Compare Mauritania (2006) - Turks and Caicos Islands (2004)

Compare Mauritania (2006) z Turks and Caicos Islands (2004)

	Mauritania (2006)	Turks and Caicos Islands (2004)

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: 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: 32.5% (male 3,301; female 3,184) 15-64 years: 63.8% (male 6,696; female 6,036) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 327; female 412) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products	dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn; cattle, sheep	corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), citrus fruits; fish
Airports	25 (2006)	8 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 (2006)	total: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)
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: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 1,030,700 sq km land: 1,030,400 sq km water: 300 sq km	total: 430 sq km land: 430 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico	2.5 times 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. 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.	The islands were part of the UK's Jamaican colony until 1962, when they assumed the status of a separate crown colony upon Jamaica's independence. The governor of The Bahamas oversaw affairs from 1965 to 1973. With Bahamian independence, the islands received a separate governor in 1973. Although independence was agreed upon for 1982, the policy was reversed and the islands remain a British overseas territory.
Birth rate	40.99 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)	22.85 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget	revenues: $421 million expenditures: $378 million; including capital expenditures of $154 million (2002 est.)	revenues: $47 million expenditures: $33.6 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1997-98 est.)
Capital	name: Nouakchott geographic coordinates: 18 06 N, 15 57 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)	Grand Turk (Cockburn Town)
Climate	desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty	tropical; marine; moderated by trade winds; sunny and relatively dry
Coastline	754 km	389 km
Constitution	12 July 1991	introduced 30 August 1976; suspended in 1986; restored and revised 5 March 1988
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: Turks and Caicos Islands
Currency	-	US dollar (USD)
Death rate	12.16 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)	4.26 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external	$2.5 billion (2000)	NA (2002 est.)
Dependency status	-	overseas territory of the UK
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	none (overseas territory of the UK)
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	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international	Mauritanian claims to Western Sahara have been dormant in recent years	have received Haitians fleeing economic collapse and civil unrest
Economic aid - recipient	$305.7 million (2002)	$4.1 million (1997)
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.	The Turks and Caicos economy is based on tourism, fishing, and offshore financial services. Most capital goods and food for domestic consumption are imported. The US is the leading source of tourists, accounting for more than half of the 93,000 visitors in the late 1990s. Major sources of government revenue include fees from offshore financial activities and customs receipts. Tourism fell by 6% in 2002.
Electricity - consumption	172.6 million kWh (2003)	4.65 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2003)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2003)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	185.6 million kWh (2003)	5 million kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Sebkhet Te-n-Dghamcha -5 m highest point: Kediet Ijill 915 m	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Blue Hills 49 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	limited natural fresh water resources, private cisterns collect rainwater
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	-
Ethnic groups	mixed Maur/black 40%, Moor 30%, black 30%	black 90%, mixed, European, or North American 10%
Exchange rates	ouguiyas per US dollar - NA (2005), NA (2004), 263.03 (2003), 271.74 (2002), 255.63 (2001)	the US dollar is used
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: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1953), represented by Governor Jim POSTON (since 16 December 2002) head of government: Chief Minister Michael Eugene MISICK (since 15 August 2003) cabinet: Executive Council consists of three ex officio members and five appointed by the governor from among the members of the Legislative Council elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is appointed chief minister by the governor
Exports	NA bbl/day	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	iron ore, fish and fish products, gold	lobster, dried and fresh conch, conch shells
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)	US, UK
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	blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the colonial shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield is yellow and contains a conch shell, lobster, and cactus
GDP	-	purchasing power parity - $231 million (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 25% industry: 29% services: 46% (2001 est.)	agriculture: NA industry: NA services: NA (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $9,600 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	5.5% (2005 est.)	4.9% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates	20 00 N, 12 00 W	21 45 N, 71 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	about 40 islands (eight inhabited)
