Compare Western Sahara (2005) - Mauritius (2005)

Compare Western Sahara (2005) z Mauritius (2005)

	Western Sahara (2005)	Mauritius (2005)

Administrative divisions	none (under de facto control of Morocco)	9 districts and 3 dependencies; Agalega Islands, Black River, Cargados Carajos Shoals, Flacq, Grand Port, Moka, Pamplemousses, Plaines Wilhems, Port Louis, Riviere du Rempart, Rodrigues, Savanne
Age structure	0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA	0-14 years: 24.4% (male 151,043/female 148,847) 15-64 years: 69.1% (male 424,472/female 425,974) 65 years and over: 6.5% (male 31,506/female 48,760) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products	fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads)	sugarcane, tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses; cattle, goats; fish
Airports	11 (2004 est.)	6 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2004 est.)	total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.)	total: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 266,000 sq km land: 266,000 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 2,040 sq km land: 2,030 sq km water: 10 sq km note: includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon), and Rodrigues
Area - comparative	about the size of Colorado	almost 11 times the size of Washington, DC
Background	Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed.	Discovered by the Portuguese in 1505, Mauritius was subsequently held by the Dutch, French, and British before independence was attained in 1968. A stable democracy with regular free elections and a positive human rights record, the country has attracted considerable foreign investment and has earned one of Africa's highest per capita incomes. Recent poor weather and declining sugar prices have slowed economic growth, leading to some protests over standards of living in the Creole community.
Birth rate	NA births/1,000 population	15.62 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget	revenues: NA expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA	revenues: $1.231 billion expenditures: $1.582 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
Capital	none	Port Louis
Climate	hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew	tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)
Coastline	1,110 km	177 km
Constitution	-	12 March 1968; amended 12 March 1992
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Western Sahara former: Spanish Sahara	conventional long form: Republic of Mauritius conventional short form: Mauritius
Death rate	NA deaths/1,000 population	6.83 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external	NA	$1.78 billion (2004 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US	none	chief of mission: Ambassador John PRICE embassy: 4th Floor, Rogers House, John Kennedy Street, Port Louis mailing address: international mail: P. O. Box 544, Port Louis; US mail: American Embassy, Port Louis, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2450 telephone: [230] 202-4400 FAX: [230] 208-9534
Diplomatic representation in the US	none	chief of mission: Ambassador Usha JEETAH chancery: 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 441, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 244-1491, 1492 FAX: [1] (202) 966-0983
Disputes - international	Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved - UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals	Mauritius claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory), and its former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK citizenship but no right to patriation in the UK; claims French-administered Tromelin Island
Economic aid - recipient	NA	$42 million (1997)
Economy - overview	Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. Incomes and standards of living in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level.	Since independence in 1968, Mauritius has developed from a low-income, agriculturally based economy to a middle-income diversified economy with growing industrial, financial, and tourist sectors. For most of the period, annual growth has been in the order of 5% to 6%. This remarkable achievement has been reflected in more equitable income distribution, increased life expectancy, lowered infant mortality, and a much-improved infrastructure. Sugarcane is grown on about 90% of the cultivated land area and accounts for 25% of export earnings. The government's development strategy centers on expanding local financial institutions and building a domestic information telecommunications industry. Mauritius has attracted more than 9,000 offshore entities, many aimed at commerce in India and South Africa, and investment in the banking sector alone has reached over $1 billion. Mauritius, with its strong textile sector, has been well poised to take advantage of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
Electricity - consumption	83.7 million kWh (2002)	1.707 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2002)	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2002)	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production	90 million kWh (2002)	1.836 billion kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m highest point: unnamed location 463 m	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Piton 828 m
Environment - current issues	sparse water and lack of arable land	water pollution, degradation of coral reefs
Environment - international agreements	party to: none of the selected agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups	Arab, Berber	Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian 2%
Exchange rates	Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003), 11.0206 (2002), 11.303 (2001), 10.6256 (2000)	Mauritian rupees per US dollar - 27.499 (2004), 27.902 (2003), 29.962 (2002), 29.129 (2001), 26.25 (2000)
Executive branch	none	chief of state: President Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH (since 7 October 2003) and Vice President Abdool Raouf BUNDHUN (since 25 February 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Paul BERENGER (since 30 September 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president and vice president elected by the National Assembly for five-year terms; election last held 25 February 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president, responsible to the National Assembly election results: Karl OFFMANN elected president and Raouf BUNDHUN elected vice president; percent of vote by the National Assembly - NA%; note - Karl OFFMANN stepped down on 30 September 2003
Exports	NA	NA
Exports - commodities	phosphates 62%	clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses
Exports - partners	Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts	UK 33.1%, France 20.4%, US 14.8%, Madagascar 5.1%, Italy 4.1% (2004)
Fiscal year	calendar year	1 July - 30 June
Flag description	-	four equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, yellow, and green
