Country
Mauritania Vietnam
Leader
Population
3,437,610 92,477,857
Life Expectancy
61.910 years 72.650 years
Capital City
Nouakchott Hanoi
Largest city
Nouakchott (population: 661,400) Thanh pho Ho Chi Minh (population: 3,467,330)
Human Development Index
0.557 0.718 GDP per capita $2,100 US $3,500 US
Literacy Rate
51.2% 90.3%
Corruption Perception Index
2.8 2.7
Percentage of Women in Parliament
19.9% 25.8% Wealthiest Citizens Unemployment Rate 30.000% 4.500%
Death Penalty
Abolished in practice Legal
Political System
military junta Communist state
Independence date
28 November 1960 (from France) 2 September 1945 (from France) Religions Muslim 100% Buddhist 9.3%, Catholic 6.7%, Hoa Hao 1.5%, Cao Dai 1.1%, Protestant 0.5%, Muslim 0.1%, none 80.8% (1999 census) Languages Arabic (official and national), Pulaar, Soninke, Wolof (all national languages), French, Hassaniya Vietnamese (official), English (increasingly favored as a second language), some French, Chinese, and Khmer; mountain area languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian) Exports iron ore, fish and fish products, gold, copper, petroleum crude oil, marine products, rice, coffee, rubber, tea, garments, shoes External Debt $2,942,000,000 $ $41,850,000,000 US Exchange Rate ouguiyas (MRO) per US dollar - NA (2007), 271.3 (2006), 267.04 (2005), 265.8 (2004), 263.03 (2003) dong (VND) per US dollar - 16,548.3 (2008 est.), 16,119 (2007), 15,983 (2006), 15,746 (2005), NA (2004) Military Budget as percentage of GDP 5.500% 2.500% Beijing Olympics Medal Count 0 1 Location Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, alongside China, Laos, and Cambodia Area 1,030,700 km sq 331,210 km sq Coastline 754 km 3,444 km Climate desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (May to September) and warm, dry season (October to March)
