1981 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1981 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Area
1,085,210 km*; less than 1% suitable for crops, 10% pasture, 90% desert
Coastline
754 km
Land boundaries
5,118 km
Limits of territorial waters (claimed)
70 nm (fishing, 200 nm; exclusive economic zone 200 nm)
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
30% Moor, 30% Black, 40% mixed Moor/Black
Labor force
about 95,000 wage earners (1979); remainder of population in farming and herding; considerable unemployment
Language
Arabic is the national language, French is the working language for government and commerce
Literacy
about 17%
Nationality
noun — Mauritanian(s); adjective — Mauritanian
Organized labor
30,000 union members claimed by single union, Mauritanian Workers' Union
Population
1,561,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 1.9%
Religion
nearly 100% Muslim
Government
Branches
executive, Military Committee for National Salvation rules by decree; National Assembly and judiciary suspended pending restoration of civilian rule
Capital
Nouakchott
Communists
no Communist party, but there is a scattering of Maoist sympathizers
Elections
in abeyance; last presidential election August Political parties and leaders: suspended
Government leader
Chief of State and Head of Government, Lt. Col. Mohamed Khouna Ould HAIDALLA
Legal system
based on French and Islamic law; military constitution April 1979
Member of
AFDB, AIOEC, Arab League, CEAO, CIPEC (associate), EAMA, EIB (associate), FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMCO, IMF, IPU, ISCON, ITU, NAM, OAU, OMVS (Organization for the Development of the Senegal River Valley), UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
National holiday
Independence Day, 28 November
NOTE
Mauritania acquired administrative control of the southern third of Western (formerly Spanish) Sahara under a 1975 agreement with Morocco and Spain. Following an August 1979 peace agreement with Polisario insurgents fighting for control of Western Sahara, Mauritania withdrew from the territory and renounced all territorial claims.
Official name
Islamic Republic of Mauritania
Political subdivisions
12 regions and a capital district
Suffrage
universal for adults
Type
republic; military seized power in bloodless coup 10 July 1978
Economy
Agriculture
most Mauritanians are nomads or subsistence farmers; main products — livestock, cereals, vegetables, dates; cash crops — gum arabic
Budget
$204 million (budgeted) current expenditures, $10.5 million capital expenditures, $114.9 million extra budgetary expenditure, $140.4 million revenue (1980)
Electric power
70,000 kW capacity (1980); 105 million kWh produced (1980), 69 kWh per capita
Exports
$194 million (f.o.b., 1980 prelim.); iron ore, fish
Fiscal year
calendar year
Fishing
local catch, 34,170 metric tons (1980 est.); exports, 42,000 metric tons (1980 est.)
GDP
about $689 million (1980 est), $400 per capita, average annual increase in current prices about 11% (1974-80)
Imports
$307 million (f.o.b., 1980); foodstuffs, petroleum, capital goods
Major industries
mining of iron ore and gypsum, fishing
Major trade partners
(trade figures not complete because Mauritania has a form of customs union with Senegal and much local trade unreported) France and other EC members, UK, and US are main overseas partners
Monetary conversion rate
48.66 Ouguiyas=US$l as of November 1981
Communications
Railroads
650 km standard gauge (1.435 m), single track, privately owned