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Compare Mauritania (2007) - Swaziland (2007)

Compare Mauritania (2007) z Swaziland (2007)

 Mauritania (2007)Swaziland (2007)
 MauritaniaSwaziland
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 4 districts; Hhohho, Lubombo, Manzini, Shiselweni
Age structure 0-14 years: 45.5% (male 744,995/female 741,369)


15-64 years: 52.4% (male 845,272/female 866,998)


65 years and over: 2.2% (male 28,564/female 42,867) (2007 est.)
0-14 years: 40.3% (male 230,238/female 226,184)


15-64 years: 56.1% (male 304,899/female 331,036)


65 years and over: 3.6% (male 15,870/female 24,839) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn; cattle, sheep sugarcane, cotton, corn, tobacco, rice, citrus, pineapples, sorghum, peanuts; cattle, goats, sheep
Airports 25 (2007) 18 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 8


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3


1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 (2007)
total: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 17


1,524 to 2,437 m: 9


914 to 1,523 m: 7


under 914 m: 1 (2007)
total: 17


914 to 1,523 m: 7


under 914 m: 10 (2007)
Area total: 1,030,700 sq km


land: 1,030,400 sq km


water: 300 sq km
total: 17,363 sq km


land: 17,203 sq km


water: 160 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. 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, which declared it would remain in power for up to two years while it created conditions for genuine democratic institutions and organized elections. Accordingly, parliamentary elections were held in late 2006-early 2007 and presidential elections in March 2007. The newly-elected legislature is expected to assume power following the inauguration of the new president in April 2007. The country continues to experience ethnic tensions among its black population and different Moor (Arab-Berber) communities. Autonomy for the Swazis of southern Africa was guaranteed by the British in the late 19th century; independence was granted in 1968. Student and labor unrest during the 1990s pressured King MSWATI III, the world's last ruling monarch, to grudgingly allow political reform and greater democracy, although he has backslid on these promises in recent years. Swaziland recently surpassed Botswana as the country with the world's highest known rates of HIV/AIDS infection.
Birth rate 40.56 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 26.98 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $421 million


expenditures: $378 million (2002 est.)
revenues: $977 million


expenditures: $1.034 billion (2006 est.)
Capital name: Nouakchott


geographic coordinates: 18 07 N, 16 02 W


time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
name: Mbabane


geographic coordinates: 26 18 S, 31 06 E


time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


note: Lobamba (royal and legislative capital)
Climate desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty varies from tropical to near temperate
Coastline 754 km 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution 12 July 1991 signed by the King in July 2005 went into effect on 8 February 2006
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 Swaziland


conventional short form: Swaziland


local long form: Umbuso weSwatini


local short form: eSwatini
Death rate 11.89 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 30.35 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $2.5 billion (2000) $484 million (2006 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Mark M. BOULWARE


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 (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Lynn ALLISON


embassy: Central Bank Building, Mahlokahla Street, Mbabane


mailing address: P. O. Box 199, Mbabane


telephone: [268] 404-6441 through 404-6445


FAX: [268] 404-5959
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Ibrahima DIA


chancery: 2129 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 232-5700, 5701


FAX: [1] (202) 319-2623
chief of mission: Ambassador Ephraim Mandla HLOPHE


chancery: 1712 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20009


telephone: [1] (202) 234-5002


FAX: [1] (202) 234-8254
Disputes - international Mauritanian claims to Western Sahara remain dormant in 2006, Swazi king advocates resort to ICJ to claim parts of Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal from South Africa
Economic aid - recipient $190.4 million (2005) $46.03 million (2005)
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 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 began in early 2006 and averaged 75,000 barrels per day for the year. Meantime the government emphasizes reduction of poverty, improvement of health and education, and promoting privatization of the economy. In this small, landlocked economy, subsistence agriculture occupies more than 80% of the population. The manufacturing sector has diversified since the mid-1980s. Sugar and wood pulp remain important foreign exchange earners. Mining has declined in importance in recent years with only coal and quarry stone mines remaining active. Surrounded by South Africa, except for a short border with Mozambique, Swaziland is heavily dependent on South Africa from which it receives more than nine-tenths of its imports and to which it sends 60% of its exports. Customs duties from the Southern African Customs Union and worker remittances from South Africa substantially supplement domestically earned income. The government is trying to improve the atmosphere for foreign investment. Overgrazing, soil depletion, drought, and sometimes floods persist as problems for the future. More than one-fourth of the population needed emergency food aid in 2004-05 because of drought, and nearly two-fifths of the adult population has been infected by HIV/AIDS.
Electricity - consumption 230.6 million kWh (2005) 1.3 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2005) 872 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2005)
Electricity - production 248 million kWh (2005) 460 million kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Sebkhet Te-n-Dghamcha -5 m


