Mauritania

Islamic Republic of MauritaniaAl Jumhuriyah al Islamiyah al Muritaniyah

Democratic RepublicIndependence 28 November 1960 (from France)

Mauritania as the 2008 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 127 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalNouakchott, UTC

Position20 00 N, 12 00 W

Area1,030,700 sq km

LocationNorthern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara

Populationas each edition published it

3.36 million July 2008 est. · 1.93m in 1990

Population growth% a year

2.852% 2008 est. · 3.14% in 1993

Median ageyears

17.2 years 2008 est. · 16.9 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

53.91 years 2008 est. · 47.59 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

5.69 children per woman 2008 est. · 7.3 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

66.65 deaths per 1,000 live births 2008 est. · 96 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$1,800 2007 est. · $555 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

1% 2007 est. · 3% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

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 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. His term ended prematurely in August 2008 when a coup deposed him and ushered in a military council government. Meanwhile, the country continues to experience ethnic tensions among its black population (Afro-Mauritanians) and White and Black Moor (Arab-Berber) communities.

Geography

Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara

20 fields

Land useshare of 1,030,700 sq km

permanent crops 0.01%other 99.79% (2005)arable land 0.2% in all · irrigated 490 sq km (2002)

Area

1,030,700sq km

land: 1,030,400 sq kmwater: 300 sq kmslightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico

Coastline

754km

territorial sea: 12 nmcontiguous zone: 24 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nmcontinental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Highest point

915m

Kediet Ijilllowest point: Sebkhet Te-n-Dghamcha -5 m

Land boundaries

5,074km

border countries: Algeria 463 km, Mali 2,237 km, Senegal 813 km, Western Sahara 1,561 km

Location

Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara

Geographic coordinates

20 00 N, 12 00 W

Map references

Africa

Climate

desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty

Terrain

mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills

Natural resources

iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold, oil, fish

Total renewable water resources

11.4 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total:: 1.7 cu km/yr (9%/3%/88%)
per capita:: 554 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards

hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April; periodic droughts

Environment - current issues

overgrazing, deforestation, and soil erosion aggravated by drought are contributing to desertification;
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, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:: none of the selected agreements

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

People

22 fields

Age structuremale left, female right · (2008 est.)

29,147

65 and over2.2%

44,087

872,924

15-6452.5%

894,980

763,845

0-1445.3%

759,957

MaleFemale

Population

3,364,940

(July 2008 est.)growth rate: 2.852% (2008 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2008 est.)

Birth

40.14Death

11.61

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2008 est.)53.91

51.61 · 56.28Infant mortality deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)66.65

69.69 · 63.52Literacy (2000 census)51.2%

59.5% · 43.4%

TotalMale · femaleMedian age years (2008 est.)17.2

16.9 · 17.4School life expectancy years (2006)8

8 · 8

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Ethnic groups

mixed Moor/black 40%Moor 30%black 30%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.6%

(2003 est.)

Net migration rate

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.66 male(s)/female
total population:: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate

5.69 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

9,500 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk:: high
food or waterborne diseases:: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases:: malaria and Rift Valley fever (2008)

Nationality

noun:: Mauritanian(s)
adjective:: Mauritanian

Religions

Muslim 100%

Languages

Arabic (official and national), Pulaar, Soninke, Wolof (all national languages), French, Hassaniya

Education expenditures

2.9% of GDP (2006)

Government

Democratic Republic; Gen. Mohamed Ould Abdel AZIZ who led a coup that deposed the democratically elected President Sidi Ould Cheikh ABDELLAHI on 6 August 2008; Prime Minister Moulaye Ould Mohamed LAGHDAF (since 14 August 2008)

18 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

52.8%

(second round) Sidi Ould Cheikh ABDELLAHI 52.8%Ahmed Ould DADDAH 47.2%election last held 11 March 2007 with a runoff between the two leading candidates held on 25 March 2007 (next to be held 2012)

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

Government type

Democratic Republic

Capital

name:: Nouakchott
geographic coordinates:: 18 07 N, 16 02 W
time difference:: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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

Independence

28 November 1960 (from France)

National holiday

Independence Day, 28 November (1960)

Constitution

12 July 1991

Legal system

a combination of Islamic law and French civil law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:: Gen. Mohamed Ould Abdel AZIZ who led a coup that deposed the democratically elected President Sidi Ould Cheikh ABDELLAHI on 6 August 2008
head of government:: Prime Minister Moulaye Ould Mohamed LAGHDAF (since 14 August 2008)
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%

