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Compare Saint Lucia (2008) - Mauritania (2008)

Compare Saint Lucia (2008) z Mauritania (2008)

 Saint Lucia (2008)Mauritania (2008)
 Saint LuciaMauritania
Administrative divisions 11 quarters; Anse-la-Raye, Castries, Choiseul, Dauphin, Dennery, Gros-Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Praslin, Soufriere, Vieux-Fort 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: 29.4% (male 25,869/female 24,248)


15-64 years: 65.5% (male 55,115/female 56,641)


65 years and over: 5.1% (male 3,200/female 5,576) (2007 est.)
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.)
Agriculture - products bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus, root crops, cocoa dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn; cattle, sheep
Airports 2 (2007) 25 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
total: 8


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3


1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 (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)
Area total: 616 sq km


land: 606 sq km


water: 10 sq km
total: 1,030,700 sq km


land: 1,030,400 sq km


water: 300 sq km
Area - comparative 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico
Background The island, with its fine natural harbor at Castries, was contested between England and France throughout the 17th and early 18th centuries (changing possession 14 times); it was finally ceded to the UK in 1814. Even after the abolition of slavery on its plantations in 1834, Saint Lucia remained an agricultural island, dedicated to producing tropical commodity crops. Self-government was granted in 1967 and independence in 1979. 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 and ruled Mauritania with a heavy hand for over two decades. A series of presidential elections that he held were widely seen as flawed. A bloodless coup in August 2005 deposed President TAYA and ushered in a military council that oversaw a transition to democratic rule. Independent candidate Sidi Ould Cheikh ABDALLAHI was inaugurated in April 2007 as Mauritania's first freely and fairly elected president. The country continues to experience ethnic tensions among its black population (Afro-Mauritanians) and White and Black Moor (Arab-Berber) communities, although the new government is attempting to ameliorate some of these tensions.
Birth rate 19.28 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 40.56 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $141.2 million


expenditures: $146.7 million (2000 est.)
revenues: $421 million


expenditures: $378 million (2002 est.)
Capital name: Castries


geographic coordinates: 14 01 N, 61 00 W


time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
name: Nouakchott


geographic coordinates: 18 07 N, 16 02 W


time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season January to April, rainy season May to August desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty
Coastline 158 km 754 km
Constitution 22 February 1979 12 July 1991
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Saint Lucia
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 5.03 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 11.89 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $257 million (2004) $2.5 billion (2000)
Diplomatic representation from the US the US does not have an embassy in Saint Lucia; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Lucia 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
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Sonia Merlyn JOHNNY


chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016


telephone: [1] (202) 364-6792 through 6795


FAX: [1] (202) 364-6723


consulate(s) general: Miami, New York
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
Disputes - international joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea Mauritanian claims to Western Sahara remain dormant
Economic aid - recipient $11.06 million (2005) $190.4 million (2005)
Economy - overview The island nation has been able to attract foreign business and investment, especially in its offshore banking and tourism industries, with a surge in foreign direct investment in 2006, attributed to the construction of several tourism projects. Tourism is the main source of foreign exchange, with more than 700,000 arrivals in 2005. The manufacturing sector is the most diverse in the Eastern Caribbean area, and the government is trying to revitalize the banana industry. Saint Lucia is vulnerable to a variety of external shocks including declines in European Union banana preferences, volatile tourism receipts, natural disasters, and dependence on foreign oil. High debt servicing obligations constrain the KING administration's ability to respond to adverse external shocks. Economic fundamentals remain solid, even though unemployment needs to be reduced. 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. Oil prospects, while initially promising, have failed to materialize. Meantime the government emphasizes reduction of poverty, improvement of health and education, and promoting privatization of the economy.
Electricity - consumption 282.9 million kWh (2005) 230.6 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 304.2 million kWh (2005) 248 million kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Mount Gimie 950 m
lowest point: Sebkhet Te-n-Dghamcha -5 m


highest point: Kediet Ijill 915 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; soil erosion, particularly in the northern region 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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 black 82.5%, mixed 11.9%, East Indian 2.4%, other or unspecified 3.1% (2001 census) mixed Moor/black 40%, Moor 30%, black 30%
Exchange rates East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - NA (2007), 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003) ouguiyas per US dollar - NA (2007), 271.3 (2006), 267.04 (2005), 265.8 (2004), 263.03 (2003)
Executive branch chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Dame Pearlette LOUISY (since September 1997)


head of government: Prime Minister Stephenson KING (since 9 September 2007); note - Sir John COMPTON died in office Friday, 7 September 2007


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general
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%
Exports 0 bbl/day (2004) 0 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities bananas 41%, clothing, cocoa, vegetables, fruits, coconut oil iron ore, fish and fish products, gold
Exports - partners France 69.7%, US 10.2%, UK 8.8% (2006) China 26.1%, Italy 11.7%, France 10.5%, Spain 6.9%, Belgium 6.8%, Japan 5.4%, Cote d'Ivoire 4.6% (2006)
Fiscal year 1 April - 31 March calendar year
Flag description blue, with a gold isosceles triangle below a black arrowhead; the upper edges of the arrowhead have a white border 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: 5%


