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Compare Mauritania (2006) - Lesotho (2002)

Compare Mauritania (2006) z Lesotho (2002)

 Mauritania (2006)Lesotho (2002)
 MauritaniaLesotho
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 10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohales Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka
Age structure 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.)
0-14 years: 39% (male 433,229; female 427,926)


15-64 years: 56.3% (male 600,476; female 642,538)


65 years and over: 4.7% (male 43,691; female 60,094) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn; cattle, sheep corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock
Airports 25 (2006) 28 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways total: 8


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3


1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 (2006)
total: 4


over 3,047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 2 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 17


1,524 to 2,437 m: 9


914 to 1,523 m: 7


under 914 m: 1 (2006)
total: 24


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 20 (2002)
Area total: 1,030,700 sq km


land: 1,030,400 sq km


water: 300 sq km
total: 30,355 sq km


land: 30,355 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico slightly smaller than Maryland
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. 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. Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from the UK in 1966. King MOSHOESHOE was exiled in 1990. Constitutional government was restored in 1993 after 23 years of military rule.
Birth rate 40.99 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) 30.72 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget revenues: $421 million


expenditures: $378 million; including capital expenditures of $154 million (2002 est.)
revenues: $76 million


expenditures: $80 million, including capital expenditures of $15 million
Capital name: Nouakchott


geographic coordinates: 18 06 N, 15 57 W


time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Maseru
Climate desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
Coastline 754 km 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution 12 July 1991 2 April 1993
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: Kingdom of Lesotho


conventional short form: Lesotho


former: Basutoland
Currency - loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR)
Death rate 12.16 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) 16.81 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external $2.5 billion (2000) $715 million (2001 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US 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
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert G. LOFTIS


embassy: 254 Kingsway, Maseru West (Consular Section)


mailing address: P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho


telephone: [266] 312666


FAX: [266] 310116
Diplomatic representation in the US 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
chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Lebohang Kenneth MOLEKO


chancery: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 797-5533 through 5536


FAX: [1] (202) 234-6815
Disputes - international Mauritanian claims to Western Sahara have been dormant in recent years none
Economic aid - recipient $305.7 million (2002) $123.7 million (1995) (1995)
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 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. Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho's primary natural resource is water. Its economy is based on subsistence agriculture, livestock, remittances from miners employed in South Africa, and a rapidly growing apparel-assembly sector. The number of mineworkers has declined steadily over the past several years. A small manufacturing base depends largely on farm products that support the milling, canning, leather, and jute industries. Agricultural products are exported primarily to South Africa. Proceeds from membership in a common customs union with South Africa form the majority of government revenue. Although drought has decreased agricultural activity over the past few years, completion of a major hydropower facility in January 1998 now permits the sale of water to South Africa, generating royalties for Lesotho. The pace of privatization has increased in recent years. In December 1999, the government embarked on a nine-month IMF staff-monitored program aimed at structural adjustment and stabilization of macroeconomic fundamentals. The government is in the process of applying for a three-year successor program with the IMF under its Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility. Lesotho has a marked inequality in income distribution and serious unemployment/underemployment problems that will not yield to short-run solutions.
Electricity - consumption 172.6 million kWh (2003) 100 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2003) 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2003) 100 million kWh


note: electricity supplied by South Africa (2000)
Electricity - production 185.6 million kWh (2003) 0 kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2000)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Sebkhet Te-n-Dghamcha -5 m


highest point: Kediet Ijill 915 m
lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m


highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 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; locust infestation population pressure forcing settlement in marginal areas results in overgrazing, severe soil erosion, and soil exhaustion; desertification; Highlands Water Project controls, stores, and redirects water to South Africa
Environment - international 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
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection


signed, but not ratified: Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping
Ethnic groups mixed Maur/black 40%, Moor 30%, black 30% Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%,
Exchange rates ouguiyas per US dollar - NA (2005), NA (2004), 263.03 (2003), 271.74 (2002), 255.63 (2001) maloti per US dollar - 11.58786 (January 2002), 8.60918 (2001), 6.93983 (2000), 6.10948 (1999), 5.52828 (1998), 4.60796 (1997); note - the Lesotho loti is at par with the South African rand which is also legal tender; maloti is the plural form of loti
Executive branch 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
chief of state: King LETSIE III (since 7 February 1996); note - King LETSIE III formerly occupied the throne from November 1990 to February 1995, while his father was in exile


head of government: Prime Minister Pakalitha MOSISILI (since 23 May 1998)


cabinet: Cabinet


elections: none; according to the constitution, the leader of the majority party in the Assembly automatically becomes prime minister; the monarch is hereditary, but, under the terms of the constitution which came into effect after the March 1993 election, the monarch is a "living symbol of national unity" with no executive or legislative powers; under traditional law the college of chiefs has the power to determine who is next in the line of succession, who shall serve as regent in the event that the successor is not of mature age, and may even depose the monarch
Exports NA bbl/day $250 million f.o.b. (2001 est.)
Exports - commodities iron ore, fish and fish products, gold manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals
Exports - partners 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) South African Customs Union 53.9%, North America 45.6% (1999)
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 divided diagonally from the lower hoist side corner; the upper half is white, bearing the brown silhouette of a large shield with crossed spear and club; the lower half is a diagonal blue band with a green triangle in the corner
GDP - purchasing power parity - $5.3 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 25%


