from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Mauritania
Introduction
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 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.
Geography
Location: Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean,
between Senegal and Western Sahara
Geographic 20 00 N, 12 00 W
coordinates:
Map Africa
references:
Area: total: 1,030,700 sq km
land: 1,030,400 sq km
water: 300 sq km
Area - slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico
comparative:
Land total: 5,074 km
boundaries: border countries: Algeria 463 km, Mali 2,237 km,
Senegal 813 km, Western Sahara 1,561 km
Coastline: 754 km
Maritime territorial sea: 12 nm
claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the
continental margin
Climate: desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty
Terrain: mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central
hills
Elevation lowest point: Sebkhet Te-n-Dghamcha -5 m
extremes: highest point: Kediet Ijill 915 m
Natural iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold,
resources: oil, fish
Land use: arable land: 0.2%
permanent crops: 0.01%
other: 99.79% (2005)
Irrigated 490 sq km (2002)
land:
Natural hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily
hazards: in March and April; periodic droughts
Environment - overgrazing, deforestation, and soil erosion aggravated
current by drought are contributing to desertification; very
issues: limited natural fresh water resources away from the
Senegal, which is the only perennial river; locust
infestation
Environment - party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change,
international Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,
agreements: Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements
Geography - most of the population concentrated in the cities of
note: Nouakchott and Nouadhibou and along the Senegal River
in the southern part of the country
People
Population: 3,177,388 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 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.)
Median age: total: 17 years
male: 16.8 years
female: 17.3 years (2006 est.)
Population 2.88% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 40.99 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 12.16 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
Sex ratio: 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.)
Infant total: 69.48 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 72.44 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 66.43 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 53.12 years
expectancy at male: 50.88 years
birth: female: 55.42 years (2006 est.)
Total 5.86 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 0.6% (2003 est.)
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 9,500 (2003 est.)
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - less than 500 (2003 est.)
deaths:
Major degree of risk: very high
infectious food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal
diseases: diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and Rift Valley fever are
high risks in some locations
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005)
Nationality: noun: Mauritanian(s)
adjective: Mauritanian
Ethnic groups: mixed Maur/black 40%, Moor 30%, black 30%
Religions: Muslim 100%
Languages: Arabic (official), Pulaar, Soninke, French, Hassaniya,
Wolof
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 41.7%
male: 51.8%
female: 31.9% (2003 est.)
Government
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 republic
type:
Capital: name: Nouakchott
geographic coordinates: 18 06 N, 15 57 W
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC
during Standard Time)
Administrative 12 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 capital
divisions: 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 Independence Day, 28 November (1960)
holiday:
Constitution: 12 July 1991
Legal system: a combination of Shari'a (Islamic law) and French civil
law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive chief of state: Col. Ely Ould Mohamed VALL, whose
branch: 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 in 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
Legislative bicameral legislature consists of the Senate or Majlis
branch: 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 (81 seats; members elected
by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 9 and 16 April 2004 (next
to be held NA); National Assembly - last held 19 and 26
October 2001 (next to be held November 2006)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party -
NA; seats by party - NA; National Assembly - percent of
vote by party - PRDS 79%, RDU 3.5%, UDP 3.5%, AC 5%,
UFP 3.5%, FP 1.5%; seats by party - PRDS 64, UDP 3, RDU
3, AC 4, RFD 3, UFP 3, and FP 1
Judicial Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Court of Appeals; lower
branch: courts
Political Action for Change or AC (no longer active) [Messoud
parties and Ould BOULKHEIR]; Alliance for Justice and Democracy or
leaders: 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 Arab nationalists; Ba'thists; General Confederation of
pressure Mauritanian Workers or CGTM [Abdallahi Ould MOHAMED,
groups and secretary general]; Independent Confederation of
leaders: Mauritanian Workers or CLTM [Samory Ould BEYE];
Islamists; Mauritanian Workers Union or UTM [Mohamed
Ely Ould BRAHIM, secretary general]
International ABEDA, ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, CAEU, FAO,
organization G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD,
participation: 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
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Tijani Ould Mohamed EL
representation KERIM
in the US: chancery: 2129 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 232-5700, 5701
FAX: [1] (202) 319-2623
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge
representation d'Affaires Steven KOUTSIS
from the US: 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
Flag green with a yellow five-pointed star above a yellow,
description: horizontal crescent; the closed side of the crescent is
down; the crescent, star, and color green are
traditional symbols of Islam
Economy
Economy - Half the population still depends on agriculture and
overview: 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.
