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Compare Saint Helena (2006) - Mauritania (2006)

Compare Saint Helena (2006) z Mauritania (2006)

 Saint Helena (2006)Mauritania (2006)
 Saint HelenaMauritania
Administrative divisions 1 administrative area and 2 dependencies*; Ascension*, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha* 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
Age structure 0-14 years: 18.8% (male 717/female 692)


15-64 years: 71.2% (male 2,751/female 2,593)


65 years and over: 10% (male 342/female 407) (2006 est.)
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.)
Agriculture - products coffee, corn, potatoes, vegetables; timber; fish, lobster (on Tristan da Cunha) dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn; cattle, sheep
Airports 1


note: Wideawake Field on Ascension Island (2006)
25 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


over 3,047 m: 1 (2006)
total: 8


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3


1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total: 17


1,524 to 2,437 m: 9


914 to 1,523 m: 7


under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Area total: 413 sq km


land: Saint Helena Island 122 sq km; Ascension Island 90 sq km; Tristan da Cunha island group 201 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 1,030,700 sq km


land: 1,030,400 sq km


water: 300 sq km
Area - comparative slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico
Background Saint Helena is a British Overseas Territory consisting of Saint Helena and Ascension Islands, and the island group of Tristan da Cunha.


Saint Helena: Uninhabited when first discovered by the Portuguese in 1502, Saint Helena was garrisoned by the British during the 17th century. It acquired fame as the place of Napoleon BONAPARTE's exile, from 1815 until his death in 1821, but its importance as a port of call declined after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. During the Anglo-Boer War in South Africa, several thousand Boer prisoners were confined on the island between 1900 and 1903.


Ascension Island: This barren and uninhabited island was discovered and named by the Portuguese in 1503. The British garrisoned the island in 1815 to prevent a rescue of Napoleon from Saint Helena and it served as a provisioning station for the Royal Navy's West Africa Squadron on anti-slavery patrol. The island remained under Admiralty control until 1922, when it became a dependency of Saint Helena. During World War II, the UK permitted the US to construct an airfield on Ascension in support of trans-Atlantic flights to Africa and anti-submarine operations in the South Atlantic. In the 1960s the island became an important space tracking station for the US. In 1982, Ascension was an essential staging area for British forces during the Falklands War, and it remains a critical refueling point in the air-bridge from the UK to the South Atlantic.


Tristan da Cunha: The island group consists of the islands of Tristan da Cunha, Nightingale, Inaccessible, and Gough. Tristan da Cunha is named after its Portuguese discoverer (1506); it was garrisoned by the British in 1816 to prevent any attempt to rescue Napoleon from Saint Helena. Gough and Inaccessible Islands have been designated World Heritage Sites. South Africa leases the site for a meteorological station on Gough Island.
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.
Birth rate 12.13 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) 40.99 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues: $11.2 million


expenditures: $11 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY92/93)
revenues: $421 million


expenditures: $378 million; including capital expenditures of $154 million (2002 est.)
Capital name: Jamestown


geographic coordinates: 15 56 S, 5 44 W


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


geographic coordinates: 18 06 N, 15 57 W


time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate Saint Helena: tropical marine; mild, tempered by trade winds


Ascension Island: tropical marine; mild, semi-arid


Tristan da Cunha: temperate marine; mild, tempered by trade winds (tends to be cooler than Saint Helena)
desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty
Coastline Saint Helena: 60 km


Ascension Island: NA


Tristan da Cunha: 40 km
754 km
Constitution 1 January 1989 12 July 1991
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Saint Helena
conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Mauritania


conventional short form: Mauritania


local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Islamiyah al Muritaniyah


local short form: Muritaniyah
Death rate 6.53 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) 12.16 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external $NA $2.5 billion (2000)
Dependency status overseas territory of the UK -
Diplomatic representation from the US none (overseas territory of the UK) 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
Diplomatic representation in the US none (overseas territory of the UK) 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
Disputes - international none Mauritanian claims to Western Sahara have been dormant in recent years
Economic aid - recipient $12.6 million (1995); note - $5.3 million from UK (1997) $305.7 million (2002)
Economy - overview The economy depends largely on financial assistance from the UK, which amounted to about $5 million in 1997 or almost one-half of annual budgetary revenues. The local population earns income from fishing, raising livestock, and sales of handicrafts. Because there are few jobs, 25% of the work force has left to seek employment on Ascension Island, on the Falklands, and in the UK. 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.
Electricity - consumption 4.65 million kWh (2003) 172.6 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2003) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2003) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 5 million kWh (2003) 185.6 million kWh (2003)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha 2,062 m; Green Mountain on Ascension Island 859 m; Mount Actaeon on Saint Helena Island 818 m
lowest point: Sebkhet Te-n-Dghamcha -5 m


highest point: Kediet Ijill 915 m
Environment - current issues NA 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
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 African descent 50%, white 25%, Chinese 25% mixed Maur/black 40%, Moor 30%, black 30%
Exchange rates Saint Helenian pounds per US dollar - 0.55 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001)


note: the Saint Helenian pound is on par with the British pound
ouguiyas per US dollar - NA (2005), NA (2004), 263.03 (2003), 271.74 (2002), 255.63 (2001)
Executive branch chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)


head of government: Governor and Commander in Chief Michael CLANCY (since 15 October 2004)


cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, three ex-officio officers, and five elected members of the Legislative Council