Legislative branch

bicameral legislature consists of the Senate or Majlis al-Shuyukh (56 seats; 53 members elected by municipal leaders and 3 members elected by Mauritanians abroad 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 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

Judicial branch

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme;
Court of Appeals;
lower courts

Political parties and leaders

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

General Confederation of Mauritanian Workers or CGTM [Abdallahi Ould MOHAMED, secretary general];
Independent Confederation of Mauritanian Workers or CLTM [Samory Ould BEYE];
Mauritanian Workers Union or UTM [Mohamed Ely Ould BRAHIM, secretary general]

other:: Arab nationalists;
Ba'thists;
Islamists

International organization participation

ABEDA, 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, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Mark M. BOULWARE
embassy:: 288 Rue Abdallaye, Rue 42-100 (between Presidency building and Spanish Embassy), Nouakchott
mailing address:: BP 222, Nouakchott
telephone:: [222] 525-2660/525-2663
FAX:: [222] 525-1592

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

Economy

45 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

$5.974billion

(2007 est.)official exchange rate: $2.756 billion (2007 est.)

GDP per capita, PPP

$1,800

(2007 est.)

Real growth rate

(2007 est.)industrial production growth: 2% (2000 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

7.3%

(2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector(2001 est.)

agriculture 25%industry 29%services 46% (2001 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

30.5%

China

8.1%

9.5%

France

16.5%

8.5%

Italy

8.5%

Spain

6.7%

6.1%

Belgium

5.8%

Brazil

5.7%

5.5%

Japan

5.3%

Netherlands

4.7%

Cote d'Ivoire

Exports $1.395 billion f.o.b. (2006)Imports $1.475 billion f.o.b. (2006)(2007)

Budget

Revenues

$421 millionExpenditures

$378 million (2002 est.)

Electricity

Electricity production

412.3 million (2006 est.)Electricity consumption

383.4 million (2006 est.)

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. 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.

Labor force

786,000 (2001)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture:: 50%
industry:: 10%
services:: 40% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate

20% (2004 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

39 (2000)

Central bank discount rate

Stock of money

NA (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money

NA (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit

NA (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products

dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn; cattle, sheep

Industries

fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum

Oil - production

14,990 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption

19,320 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports

23,630 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves

100 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

28.32 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance

-$184 million (2007 est.)

Exports

$1.395 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Exports - commodities

iron ore, fish and fish products, gold

Imports

$1.475 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment, petroleum products, capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods

Debt - external

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA

Currency (code)

ouguiya (MRO)

Exchange rates

ouguiyas (MRO) per US dollar - NA (2007), 271.3 (2006), 267.04 (2005), 265.8 (2004), 263.03 (2003)

Communications

8 fields

Mobile cellular

1.3 million

(2007)

Internet users

(2008)

Fixed lines

34,900

(2006) · country code .mr

Telephone system

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 40 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 - 3 (1 Intelsat - Atlantic Ocean, 2 Arabsat)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 14, shortwave 1 (2001)

Television broadcast stations

1 (2002)

Internet users

30,000 (2006)

Transportation

6 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right

2,438 to 3,047 m

1,524 to 2,437 m

914 to 1,523 m

under 914 m

Paved 8Unpaved 17

Networkskm

Roadways

11,066Railways

717

Roadways: paved: 2,966 km · unpaved: 8,100 km (2006) · Railways: standard gauge: 717 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Airports

25 (2007)

Railways

717 km · standard gauge: 717 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Roadways

total:: 11,066 km
paved:: 2,966 km
unpaved:: 8,100 km (2006)

Ports and terminals

Nouadhibou, Nouakchott

Military

Mauritanian Armed Forces: Army, Mauritanian Navy (Marine Mauritanienne; includes naval infantry), Islamic Air Force of Mauritania (Force Aerienne Islamique de Mauritanie, FAIM) (2008)

6 fields

Military expenditures

5.5%of GDP

(2006)

Military branches

Mauritanian Armed Forces: Army, Mauritanian Navy (Marine Mauritanienne; includes naval infantry), Islamic Air Force of Mauritania (Force Aerienne Islamique de Mauritanie, FAIM) (2008)