highest point: Kediet Ijill 915 m
lowest point: Great Usutu River 21 m


highest point: Emlembe 1,862 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 supplies of potable water; wildlife populations being depleted because of excessive hunting; overgrazing; soil degradation; soil erosion
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection


signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Ethnic groups mixed Moor/black 40%, Moor 30%, black 30% African 97%, European 3%
Exchange rates ouguiyas per US dollar - 271.3 (2006), 267.04 (2005), 265.8 (2004), 263.03 (2003), 271.74 (2002) emalangeni per US dollar - 6.85 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002)
Executive branch chief of state: Sidi Ould Cheikh ABDELLAHI (since 19 April 2007)


head of government: Prime Minister Zeine Ould ZEIDANE (since 20 April 2007)


cabinet: Council of Ministers


elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second consecutive term); election last held 11 March 2007 with a runoff between the two leading candidates held on 25 March 2007 (next to be held 2012); prime minister appointed by the president


election results: percent of vote - (second round) Sidi Ould Cheikh ABDELLAHI 52.8%, Ahmed Ould DADDAH 47.2%
chief of state: King MSWATI III (since 25 April 1986)


head of government: Prime Minister Absolom Themba DLAMINI (since 14 November 2003)


cabinet: Cabinet recommended by the prime minister and confirmed by the monarch


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch from among the elected members of the House of Assembly
Exports NA bbl/day NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities iron ore, fish and fish products, gold soft drink concentrates, sugar, wood pulp, cotton yarn, refrigerators, citrus and canned fruit
Exports - partners China 26.3%, Italy 11.8%, France 10.2%, Belgium 6.8%, Spain 6.7%, Japan 5.4%, Cote d'Ivoire 4.6% (2006) South Africa 59.7%, EU 8.8%, US 8.8%, Mozambique 6.2% (2006)
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 horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue; the red band is edged in yellow; centered in the red band is a large black and white shield covering two spears and a staff decorated with feather tassels, all placed horizontally
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 25%


industry: 29%


services: 46% (2001 est.)
agriculture: 11.9%


industry: 46.1%


services: 41.9% (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 14.1% (2006 est.) 2.1% (2006 est.)
Geographic coordinates 20 00 N, 12 00 W 26 30 S, 31 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; almost completely surrounded by South Africa
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2.5%


highest 10%: 29.5% (2000)
lowest 10%: 1.6%


highest 10%: 40.7% (2001)
Imports NA bbl/day NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, petroleum products, capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods motor vehicles, machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals
Imports - partners France 11.9%, China 8.2%, Belgium 6.8%, US 6.8%, Italy 5.9%, Brazil 5.5%, Spain 5.4% (2006) South Africa 95.6%, EU 0.9%, Japan 0.9%, Singapore 0.3% (2006)
Independence 28 November 1960 (from France) 6 September 1968 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate 2% (2000 est.) 3.7% (FY95/96)
Industries fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum coal, wood pulp, sugar, soft drink concentrates, textile and apparel
Infant mortality rate total: 68.07 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 71.07 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 64.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total: 70.66 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 74 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 67.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 7% (2003 est.) 5.7% (2006 est.)
International organization participation ABEDA, ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Irrigated land 490 sq km (2002) 500 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Court of Appeals; lower courts High Court; Supreme Court; judges for both courts are appointed by the monarch
Labor force 786,000 (2001) 300,000 (2006)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 50%


industry: 10%


services: 40% (2001 est.)
agriculture: NA%


industry: 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: 535 km


border countries: Mozambique 105 km, South Africa 430 km
Land use arable land: 0.2%


permanent crops: 0.01%


other: 99.79% (2005)
arable land: 10.25%


permanent crops: 0.81%


other: 88.94% (2005)
Languages Arabic (official), Pulaar, Soninke, French, Hassaniya, Wolof English (official, government business conducted in English), siSwati (official)
Legal system a combination of Islamic law and French civil law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on South African Roman-Dutch law in statutory courts and Swazi traditional law and custom in traditional courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Legislative branch bicameral legislature consists of the Senate or Majlis al-Shuyukh (56 seats; members elected by municipal leaders to serve six-year terms; a portion of seats up for election every two years) and the National Assembly or Majlis al-Watani (95 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held 21 January and 4 February 2007 (next to be held 2009); National Assembly - last held 19 November and 3 December 2006 (next to be held in 2011)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Al-Mithaq (coalition of independents and parties associated with the former regime) 37, CFCD (coalition of political parties) 15, representatives of the diaspora (yet to be chosen) 3, undecided 1; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Al Mithaq 51 (independents 37, PRDR 7, UDP 3, RDU 3, Alternative (El-Badil) 1), CFCD 41 (RFD 16, UFP 9, APP 6, Centrist Reformists 4, HATEM-PMUC 3, RD 2, PUDS 1), RNDLE 1, UCD 1, FP 1
bicameral Parliament or Libandla consists of the Senate (30 seats; 10 members appointed by the House of Assembly and 20 appointed by the monarch; to serve five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (65 seats; 10 members appointed by the monarch and 55 elected by popular vote; to serve five-year terms)