Highways	-	total: 121 km paved: 24 km unpaved: 97 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: 2.5% highest 10%: 30.2% (2000)	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
Illicit drugs	-	transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe
Imports	NA bbl/day	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	machinery and equipment, petroleum products, capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods	food and beverages, tobacco, clothing, manufactures, construction materials
Imports - partners	France 18.5%, UK 7.2%, US 7%, China 6%, Spain 5%, Belgium 4.3% (2005)	US, UK
Independence	28 November 1960 (from France)	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate	2% (2000 est.)	NA
Industries	fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum	tourism, offshore financial services
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.)	total: 16.27 deaths/1,000 live births male: 18.79 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	7% (2003 est.)	4% (1995)
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	Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), UPU
Irrigated land	490 sq km (2002)	NA sq km
Judicial branch	Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Court of Appeals; lower courts	Supreme Court
Labor force	786,000 (2001)	4,848 (1990 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: 50% industry: 10% services: 40% (2001 est.)	about 33% in government and 20% in agriculture and fishing; significant numbers in tourism, financial, and other services
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: 0.2% permanent crops: 0.01% other: 99.79% (2005)	arable land: 2.33% permanent crops: 0% other: 97.67% (2001)
Languages	Arabic (official), Pulaar, Soninke, French, Hassaniya, Wolof	English (official)
Legal system	a combination of Shari'a (Islamic law) and French civil law	based on laws of England and Wales, with a few adopted from Jamaica and The Bahamas
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	unicameral Legislative Council (19 seats of which 13 are popularly elected; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 24 April 2003 (next to be held in 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - PDM 53.8%, PNP 46.2%; seats by party - PDM 7, PNP 6; note - in by-elections held 7 August 2003, the PNP gained two seats for a majority of 8 seats; PDM now has 5
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 53.12 years male: 50.88 years female: 55.42 years (2006 est.)	total population: 74.25 years male: 72.05 years female: 76.57 years (2004 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 has ever attended school total population: 98% male: 99% female: 98% (1970 est.)
Location	Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara	Caribbean, two island groups in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of The Bahamas, north of Haiti
Map references	Africa	Central America and the Caribbean
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	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine	-	none
Military - note	-	defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches	Mauritanian Armed Forces: Army, Navy (Marine Mauritanienne; includes naval infantry), Air Force (Force Aerienne Islamique de Mauritanie, FAIM) (2005)	-
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$19.32 million (2005 est.)	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	1.4% (2005 est.)	-
National holiday	Independence Day, 28 November (1960)	Constitution Day, 30 August (1976)
Nationality	noun: Mauritanian(s) adjective: Mauritanian	noun: none adjective: none
Natural hazards	hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April; periodic droughts	frequent hurricanes
Natural resources	iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold, oil, fish	spiny lobster, conch
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)	11.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
People - note	-	destination and transit point for illegal Haitian immigrants bound for the Turks and Caicos Islands, Bahamas, and US
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	People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Derek H. TAYLOR]; Progressive National Party or PNP [Michael Eugene MISICK]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Wendal SWANN]
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.)	19,956 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line	40% (2004 est.)	NA
Population growth rate	2.88% (2006 est.)	3.03% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Grand Turk, Providenciales
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 14, shortwave 1 (2001)	AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2004)
Railways	717 km standard gauge: 717 km 1.435-m gauge (2005)	-
Religions	Muslim 100%	Baptist 40%, Methodist 16%, Anglican 18%, Church of God 12%, other 14% (1990)
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: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2004 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: fair cable and radiotelephone services domestic: NA international: country code - 1-649; 2 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	41,000 (2005)	5,700 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	745,600 (2005)	1,700 (1999)
Television broadcast stations	1 (2002)	0 (broadcasts from The Bahamas are received; 2 cable television networks) (2004)
Terrain	mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills	low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps
Total fertility rate	5.86 children born/woman (2006 est.)	3.11 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate	20% (2004 est.)	10% (1997 est.)

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