industry: 29%


services: 46% (2001 est.)
agriculture: 18%


industry: 38%


services: 44% (2001)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $2,450 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 5.5% (2005 est.) 2.6% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates 20 00 N, 12 00 W 29 30 S, 28 30 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 landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 meters above sea level
Highways - total: 4,955 km


paved: 887 km


unpaved: 4,068 km (1996)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2.5%


highest 10%: 30.2% (2000)
lowest 10%: 1%


highest 10%: 43% (1986-87)
Imports NA bbl/day $720 million f.o.b. (2001 est.)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, petroleum products, capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products
Imports - partners France 18.5%, UK 7.2%, US 7%, China 6%, Spain 5%, Belgium 4.3% (2005) South African Customs Union 89.5%, Asia 7% (1999)
Independence 28 November 1960 (from France) 4 October 1966 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate 2% (2000 est.) 15.5% (1999 est.)
Industries fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts; construction; tourism
Infant mortality rate 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.)
82.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 7% (2003 est.) 6.9% (2001 est.)
International organization participation 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 ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 1 (2000)
Irrigated land 490 sq km (2002) 10 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Court of Appeals; lower courts High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch); Court of Appeal; Magistrate's Court; customary or traditional court
Labor force 786,000 (2001) 700,000 economically active
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 50%


industry: 10%


services: 40% (2001 est.)
86% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa
Land boundaries total: 5,074 km


border countries: Algeria 463 km, Mali 2,237 km, Senegal 813 km, Western Sahara 1,561 km
total: 909 km


border countries: South Africa 909 km
Land use arable land: 0.2%


permanent crops: 0.01%


other: 99.79% (2005)
arable land: 10.71%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 89.29% (1998 est.)
Languages Arabic (official), Pulaar, Soninke, French, Hassaniya, Wolof Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa
Legal system a combination of Shari'a (Islamic law) and French civil law based on English common law and Roman-Dutch law; judicial review of legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch 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
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (33 members - 22 principal chiefs and 11 other members appointed by the ruling party) and the Assembly (120 seats, 80 by direct popular vote and 40 by proportional vote; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms); note - number of seats in the Assembly rose from 80 to 120 in the May 2002 election


elections: last held 25 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - LCD 54%, BNP 21%, LPC 7%, other 18%; seats by party - LCD 76, BNP 21, LPC 5, other 18
Life expectancy at birth total population: 53.12 years


male: 50.88 years


female: 55.42 years (2006 est.)
total population: 47 years


male: 46.3 years


female: 47.8 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: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 83%


male: 72%


female: 93% (1999 est.)
Location Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
Map references Africa Africa
Maritime claims 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
none (landlocked)
Military - note - The Lesotho Government in 1999 began an open debate on the future structure, size, and role of the armed forces, especially considering the Lesotho Defense Force's (LDF) history of intervening in political affairs.
Military branches Mauritanian Armed Forces: Army, Navy (Marine Mauritanienne; includes naval infantry), Air Force (Force Aerienne Islamique de Mauritanie, FAIM) (2005) Lesotho Defense Force (LDF; including Army and Air Wing), Royal Lesotho Mounted Police
Military expenditures - dollar figure $19.32 million (2005 est.) $34 million (1999)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.4% (2005 est.) NA%
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 526,332 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 283,203 (2002 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 28 November (1960) Independence Day, 4 October (1966)
Nationality noun: Mauritanian(s)


adjective: Mauritanian
noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)


adjective: Basotho
Natural hazards hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April; periodic droughts periodic droughts
Natural resources iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold, oil, fish water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) -0.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Political parties and leaders 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
Basotho Congress Party or BCP [Tseliso MAKHAKHE]; Basotho National Party or BNP [Maj. Gen. Justine Metsing LEKHANYA]; Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD [Phebe MOTEBANO, chairwoman; Pakalitha MOSISILI, leader] - the governing party; Lesotho People's Congress or LPC [Kelebone MAOPE]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Charles MOFELI]; Marematlou Freedom Party or MFP and Setlamo Alliance [Vincent MALEBO]; Progressive National Party or PNP [Chief Peete Nkoebe PEETE]; Sefate Democratic Party or SDP [Bofihla NKUEBE]
Political pressure groups and leaders 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] NA
Population 3,177,388 (July 2006 est.) 2,207,954


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 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line 40% (2004 est.) 49% (1999 est.)
Population growth rate 2.88% (2006 est.) 1.33% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors - none
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 14, shortwave 1 (2001) AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios - NA (2002)
Railways 717 km


standard gauge: 717 km 1.435-m gauge (2005)
total: 2.6 km; note - owned by, operated by, and included in the statistics of South Africa


narrow gauge: 2.6 km 1.067-m gauge (1995)
Religions Muslim 100% Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%
Sex ratio 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.)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female


total population: 0.95 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: country code - 222; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 2 Arabsat
general assessment: rudimentary system


domestic: consists of a few landlines, a small microwave radio relay system, and a minor radiotelephone communication system; a cellular mobile telephone system is growing


international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 41,000 (2005) 22,200 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular 745,600 (2005) 21,600 (2000)
Television broadcast stations 1 (2002) 1 (2000)
Terrain mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains
Total fertility rate 5.86 children born/woman (2006 est.) 4.01 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate 20% (2004 est.) 45% (2000 est.)
Waterways - none
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