|
Country
|
Mauritania |
|
|
Leader
|
President: Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz
|
Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by a governor Prime minister: Ralph Gonsalves
|
|
Population
|
3,359,185
| 103,537
|
|
Life Expectancy
|
61.530 years
| 74.390 years
|
|
Capital City
|
Nouakchott
|
|
|
Largest city
|
| Nouakchott (population: 661,400) | Kingstown (population: 24,518) |
|
Human Development Index
|
0.557
| 0.766
|
| GDP per capita |
$2,200 US
|
|
|
Literacy Rate
|
51.2%
| 96%
|
|
Corruption Perception Index
|
2.8
| 6.5
|
|
Percentage of Women in Parliament
|
19.9%
| 18.2%
|
| Wealthiest Citizens |
|
|
| Unemployment Rate |
30.000%
|
|
|
Death Penalty
|
Abolished in practice
| Legal
|
| |
|
Political System
|
military junta
| parliamentary democracy
|
|
Independence date
|
28 November 1960 (from France)
|
|
| Religions |
Muslim 100%
| Anglican 47%, Methodist 28%, Roman Catholic 13%, other (includes Hindu, Seventh-Day Adventist, other Protestant) 12%
|
| Languages |
Arabic (official and national), Pulaar, Soninke, Wolof (all national languages), French, Hassaniya
| English, French patois
|
| Exports |
iron ore, fish and fish products, gold, copper, petroleum
|
|
| External Debt |
$2,816,000,000 $
|
|
| Exchange Rate |
ouguiyas (MRO) per US dollar - NA (2007), 271.3 (2006), 267.04 (2005), 265.8 (2004), 263.03 (2003)
|
|
| Military Budget as percentage of GDP |
5.500%
|
|
| Beijing Olympics Medal Count |
|
|
| Location |
Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara
| Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago
|
| Area |
1,030,700 km sq
| 389 km sq
|
| Coastline |
754 km
| 84 km
|
| Climate |
desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty
| tropical; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November)
|
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