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor is appointed by the monarch
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
Exports NA bbl/day NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities fish (frozen, canned, and salt-dried skipjack, tuna), coffee, handicrafts iron ore, fish and fish products, gold
Exports - partners Tanzania 37.7%, US 17.4%, Japan 15.2%, UK 8.4%, Nigeria 4.8%, Spain 4.5% (2005) 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)
Fiscal year 1 April - 31 March calendar year
Flag description blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Saint Helenian shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield features a rocky coastline and three-masted sailing ship 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
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%
agriculture: 25%


industry: 29%


services: 46% (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate NA% 5.5% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates Saint Helena: 15 57 S 5 42 W


Ascension Island: 7 57 S 14 22 W


Tristan da Cunha island group: 37 15 S 12 30 W
20 00 N, 12 00 W
Geography - note Saint Helena harbors at least 40 species of plants unknown anywhere else in the world; Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns; Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha is the highest island mountain in the South Atlantic and a prominent landmark on the sea lanes around southern Africa most of the population concentrated in the cities of Nouakchott and Nouadhibou and along the Senegal River in the southern part of the country
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: 2.5%


highest 10%: 30.2% (2000)
Imports NA bbl/day NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities food, beverages, tobacco, fuel oils, animal feed, building materials, motor vehicles and parts, machinery and parts machinery and equipment, petroleum products, capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods
Imports - partners UK 53.5%, South Africa 14.3%, Spain 10.3%, Tanzania 8.5%, US 4.6% (2005) France 18.5%, UK 7.2%, US 7%, China 6%, Spain 5%, Belgium 4.3% (2005)
Independence none (overseas territory of the UK) 28 November 1960 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate NA% 2% (2000 est.)
Industries construction, crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy woodwork), fishing, philatelic sales fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum
Infant mortality rate total: 18.34 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 21.96 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 14.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
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.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3.2% (1997 est.) 7% (2003 est.)
International organization participation ICFTU, UPU 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
Irrigated land NA 490 sq km (2002)
Judicial branch Magistrate's Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Court of Appeals; lower courts
Labor force 2,486


note: 1,200 work offshore (1998 est.)
786,000 (2001)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 6%


industry: 48%


services: 46% (1987 est.)
agriculture: 50%


industry: 10%


services: 40% (2001 est.)
Land boundaries 0 km total: 5,074 km


border countries: Algeria 463 km, Mali 2,237 km, Senegal 813 km, Western Sahara 1,561 km
Land use arable land: 12.9%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 87.1% (2005)
arable land: 0.2%


permanent crops: 0.01%


other: 99.79% (2005)
Languages English Arabic (official), Pulaar, Soninke, French, Hassaniya, Wolof
Legal system British common law and statutes, supplemented by local statutes a combination of Shari'a (Islamic law) and French civil law
Legislative branch unicameral Legislative Council (16 seats, including the speaker, 3 ex officio and 12 elected members; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 31 August 2005 (next to be held NA 2009)


election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 12
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
Life expectancy at birth total population: 77.93 years


male: 75.02 years


female: 80.98 years (2006 est.)
total population: 53.12 years


male: 50.88 years


female: 55.42 years (2006 est.)
Literacy definition: age 20 and over can read and write


total population: 97%


male: 97%


female: 98% (1987 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 41.7%


male: 51.8%


female: 31.9% (2003 est.)
Location islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, about midway between South America and Africa; Ascension Island lies 700 nm northwest of Saint Helena; Tristan da Cunha lies 2300 nm southwest of Saint Helena Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara
Map references Africa Africa
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
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
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 Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926) Independence Day, 28 November (1960)
Nationality noun: Saint Helenian(s)


adjective: Saint Helenian


note: referred to locally as "Saints"
noun: Mauritanian(s)


adjective: Mauritanian
Natural hazards active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha, last eruption in 1961 hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April; periodic droughts
Natural resources fish, lobster iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold, oil, fish
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Political parties and leaders none 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
Political pressure groups and leaders none 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]
Population 7,502


note: only Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha islands are inhabited (July 2006 est.)
3,177,388 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 40% (2004 est.)
Population growth rate 0.56% (2006 est.) 2.88% (2006 est.)
Radio broadcast stations Saint Helena: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0


Ascension: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (2005)
AM 1, FM 14, shortwave 1 (2001)
Railways - 717 km


standard gauge: 717 km 1.435-m gauge (2005)
Religions Anglican (majority), Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic Muslim 100%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female


total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
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.)
Suffrage NA years of age 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: can communicate worldwide


domestic: automatic digital network


international: country code - 290; international direct dialing; satellite voice and data communications; satellite earth stations - 5 (Ascension Island - 4, Saint Helena - 1)
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
Telephones - main lines in use 2,200 (2002) 41,000 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular NA 745,600 (2005)
Television broadcast stations 0


note: three television channels are received in Saint Helena via satellite and distributed by UHF (2005)
1 (2002)
Terrain the islands of this group result from volcanic activity associated with the Atlantic Mid-Ocean Ridge


Saint Helena: rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains


Ascension: surface covered by lava flows and cinder cones of 44 dormant volcanoes; ground rises to the east


Tristan da Cunha: sheer cliffs line the coastline of the nearly circular island; the flanks of the central volcanic peak are deeply dissected; narrow coastal plain lies between The Peak and the coastal cliffs
mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills
Total fertility rate 1.55 children born/woman (2006 est.) 5.86 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Transportation - note there is no air connection to Saint Helena or Tristan da Cunha; an international airport for Saint Helena is in development for 2010 -
Unemployment rate 14% (1998 est.) 20% (2004 est.)
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