elections: House of Assembly - last held 18 October 2003 (next to be held in October 2008)


election results: House of Assembly - balloting is done on a nonparty basis; candidates for election are nominated by the local council of each constituency and for each constituency the three candidates with the most votes in the first round of voting are narrowed to a single winner by a second round
Life expectancy at birth total population: 53.51 years


male: 51.24 years


female: 55.85 years (2007 est.)
total population: 32.23 years


male: 31.84 years


female: 32.62 years (2007 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 51.2%


male: 59.5%


female: 43.4% (2000 census)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 81.6%


male: 82.6%


female: 80.8% (2003 est.)
Location Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara Southern Africa, between Mozambique and 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 branches Mauritanian Armed Forces: Army, Mauritanian Navy (Marine Mauritanienne; includes naval infantry), Air Force (Force Aerienne Islamique de Mauritanie, FAIM) (2007) Umbutfo Swaziland Defense Force (USDF): Ground Force (includes air wing), Royal Swaziland Police Force (RSPF) (2007)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 5.5% (2006) 4.7% (2006)
National holiday Independence Day, 28 November (1960) Independence Day, 6 September (1968)
Nationality noun: Mauritanian(s)


adjective: Mauritanian
noun: Swazi(s)


adjective: Swazi
Natural hazards hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April; periodic droughts drought
Natural resources iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold, oil, fish asbestos, coal, clay, cassiterite, hydropower, forests, small gold and diamond deposits, quarry stone, and talc
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Political parties and leaders Al-Mithaq (coalition of independents and parties associated with the former regime including Alternative or El-Badil, PRDR, UDP, RDU); Alternative or El-Badil; Centrist Reformists (independent moderate Islamists); Coalition for Forces for Democratic Change or CFCD (coalition of political parties including APP, Centrist Reformists (independent moderate Islamists), HATEM-PMUC, PUDS, RD, RFD, UFP); Democratic and Social Republican Party or PRDS; Democratic Renewal or RD; Mauritanian Party for Unity and Change or HATEM-PMUC; National Rally for Freedom, Democracy and Equality or RNDLE; Popular Front or FP [Ch'bih Ould CHEIKH MALAININE]; Popular Progressive Alliance or APP [Messoud Ould BOULKHEIR]; 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 [Boullah Ould MOGUEYA] (formerly ruling Democratic and Social Republican Party or PRDS); Socialist and Democratic Unity Party or PUDS; Union for Democracy and Progress or UDP [Naha Mint MOUKNASS]; Union of Democratic Centre or UCD; Union of the Forces for Progress or UFP the status of political parties, previously banned, is unclear under the new (2006) Constitution and currently being debated - the following are considered political associations; African United Democratic Party or AUDP [Stanley MAUNDZISA, president]; Imbokodvo National Movement or INM; Ngwane National Liberatory Congress or NNLC [Obed DLAMINI, president]; People's United Democratic Movement or PUDEMO [Mario MASUKU, president]
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 3,270,065 (July 2007 est.) 1,133,066


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 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line 40% (2004 est.) 69% (2006)
Population growth rate 2.867% (2007 est.) -0.337% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 14, shortwave 1 (2001) AM 3, FM 2 (plus 4 repeaters), shortwave 3 (2004)
Railways 717 km


standard gauge: 717 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)
total: 301 km


narrow gauge: 301 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)
Religions Muslim 100% Zionist 40% (a blend of Christianity and indigenous ancestral worship), Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 10%, other (includes Anglican, Bahai, Methodist, Mormon, Jewish) 30%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.005 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.975 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.666 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.018 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.921 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.639 male(s)/female


total population: 0.947 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age
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), 2 Arabsat
general assessment: a somewhat modern but not an advanced system


domestic: system consists of carrier-equipped, open-wire lines and low-capacity, microwave radio relay


international: country code - 268; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 34,900 (2006) 44,000 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular 1.06 million (2006) 250,000 (2006)
Television broadcast stations 1 (2002) 12 (includes 7 relay stations) (2004)
Terrain mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains
Total fertility rate 5.78 children born/woman (2007 est.) 3.43 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 20% (2004 est.) 40% (2006 est.)
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