industry: 15%


services: 80% (2005 est.)
agriculture: 25%


industry: 29%


services: 46% (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 5.1% (2005 est.) 1.5% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates 13 53 N, 60 58 W 20 00 N, 12 00 W
Geography - note the twin Pitons (Gros Piton and Petit Piton), striking cone-shaped peaks south of Soufriere, are one of the scenic natural highlights of the Caribbean 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%: 29.5% (2000)
Illicit drugs transit point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe -
Imports 2,678 bbl/day (2004) 19,960 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities food 23%, manufactured goods 21%, machinery and transportation equipment 19%, chemicals, fuels machinery and equipment, petroleum products, capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods
Imports - partners US 21.1%, Trinidad and Tobago 14.9%, Italy 12.3%, France 11.8%, Venezuela 7.2%, UK 6.9%, Netherlands 5.8% (2006) France 11.9%, China 8.1%, Belgium 6.8%, US 6.7%, Italy 5.9%, Spain 5.7%, Brazil 5.5% (2006)
Independence 22 February 1979 (from UK) 28 November 1960 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate -8.9% (1997 est.) 2% (2000 est.)
Industries clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages, corrugated cardboard boxes, tourism; lime processing, coconut processing fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum
Infant mortality rate total: 12.81 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 13.93 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 11.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
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.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.9% (2005 est.) 7% (2003 est.)
International organization participation ACCT, ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO 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
Irrigated land 30 sq km (2003) 490 sq km (2002)
Judicial branch Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (jurisdiction extends to Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Court of Appeals; lower courts
Labor force 43,800 (2001 est.) 786,000 (2001)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 21.7%


industry: 24.7%


services: 53.6% (2002 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: 6.45%


permanent crops: 22.58%


other: 70.97% (2005)
arable land: 0.2%


permanent crops: 0.01%


other: 99.79% (2005)
Languages English (official), French patois Arabic (official), Pulaar, Soninke, French, Hassaniya, Wolof
Legal system based on English common law a combination of Islamic law and French civil law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (11 seats; six members appointed on the advice of the prime minister, three on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and two after consultation with religious, economic, and social groups) and the House of Assembly (17 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)


elections: House of Assembly - last held 11 December 2006 (next to be held in December 2011)


election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - UWP 50%, SLP 46.9%, other 3.1%; seats by party - UWP 11, SLP 6
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 - 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 - 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
Life expectancy at birth total population: 74.08 years


male: 70.53 years


female: 77.88 years (2007 est.)
total population: 53.51 years


male: 51.24 years


female: 55.85 years (2007 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school


total population: 90.1%


male: 89.5%


female: 90.6% (2001 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 51.2%


male: 59.5%


female: 43.4% (2000 census)
Location Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara
Map references Central America and the Caribbean 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
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 branches no regular military forces; Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (includes Special Service Unit, Coast Guard) (2007) 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 NA 5.5% (2006)
National holiday Independence Day, 22 February (1979) Independence Day, 28 November (1960)
Nationality noun: Saint Lucian(s)


adjective: Saint Lucian
noun: Mauritanian(s)


adjective: Mauritanian
Natural hazards hurricanes and volcanic activity hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April; periodic droughts
Natural resources forests, sandy beaches, minerals (pumice), mineral springs, geothermal potential iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold, oil, fish
Net migration rate -1.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Political parties and leaders National Alliance or NA [George ODLUM]; Saint Lucia Freedom Party or SFP [Martinus FRANCOIS]; Saint Lucia Labor Party or SLP [Kenneth ANTHONY]; Sou Tout Apwe Fete Fini or STAFF [Christopher HUNTE]; United Workers Party or UWP [Sir John COMPTON] 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; Mithaq (coalition of independents and parties associated with the former regime including Alternative or El-Badil, PRDR, UDP, RDU); 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
Political pressure groups and leaders NA 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 170,649 (July 2007 est.) 3,270,065 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 40% (2004 est.)
Population growth rate 1.297% (2007 est.) 2.867% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2003) AM 1, FM 14, shortwave 1 (2001)
Railways - 717 km


standard gauge: 717 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)
Religions Roman Catholic 67.5%, Seventh Day Adventist 8.5%, Pentecostal 5.7%, Rastafarian 2.1%, Anglican 2%, Evangelical 2%, other Christian 5.1%, other 1.1%, unspecified 1.5%, none 4.5% (2001 census) Muslim 100%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.067 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.973 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.574 male(s)/female


total population: 0.974 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
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.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: adequate system


domestic: system is automatically switched


international: country code - 1-758; the East Caribbean Fiber Optic System (ECFS) and Southern Caribbean fiber optic system (SCF) submarine cables, along with Intelsat from Martinique, carry calls internationally; direct microwave radio relay link with Martinique and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; tropospheric scatter to Barbados
general assessment: limited system of cable and open-wire lines, minor microwave radio relay links, and radiotelephone communications stations; mobile-cellular services expanding rapidly


domestic: Mauritel, the national telecommunications company, was privatized in 2001 but remains the monopoly provider of fixed-line services; fixed-line teledensity 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular network coverage extends mainly to urban areas with a teledensity approaching 35 per 100 persons; mostly cable and open-wire lines; a domestic satellite telecommunications system links Nouakchott with regional capitals


international: country code - 222; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 2 Arabsat
Telephones - main lines in use 51,100 (2002) 34,900 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular 105,700 (2005) 1.06 million (2006)
Television broadcast stations 2 (1 commercial broadcast station and 1 community antenna television or CATV channel) (2003) 1 (2002)
Terrain volcanic and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills
Total fertility rate 2.15 children born/woman (2007 est.) 5.78 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 20% (2003 est.) 20% (2004 est.)
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