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: NA industry: NA services: 40% (1996 est.)	agriculture: 7.6% industry: 30% services: 62.4% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - NA	purchasing power parity - $12,800 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	NA	4.7% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates	24 30 N, 13 00 W	20 17 S, 57 33 E
Geography - note	the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas	the main island, from which the country derives its name, is of volcanic origin and is almost entirely surrounded by coral reefs
Highways	total: 6,200 km paved: 1,350 km unpaved: 4,850 km (1991 est)	total: 2,000 km paved: 1,960 km (including 60 km of expressways) unpaved: 40 km (2002)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
Illicit drugs	-	minor consumer and transshipment point for heroin from South Asia; small amounts of cannabis produced and consumed locally; significant offshore financial industry creates potential for money laundering, but corruption levels are relatively low and the government appears generally to be committed to regulating its banking industry
Imports	NA	NA
Imports - commodities	fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs	manufactured goods, capital equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals
Imports - partners	Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts	South Africa 11.3%, China 9.4%, India 9.3%, France 9.2%, Bahrain 5.3%, Japan 4.1% (2004)
Independence	-	12 March 1968 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate	NA	8% (2000 est.)
Industries	phosphate mining, handicrafts	food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, clothing; chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, nonelectrical machinery; tourism
Infant mortality rate	total: NA male: NA female: NA	total: 15.03 deaths/1,000 live births male: 17.74 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	NA	4.5% (2004 est.)
International organization participation	none	ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Irrigated land	NA sq km	200 sq km (2000 est.)
Judicial branch	-	Supreme Court
Labor force	12,000	560,000 (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	animal husbandry and subsistence farming 50%	agriculture and fishing 14%, construction and industry 36%, transportation and communication 7%, trade, restaurants, hotels 16%, finance 3%, other services 24% (1995)
Land boundaries	total: 2,046 km border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 0.02% permanent crops: 0% other: 99.98% (2001)	arable land: 49.26% permanent crops: 2.96% other: 47.78% (2001)
Languages	Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic	Creole 80.5%, Bhojpuri 12.1%, French 3.4% (official), other 3.7%, unspecified 0.3% (2000 census)
Legal system	-	based on French civil law system with elements of English common law in certain areas
Legislative branch	-	unicameral National Assembly (66 seats; 62 elected by popular vote, 4 appointed by the election commission from the losing political parties to give representation to various ethnic minorities; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held on 11 September 2000 (next to be held September 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - MSM/MMM 52.3%, MLP/PMSD 36.9%, OPR 10.8%; seats by party - MSM/MMM 54, MLP/PMSD 6, OPR 2
Life expectancy at birth	total population: NA years male: NA years female: NA years	total population: 72.38 years male: 68.4 years female: 76.41 years (2005 est.)
Literacy	definition: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA%	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 85.6% male: 88.6% female: 82.7% (2003 est.)
Location	Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco	Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar
Map references	Africa	Political Map of the World
Maritime claims	contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Merchant marine	-	total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 22,946 GRT/27,102 DWT by type: bulk carrier 4, passenger/cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 2 foreign-owned: 6 (India 4, Switzerland 2) (2005)
Military branches	-	National Police Force (includes the paramilitary Special Mobile Force or SMF and National Coast Guard)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$12.5 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	0.2% (2004)
National holiday	-	Independence Day, 12 March (1968)
Nationality	noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s) adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian	noun: Mauritian(s) adjective: Mauritian
Natural hazards	hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility	cyclones (November to April); almost completely surrounded by reefs that may pose maritime hazards
Natural resources	phosphates, iron ore	arable land, fish
Net migration rate	-	-0.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Political parties and leaders	-	Hizbullah [Cehl Mohamed FAKEEMEEAH]; Mauritian Labor Party or MLP [Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM]; Mauritian Militant Movement or MMM [Paul BERENGER] - in coalition with MSM; Mauritian Social Democrat Party or PMSD [Charles Xavier-Luc DUVAL]; Militant Socialist Movement or MSM [Pravind JUGNAUTH] - governing party; Rodrigues Movement or MR [Joseph (Nicholas) Von MALLY]; Rodrigues Peoples Organization or OPR [Serge CLAIR]
Political pressure groups and leaders	none	various labor unions
Population	273,008 (July 2005 est.)	1,230,602 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA	10% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate	NA	0.84% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors	Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun)	Port Louis
Radio broadcast stations	AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)	AM 4, FM 9, shortwave 0 (2002)
Religions	Muslim	Hindu 48%, Roman Catholic 23.6%, other Christian 8.6%, Muslim 16.6%, other 2.5%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.4% (2000 census)
Sex ratio	NA	at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.65 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage	none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: sparse and limited system domestic: NA international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco	general assessment: small system with good service domestic: primarily microwave radio relay trunk system international: country code - 230; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); new microwave link to Reunion; HF radiotelephone links to several countries; fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC/SAFE) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia
Telephones - main lines in use	about 2,000 (1999 est.)	348,200 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular	0 (1999)	462,400 (2003)
Television broadcast stations	NA	2 (plus several repeaters) (1997)
Terrain	mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast	small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains encircling central plateau
Total fertility rate	NA children born/woman	1.96 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate	NA	10.8% (2004 est.)

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