1991 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1991 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty
Coastline
754 km
Comparative area
slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico
Disputes
boundary with Senegal
Environment
hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April; desertification; only perennial river is the Senegal
Land boundaries
5,074 km total; Algeria 463 km, Mali 2,237 km, Senegal 813 km, Western Sahara 1,561 km
Land use
arable land 1%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 38%; forest and woodland 5%; other 56%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Maritime claims
Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm; Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural resources
iron ore, gypsum, fish, copper, phosphate
Terrain
mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills
Total area
1,030,700 km2; land area: 1,030,400 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
49 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate
18 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Ethnic divisions
mixed Maur/black 40%, Maur 30%, black 30%
Infant mortality rate
94 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Labor force
465,000 (1981 est.); 45,000 wage earners (1980); agriculture 47%, services 29%, industry and commerce 14%, government 10%; 53% of population of working age (1985)
Language
Hasaniya Arabic (national); French (official); Toucouleur, Fula, Sarakole, Wolof
Life expectancy at birth
44 years male, 50 years female (1991)
Literacy
34% (male 47%, female 21%) age 10 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Nationality
noun--Mauritanian(s); adjective--Mauritanian
Net migration rate
0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Organized labor
30,000 members claimed by single union, Mauritanian Workers' Union
Population
1,995,755 (July 1991), growth rate 3.1% (1991)
Religion
Muslim, nearly 100%
Total fertility rate
7.2 children born/woman (1991)
Government
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 [222] (2) 252-660 or 252-663
Elections
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)
Leaders
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Col. Maaouya 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
ABEDA, ACCT (associate), ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CAEU, CCC, CEAO, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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 12 December 1984 brought President Taya to power
Economy
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
Budget
revenues $280 million; expenditures $346 million, including capital expenditures of $61 million (1989 est.)
Currency
ouguiya (plural--ouguiya); 1 ouguiya (UM) = 5 khoums
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $168 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $1.2 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $490 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $277 million
Electricity
189,000 kW capacity; 136 million kWh produced, 70 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
ouguiya (UM) per US$1--77.450 (January 1991), 80.609 (1990), 83.051 (1989), 75.261 (1988), 73.878 (1987), 74.375 (1986), 77.085 (1985)
Exports
$519 million (f.o.b., 1989); 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
$942 million, per capita $500; real growth rate 3.5% (1989 est.)
Imports
$567 million (c.i.f., 1989); 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.); accounts for 10% of GDP
Industries
fishing, fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
8.2% (1989 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 droughts in the 1970s and 1980s. 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. 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. In recent years, the droughts, the conflict with Senegal, rising energy costs, and economic mismanagement have resulted in a substantial buildup of foreign debt. The government now has begun the second stage of an economic reform program in consultation with the World Bank, the IMF, and major donor countries.
Unemployment rate
21% (1989 est.)
Communications
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 1,290 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
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Guard, National Police, Presidential Guard, Nomad Security Guard
Defense expenditures
$37 million, 4.2% of GDP (1987) _%_
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 423,501; 206,733 fit for military service; conscription law not implemented