GDP $6.901 billion (2005 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official $1.346 billion (2005 est.)
exchange
rate):
GDP - real 5.5% (2005 est.)
growth rate:
GDP - per $2,200 (2005 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 25%
composition by industry: 29%
sector: services: 46% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 786,000 (2001)
Labor force - agriculture: 50%
by occupation: industry: 10%
services: 40% (2001 est.)
Unemployment 20% (2004 est.)
rate:
Population 40% (2004 est.)
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: 2.5%
income or highest 10%: 30.2% (2000)
consumption by
percentage
share:
Distribution 39 (2000)
of family
income - Gini
index:
Inflation rate 7% (2003 est.)
(consumer
prices):
Budget: revenues: $421 million
expenditures: $378 million; including capital
expenditures of $154 million (2002 est.)
Agriculture - dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn; cattle, sheep
products:
Industries: fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum
Industrial 2% (2000 est.)
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 185.6 million kWh (2003)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 85.9%
production by hydro: 14.1%
source: nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - 172.6 million kWh (2003)
consumption:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
imports:
Oil - 0 bbl/day (2005 est.)
production:
Oil - 24,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day
Oil - proved 1 billion bbl (2005)
reserves:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2005)
proved
reserves:
Exports: $784 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - iron ore, fish and fish products, gold
commodities:
Exports - Italy 14.9%, Japan 12.3%, France 11.8%, Belgium 8.5%,
partners: Germany 8.3%, Cote d'Ivoire 7.2%, Spain 6.5%, Russia
5%, Netherlands 4.4% (2005)
Imports: $1.124 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - machinery and equipment, petroleum products, capital
commodities: goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods
Imports - France 18.5%, UK 7.2%, US 7%, China 6%, Spain 5%,
partners: Belgium 4.3% (2005)
Debt - $2.5 billion (2000)
external:
Economic aid - $305.7 million (2002)
recipient:
Currency ouguiya (MRO)
(code):
Currency code: MRO
Exchange ouguiyas per US dollar - NA (2005), NA (2004), 263.03
rates: (2003), 271.74 (2002), 255.63 (2001)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones - 41,000 (2005)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 745,600 (2005)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: limited system of cable and
system: 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
Radio AM 1, FM 14, shortwave 1 (2001)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 410,000 (2001)
Television 1 (2002)
broadcast
stations:
Televisions: 98,000 (2001)
Internet .mr
country code:
Internet 32 (2006)
hosts:
Internet 5 (2001)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 14,000 (2005)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 25 (2006)
Airports - total: 8
with paved 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
runways: 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 (2006)
Airports - total: 17
with unpaved 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9
runways: 914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Railways: 717 km
standard gauge: 717 km 1.435-m gauge (2005)
Roadways: total: 7,660 km
paved: 866 km
unpaved: 6,794 km (1999)
Ports and Nouadhibou, Nouakchott
terminals:
Military
Military Mauritanian Armed Forces: Army, Navy (Marine
branches: Mauritanienne; includes naval infantry), Air Force
(Force Aerienne Islamique de Mauritanie, FAIM) (2005)
Military 18 years of age (est.); conscript service obligation -
service age two years; majority of servicemen believed to be
and volunteers; service in Air Force and Navy is voluntary
obligation: (April 2005)
Manpower males age 18-49: 606,463
available for females age 18-49: 607,955 (2005 est.)
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 18-49: 370,513
for military females age 18-49: 384,269 (2005 est.)
service:
Military $19.32 million (2005 est.)
expenditures -
dollar figure:
Military 1.4% (2005 est.)
expenditures -
percent of
GDP:
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - Mauritanian claims to Western Sahara have been dormant
international: in recent years
Trafficking in current situation: Mauritania is a source and
persons: destination country for children trafficked for the
purpose of forced labor, begging, and domestic
servitude; adults and children are subjected to
slavery-related practices rooted in ancestral
master-slave relationships in isolated parts of the
country where a barter economy exists
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Mauritania is placed
on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to show
evidence of increased efforts to combat trafficking,
particularly in the area of law enforcement