Mauritania

Airports

30 total, 29 usable; 9 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 17 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air

2 major transport aircraft

Highways

7,525 km total; 1,685 km paved; 1,040 km gravel, crushed stone, or otherwise improved; 4,800 km unimproved roads, trails, tracks

Inland waterways

mostly ferry traffic on the Senegal River

Merchant marine

1 cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,272 GRT/ 1,840 DWT

Ports

Nouadhibou, Nouakchott

Railroads

670 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, single track, owned and operated by government mining company

Telecommunications

poor system of cable and open-wire lines, minor radio relay links, and radio communications stations; 5,200 telephones; stations--2 AM, no FM, 1 TV; satellite earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 2 ARABSAT, with a third planned

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary Gendarmerie, paramilitary National Guard, paramilitary National Police, paramilitary Presidential Guard, paramilitary Nomad Security Guards

Defense expenditures

4.2% of GDP (1987)

Military manpower

males 15-49, 410,153; 200,212 fit for military service; conscription law not implemented

Agriculture

accounts for 29% of GDP (including fishing); largely subsistence farming and nomadic cattle and sheep herding except in Senegal river valley; crops--dates, millet, sorghum, root crops; fish products number-one export; large food deficit in years of drought

Aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $160 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $1.1 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $490 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $277 million

Budget

revenues $358 million; expenditures $334 million, including capital expenditures of $79 million (1988 est.)

Currency

ouguiya (plural--ouguiya); 1 ouguiya (UM) = 5 khoums

Electricity

189,000 kW capacity; 136 million kWh produced, 70 kWh per capita (1989)

Exchange rates

ouguiya (UM) per US$1--83.838 (January 1990), 83.051 (1989), 75.261 (1988), 73.878 (1987), 74.375 (1986), 77.085 (1985)

Exports

$424 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--iron ore, processed fish, small amounts of gum arabic and gypsum, unrecorded but numerically significant cattle exports to Senegal; partners--EC 57%, Japan 39%, Ivory Coast 2%

External debt

$2.3 billion (December 1989)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

$1.0 billion, per capita $520; real growth rate 3.6% (1988)

Imports

$365 million (c.i.f., 1988); commodities--foodstuffs, consumer goods, petroleum products, capital goods; partners--EC 79%, Africa 5%, US 4%, Japan 2%

Industrial production

growth rate 4.4% (1988 est.)

Industries

fishing, fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

1.4% (1988 est.)

Overview

A majority of the population still depends on agriculture and livestock for a livelihood, even though most of the nomads and many subsistence farmers were forced into the cities by recurrent drought in 1983. Mauritania has extensive deposits of iron ore that account for almost 50% of total exports. The decline in world demand for this ore, however, has led to cutbacks in production in recent years. 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.

Unemployment rate

50% (1988 est.)

Climate

desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty

Coastline

754 km

Comparative area

slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico

Continental shelf

edge of continental margin or 200 nm;

Disputes

armed conflict in Western Sahara; boundary with Senegal

Environment

hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April; desertification; only perennial river is the Senegal

Extended economic zone

200 nm;

Land boundaries

5,074 km total; Algeria 463 km, Mali 2,237 km, Senegal 813 km, Western Sahara 1,561 km

Land use

1% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 38% meadows and pastures; 5% forest and woodland; 56% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

Natural resources

iron ore, gypsum, fish, copper, phosphate

Terrain

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

Territorial sea

12 nm

Total area

1,030,700 km2; land area: 1,030,400 km2

Administrative divisions

12 regions (regions, singular--region); Adrar, Brakna, Dakhlet Nouadhibou, El Acaba, Gorgol, Guidimaka, Hodh Ech Chargui, Hodh El Gharbi, Inchiri, Tagant, Tiris Zemmour, Trarza; note--there may be a new capital district of Nouakchott

Capital

Nouakchott

Communists

no Communist party, but there is a scattering of Maoist sympathizers

Constitution

20 May 1961, abrogated after coup of 10 July 1978; provisional constitution published 17 December 1980 but abandoned in 1981; new constitutional charter published 27 February 1985

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Abdellah OULD DADDAH; Chancery at 2129 Leroy Place NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 232-5700; US--Ambassador William H. TWADDELL; Embassy at address NA, Nouakchott (mailing address is B. P. 222, Nouakchott); telephone [2222] 52660 or 52663

Elections

none; last presidential election August 1976; National Assembly dissolved 10 July 1978; no national elections are scheduled

Executive branch

president, Military Committee for National Salvation (CMSN), Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Flag

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

Independence

28 November 1960 (from France)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (Cour Supreme) Chief of State and Head of Government--President Col. Maaouiya Ould SidAhmed TAYA (since 12 December 1984)

Legal system

based on Islamic law

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale), dissolved after 10 July 1978 coup; legislative power resides with the CMSN

Long-form name

Islamic Republic of Mauritania

Member of

ACP, AfDB, AIOEC, Arab League, CCC, CEAO, CIPEC (associate), EAMA, EIB (associate), FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OMVS (Organization for the Development of the Senegal River Valley), UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

National holiday

Independence Day, 28 November (1960)

Political parties and leaders

suspended

Suffrage

none

Type

republic; military first seized power in bloodless coup 10 July 1978; a palace coup that took place on 24 December 1984 brought President Taya to power

Birth rate

49 births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate

18 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Ethnic divisions

40% mixed Maur/black, 30% Maur, 30% black

Infant mortality rate

96 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Labor force

465,000 (1981 est.); 45,000 wage earners (1980); 47% agriculture, 29% services, 14% industry and commerce, 10% government; 53% of population of working age (1985)

Language

Hasaniya Arabic (national); French (official); Toucouleur, Fula, Sarakole, Wolof

Life expectancy at birth

44 years male, 49 years female (1990)

Literacy

17%

Nationality

noun--Mauritanian(s); adjective--Mauritanian

Net migration rate

0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)

Organized labor

30,000 members claimed by single union, Mauritanian Workers' Union

Population

1,934,549 (July 1990), growth rate 3.1% (1990)

Religion

nearly 100% Muslim

Total fertility rate

7.3 children born/woman (1990)