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| Introduction | Mauritania |
| 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. 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. Mauritania remains, in reality, a one-party state. The country continues to experience ethnic tensions between its black minority population and the dominant Maur (Arab-Berber) populace. |
| People | Mauritania |
| Population: | 2,998,563 (July 2004 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 45.9% (male 689,371; female 686,486) 15-64 years: 51.9% (male 767,551; female 788,520) 65 years and over: 2.2% (male 27,106; female 39,529) (2004 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 16.9 years male: 16.7 years female: 17.2 years (2004 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 2.91% (2004 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 41.79 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Death rate: | 12.74 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 72.35 deaths/1,000 live births female: 69.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 75.22 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 52.32 years male: 50.15 years female: 54.56 years (2004 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 6.01 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.6% (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 9,500 (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | less than 500 (2003 est.) |
| Major infectious diseases: | typhoid fever, malaria, Rift Valley fever overall degree of risk: very high (2004) |
| Nationality: | noun: Mauritanian(s) adjective: Mauritanian |
| Ethnic groups: | mixed Maur/black 40%, Maur 30%, black 30% |
| Religions: | Muslim 100% |
| Languages: | Hassaniya Arabic (official), Pulaar, Soninke, Wolof (official), French |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 41.7% male: 51.8% female: 31.9% (2003 est.) |
| Government | Mauritania |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Mauritania conventional short form: Mauritania local short form: Muritaniyah local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Islamiyah al Muritaniyah |
| Government type: | republic |
| Capital: | Nouakchott |
| 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 Shari'a (Islamic law) and French civil law |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA (since 12 December 1984) head of government: Prime Minister Sghair Ould M'BARECK (since 6 July 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 7 November 2003 (next to be held NA 2009); 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 branch: | bicameral legislature consists of the Senate or Majlis al-Shuyukh (56 seats, a part of the 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 12 April 2002 (next to be held NA April 2004); National Assembly - last held 19 and 26 October 2001 (next to be held NA 2006) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRDS 54, RFD 1, UNDD 1; 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 branch: | Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Court of Appeals; lower courts |
| Political parties and leaders: | Action for Change or AC [Messoud Ould BOULKHEIR]; Alliance for Justice and Democracy or AJD [Kebe ABDOULAYE]; Democratic and Social Republican Party or PRDS (ruling party) [President Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA]; Mauritanian Party for Renewal and Concorde or PMRC [Molaye El Hassen Ould JIYID]; National Union for Democracy and Development or UNDD [Tidjane KOITA]; Party for Liberty, Equality and Justice or PLEJ [Daouda M'BAGNIGA]; Popular Front or FP [Ch'bih Ould CHEIKH MALAININE]; Popular Progress Alliance or APP [Mohamed El Hafed Ould ISMAEL]; Popular Social and Democratic Union or UPSD [Mohamed Mahmoud Ould MAH]; Progress Force Union or UFP [Mohamed Ould MAOULOUD]; Rally of Democratic Forces or RFD [Ahmed Ould DADDAH]; Rally for Democracy and Unity or RDU [Ahmed Ould SIDI BABA]; Union for Democracy and Progress or UDP [Naha Mint MOUKNASS] note: the Action for Change party was banned in January 2002; parties legalized by constitution ratified 12 July 1991, however, politics continue to be tribally based |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | Arab nationalists; Ba'athists; General Confederation of Mauritanian Workers or CGTM [Abdallahi Ould MOHAMED, secretary general]; Independent Confederation of Mauritanian Workers or CLTM [Samory Ould BEYE]; Islamists; Mauritanian Workers Union or UTM [Mohamed Ely Ould BRAHIM, secretary general] |
| International organization participation: | ABEDA, ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, CAEU, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAS, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Mohamedou Ould MICHEL chancery: 2129 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 FAX: [1] (202) 319-2623 telephone: [1] (202) 232-5700, 5701 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph E. LEBARON embassy: 288 Rue Abdallaye (between Presidency building and Spanish Embassy), Nouakchott mailing address: BP 222, Nouakchott telephone: [222] 525-2660/525-2663 FAX: [222] 25-25-92 |
| 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 |
| Communications | Mauritania |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 31,500 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 300,000 (2003) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: limited system of cable and 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 broadcast stations: | AM 1, FM 14, shortwave 1 (2001) |
| Radios: | 410,000 (2001) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 1 (2002) |
| Televisions: | 98,000 (2001) |
| Internet country code: | .mr |
| Internet hosts: | 25 (2003) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 5 (2001) |
| Internet users: | 10,000 (2002) |
| Transportation | Mauritania |
| Railways: | 717 km standard gauge: 717 km 1.435-m gauge (2003) |
| Highways: | total: 7,720 km paved: 830 km unpaved: 6,890 km (2000) |
| Waterways: | some ferry traffic on Senegal River (2004) |
| Ports and harbors: | Bogue, Kaedi, Nouadhibou, Nouakchott, Rosso |
| Merchant marine: | none |
| Airports: | 24 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways: | total: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 16 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Military | Mauritania |
| Military branches: | Army, Navy (including Naval Infantry), Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Guard, National Police, Presidential Guard (BSSP) |
| Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 686,629 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 332,633 (2004 est.) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $40.8 million (2003) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 3.7% (2003) |
| Transnational Issues | Mauritania |
| Disputes - international: | Mauritanian claims to Western Sahara have been dormant in recent years |
| This page was last updated on 16 December, 2004 |
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