pierre du Bois, Torteval, Forest, St. Martin, St. Andrew |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 46% (male 671,080; female 668,408)
15-64 years: 51.8% (male 743,573; female 764,358) 65 years and over: 2.2% (male 26,669; female 38,496) (2003 est.) |
0-14 years: 16% (male 5,250; female 5,101)
15-64 years: 66.7% (male 21,356; female 21,728) 65 years and over: 17.3% (male 4,622; female 6,530) (2002 est.) |
Agriculture - products | dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn, dates; cattle, sheep | tomatoes, greenhouse flowers, sweet peppers, eggplant, fruit; Guernsey cattle |
Airports | 26 (2002) | 2 (2001) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 10
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 (2002) |
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 16
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 3 (2002) |
- |
Area | total: 1,030,700 sq km
land: 1,030,400 sq km water: 300 sq km |
total: 78 sq km
land: 78 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Alderney, Guernsey, Herm, Sark, and some other smaller islands |
Area - comparative | slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico | slightly larger than 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 flawed, but October 2001 legislative and municipal elections were generally free and open. 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. | The island of Guernsey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy, which held sway in both France and England. The islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. |
Birth rate | 42.16 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 9.69 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $421 million
expenditures: $378 million, including capital expenditures of $154 million (2002 est.) |
revenues: $381.3 million
expenditures: $368.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
Capital | Nouakchott | St. Peter Port |
Climate | desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty | temperate with mild winters and cool summers; about 50% of days are overcast |
Coastline | 754 km | 50 km |
Constitution | 12 July 1991 | unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice |
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: Bailiwick of Guernsey
conventional short form: Guernsey |
Currency | ouguiya (MRO) | British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Guernsey pound |
Death rate | 13.04 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 9.86 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Debt - external | $2.5 billion (2000) | $NA |
Dependency status | - | British crown dependency |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph E. LEBARON
embassy: Rue Abdallaye (between Presidency building and Spanish Embassy), Nouakchott mailing address: BP 222, Nouakchott telephone: [222] 25-26-60, 25-26-63, 25-11-41, 25-11-45 FAX: [222] 25-25-92 |
none (British crown dependency) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Mohamedou Ould MICHEL
chancery: 2129 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 232-5700 FAX: [1] (202) 319-2623 |
none (British crown dependency) |
Disputes - international | Mauritanian claims to Western Sahara have been dormant in recent years | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $220 million (2000) | $NA |
Economy - overview | 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. 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. In 2001, exploratory oil wells in tracts 80 km offshore indicated potential extraction at current world oil prices. 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. Substantial oil production and exports probably will not begin until 2005. | Financial services - banking, fund management, insurance, etc. - account for about 55% of total income in this tiny Channel Island economy. Tourism, manufacturing, and horticulture, mainly tomatoes and cut flowers, have been declining. Light tax and death duties make Guernsey a popular tax haven. The evolving economic integration of the EU nations is changing the rules of the game under which Guernsey operates. |
Electricity - consumption | 146.3 million kWh (2001) | NA kWh |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2001) | NA kWh |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2001) | NA kWh |
Electricity - production | 157.4 million kWh (2001) | NA kWh |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 85.9%
hydro: 14.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) |
fossil fuel: NA%
hydro: NA% nuclear: NA% other: NA% |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Sebkha de Ndrhamcha -3 m
highest point: Kediet Ijill 910 m |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Sark 114 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 | NA |
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% | UK and Norman-French descent |
Exchange rates | ouguiyas per US dollar - ouguiyas per US dollar - 254.350 (December 2001), 238.923 (2000), 209.514 (1999), 188.476 (1998), 151.853 (1997), 137.222 (1996) | Guernsey pounds per US dollar - 0.6944 (January 2002), 0.6944 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997); note - the Guernsey pound is at par with the British pound |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA (since 12 December 1984)
head of government: Prime Minister Sghair Ould M'BARECK (since 6 July 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 7 November 2003 (next to be held NA 2009); 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 |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander-in-Chief Lt. Gen. Sir John FOLEY (since NA 2000) and Bailiff De Vic G. CAREY (since NA) cabinet: Advisory and Finance Committee appointed by the Assembly of the States elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch; bailiff appointed by the monarch |
Exports | NA (2001) | $NA |
Exports - commodities | iron ore, fish and fish products, gold | tomatoes, flowers and ferns, sweet peppers, eggplant, other vegetables |
Exports - partners | Italy 14.3%, France 14%, Spain 11.7%, Germany 10.9%, Belgium 9.9%, Japan 7.1% (2002) | UK (regarded as internal trade) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
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 the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) extending to the edges of the flag and a yellow equal-armed cross of William the Conqueror superimposed on the Saint George cross |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $4.891 billion (2002 est.) | purchasing power parity - $1.3 billion (1999 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 25%
industry: 29% services: 46% (2001 est.) |
agriculture: 3%
industry: 10% services: 87% (2000) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2002 est.) | purchasing power parity - $20,000 (1999 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 3.3% (2002 est.) | 5.7% (1999 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 20 00 N, 12 00 W | 49 28 N, 2 35 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 | large, deepwater harbor at Saint Peter Port |
