Mauritania (2007) | Turks and Caicos Islands (2004) | |
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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 (overseas territory of the UK) |
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: 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 (2007) | 8 (2003 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 (2007) |
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 (2007) |
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, 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. | 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 | 40.56 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 22.85 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $421 million
expenditures: $378 million (2002 est.) |
revenues: $47 million
expenditures: $33.6 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1997-98 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) |
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 | 11.89 deaths/1,000 population (2007 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 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 |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
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 |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Disputes - international | Mauritanian claims to Western Sahara remain dormant | have received Haitians fleeing economic collapse and civil unrest |
Economic aid - recipient | $190.4 million (2005) | $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 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. | 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 | 230.6 million kWh (2005) | 4.65 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 248 million kWh (2005) | 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, 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 |
- |
Ethnic groups | mixed Moor/black 40%, Moor 30%, black 30% | black 90%, mixed, European, or North American 10% |
Exchange rates | ouguiyas per US dollar - 271.3 (2006), 267.04 (2005), 265.8 (2004), 263.03 (2003), 271.74 (2002) | the US dollar is used |
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: 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 | China 26.3%, Italy 11.8%, France 10.2%, Belgium 6.8%, Spain 6.7%, Japan 5.4%, Cote d'Ivoire 4.6% (2006) | 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 | 14.1% (2006 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%: 29.5% (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 11.9%, China 8.2%, Belgium 6.8%, US 6.8%, Italy 5.9%, Brazil 5.5%, Spain 5.4% (2006) | 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: 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: 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, 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 | 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 Islamic law and French civil law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | 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; 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 |
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: 53.51 years
male: 51.24 years female: 55.85 years (2007 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: 51.2% male: 59.5% female: 43.4% (2000 census) |
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, Mauritanian Navy (Marine Mauritanienne; includes naval infantry), Air Force (Force Aerienne Islamique de Mauritanie, FAIM) (2007) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 5.5% (2006) | - |
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 (2007 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 | 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 | 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 | 3,270,065 (July 2007 est.) | 19,956 (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 40% (2004 est.) | NA |
Population growth rate | 2.867% (2007 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 (2006) |
- |
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: 1.005 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: 1.05 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), 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 | 34,900 (2006) | 5,700 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 1.06 million (2006) | 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 | 5.78 children born/woman (2007 est.) | 3.11 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 20% (2004 est.) | 10% (1997 est.) |