Highways | total: 7,720 km
paved: 830 km unpaved: 6,890 km (2000) |
total: NA km
paved: NA km unpaved: NA km |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 2.5%
highest 10%: 30.2% (2000) |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | NA (2001) | $NA |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, petroleum products, capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods | coal, gasoline, oil, machinery and equipment |
Imports - partners | France 18.5%, Belgium 7.8%, China 7%, Spain 5.9%, Germany 5.2% (2002) | UK (regarded as internal trade) |
Independence | 28 November 1960 (from France) | none (British crown dependency) |
Industrial production growth rate | 2% (2000 est.) | NA% |
Industries | fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum | tourism, banking |
Infant mortality rate | total: 73.8 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 76.62 deaths/1,000 live births female: 70.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
4.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3% (2002 est.) | 3.99% (2000 est.) |
International organization participation | ABEDA, ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CAEU, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO | none |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 5 (2001) | NA |
Irrigated land | 490 sq km (1998 est.) | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Court of Appeals; lower courts | Royal Court |
Labor force | 786,000 (2001) | 31,322 (2000) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 50%, services 40%, industry 10% (2001 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: 0.48%
permanent crops: 0.01% other: 99.51% (1998 est.) |
arable land: NA%
permanent crops: NA% other: NA% (1998 est.) |
Languages | Hassaniya Arabic (official), Pulaar, Soninke, Wolof (official), French | English, French, Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts |
Legal system | a combination of Shari'a (Islamic law) and French civil law | English law and local statute; justice is administered by the Royal Court |
Legislative branch | bicameral legislature consists of the Senate or Majlis al-Shuyukh (56 seats, a part of the 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 (81 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 12 April 2002 (next to be held NA April 2004); National Assembly - last held 19 and 26 October 2001 (next to be held NA 2006) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRDS 54, RFD 1, UNDD 1; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - PRDS 79%, RDU 3.5%, UDP 3.5%, AC 5%, UFP 3.5%, FP 1.5%; seats by party - PRDS 64, UDP 3, RDU 3, AC 4, RFD 3, UFP 3, and FP 1 |
unicameral Assembly of the States; consists of the bailiff, 10 Douzaine (parish council) representatives, 45 people's deputies elected by popular vote, 2 representatives from Alderney, Her Majesty's Procureur (Attorney General), Her Majesty's Comptroller (Solicitor General) and Her Majesty's Greffier (Court Recorder and Registrar General); note - Alderney and Sark have their own parliaments
elections: last held 12 April 2000 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - all independents |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 51.93 years
male: 49.78 years female: 54.13 years (2003 est.) |
total population: 79.9 years
male: 76.91 years female: 83.01 years (2002 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 41.7% male: 51.8% female: 31.9% (2003 est.) |
definition: NA
total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara | Western Europe, islands in the English Channel, northwest of France |
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 |
exclusive fishing zone: 12 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM |
Merchant marine | none (2002) | none (2002 est.) |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
Military branches | Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Guard, National Police, Presidential Guard | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $37.11 million (FY02) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 3.7% (FY02) | - |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 665,112 (2003 est.) | - |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 322,288 (2003 est.) | - |
National holiday | Independence Day, 28 November (1960) | Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) |
Nationality | noun: Mauritanian(s)
adjective: Mauritanian |
noun: Channel Islander(s)
adjective: Channel Islander |
Natural hazards | hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April; periodic droughts | NA |
Natural resources | iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold, oil, fish | cropland |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 3.87 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | Action for Change or AC [Messoud Ould BOULKHEIR]; Alliance for Justice and Democracy or AJD [Kebe ABDOULAYE]; Democratic and Social Republican Party or PRDS (ruling party) [President 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 MAOULOUD]; Rally of Democratic Forces or RFD [Ahmed Ould DADDAH]; Rally for Democracy and Unity or RDU [Ahmed Ould SIDI BABA]; Union for Democracy and Progress or UDP [Naha Mint MOUKNASS]
note: the Action for Change party was banned in January 2002; parties legalized by constitution ratified 12 July 1991, however, politics continue to be tribally based |
none; all independents |
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] | none |
Population | 2,912,584 (July 2003 est.) | 64,587 (July 2002 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 50% (2001 est.) | NA% |
Population growth rate | 2.91% (2003 est.) | 0.37% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Bogue, Kaedi, Nouadhibou, Nouakchott, Rosso | St. Peter Port, Saint Sampson |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 14, shortwave 1 (2001) | AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | - | NA |
Railways | 717 km
standard gauge: 717 km 1.435-m gauge (2002) |
5 km |
Religions | Muslim 100% | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, Congregational, Methodist |
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: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
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: NA
domestic: NA international: 1 submarine cable |
Telephones - main lines in use | 26,500 (2001) | 44,000 (1996) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 35,000 (2001) | 12,000 (1997) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (2002) | 1 (1997) |
Terrain | mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills | mostly level with low hills in southwest |
Total fertility rate | 6.08 children born/woman (2003 est.) | 1.36 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 21% (1999 est.) | 0.5% (1999 est.) |
Waterways | note: ferry traffic on the Senegal River | none |