238 lines
19 KiB
Plaintext
238 lines
19 KiB
Plaintext
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MAURITANIA
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 1,030,700 km2; land area: 1,030,400 km2
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Comparative area: slightly larger than three times the size of
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New Mexico
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Land boundaries: 5,074 km total; Algeria 463 km, Mali 2,237 km,
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Senegal 813 km, Western Sahara 1,561 km
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Coastline: 754 km
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Maritime claims:
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Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm;
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Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
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Territorial sea: 12 nm
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Disputes: boundary with Senegal
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Climate: desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty
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Terrain: mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central
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hills
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Natural resources: iron ore, gypsum, fish, copper, phosphate
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Land use: arable land 1%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and
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pastures 38%; forest and woodland 5%; other 56%; includes irrigated
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NEGL%
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Environment: hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily
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in March and April; desertification; only perennial river is the Senegal
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PEOPLE
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Population: 1,995,755 (July 1991), growth rate 3.1% (1991)
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Birth rate: 49 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 18 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 94 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 44 years male, 50 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 7.2 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Mauritanian(s); adjective--Mauritanian
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Ethnic divisions: mixed Maur/black 40%, Maur 30%, black 30%
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Religion: Muslim, nearly 100%
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Language: Hasaniya Arabic (national); French (official);
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Toucouleur, Fula, Sarakole, Wolof
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Literacy: 34% (male 47%, female 21%) age 10 and over can
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read and write (1990 est.)
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Labor force: 465,000 (1981 est.); 45,000 wage earners (1980);
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agriculture 47%, services 29%, industry and commerce 14%, government 10%;
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53% of population of working age (1985)
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Organized labor: 30,000 members claimed by single union,
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Mauritanian Workers' Union
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Islamic Republic of Mauritania
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Type: republic; military first seized power in bloodless coup
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10 July 1978; a palace coup that took place on 12 December 1984 brought
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President Taya to power
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Capital: Nouakchott
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Administrative divisions: 12 regions (regions,
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singular--region); Adrar, Brakna, Dakhlet Nouadhibou, El Acaba,
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Gorgol, Guidimaka, Hodh ech Chargui, Hodh el Gharbi, Inchiri, Tagant,
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Tiris Zemmour, Trarza; note--there may be a new capital district of
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Nouakchott
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Independence: 28 November 1960 (from France)
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Constitution: 20 May 1961, abrogated after coup of 10 July 1978;
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provisional constitution published 17 December 1980 but abandoned in
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1981; new constitutional charter published 27 February 1985
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Legal system: based on Islamic law
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National holiday: Independence Day, 28 November (1960)
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Executive branch: president, Military Committee for National
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Salvation (CMSN), Council of Ministers (cabinet)
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Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee
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Nationale), dissolved after 10 July 1978 coup; legislative power
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resides with the CMSN
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Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
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Leaders:
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Chief of State and Head of Government--President Col. Maaouya Ould
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SidAhmed TAYA (since 12 December 1984)
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Political parties and leaders: suspended
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Suffrage: none
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Elections: last presidential election August 1976; National
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Assembly dissolved 10 July 1978; no national elections are scheduled
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Communists: no Communist party, but there is a scattering of Maoist
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sympathizers
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Member of: ABEDA, ACCT (associate), ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU,
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CAEU, CCC, CEAO, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, IDA,
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IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS,
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NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Abdellah OULD DADDAH;
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Chancery at 2129 Leroy Place NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202)
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232-5700;
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US--Ambassador William H. TWADDELL; Embassy at address NA,
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Nouakchott (mailing address is B. P. 222, Nouakchott); telephone 222
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(2) 252-660 or 252-663
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Flag: green with a yellow five-pointed star above a yellow,
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horizontal crescent; the closed side of the crescent is down; the
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crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam
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ECONOMY
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Overview: A majority of the population still depends on agriculture
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and livestock for a livelihood, even though most of the nomads and many
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subsistence farmers were forced into the cities by recurrent droughts in
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the 1970s and 1980s. Mauritania has extensive deposits of iron ore that
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account for almost 50% of total exports. The decline in world demand for
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this ore, however, has led to cutbacks in production. The nation's
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coastal waters are among the richest fishing areas in the world, but
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overexploitation by foreigners threatens this key source of revenue. The
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country's first deepwater port opened near Nouakchott in 1986. In recent
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years, the droughts, the conflict with Senegal, rising energy costs,
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and economic mismanagement have resulted in a substantial buildup of
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foreign debt. The government now has begun the second stage of an
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economic reform program in consultation with the World Bank, the IMF,
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and major donor countries.
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GDP: $942 million, per capita $500; real growth rate 3.5% (1989
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est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.2% (1989 est.)
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Unemployment rate: 21% (1989 est.)
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Budget: revenues $280 million; expenditures $346 million, including
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capital expenditures of $61 million (1989 est.)
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Exports: $519 million (f.o.b., 1989);
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commodities--iron ore, processed fish, small amounts of gum arabic
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and gypsum, unrecorded but numerically significant cattle exports to
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Senegal;
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partners--EC 57%, Japan 39%, Ivory Coast 2%
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Imports: $567 million (c.i.f., 1989);
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commodities--foodstuffs, consumer goods, petroleum products,
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capital goods;
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partners--EC 79%, Africa 5%, US 4%, Japan 2%
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External debt: $2.3 billion (December 1989)
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Industrial production: growth rate 4.4% (1988 est.); accounts
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for 10% of GDP
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Electricity: 189,000 kW capacity; 136 million kWh produced,
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70 kWh per capita (1989)
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Industries: fishing, fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum
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Agriculture: accounts for 29% of GDP (including fishing); largely
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subsistence farming and nomadic cattle and sheep herding except in
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Senegal river valley; crops--dates, millet, sorghum, root crops; fish
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products number-one export; large food deficit in years of drought
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Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $168
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million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
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(1970-88), $1.2 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $490 million;
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Communist countries (1970-89), $277 million
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Currency: ouguiya (plural--ouguiya); 1 ouguiya (UM) = 5 khoums
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Exchange rates: ouguiya (UM) per US$1--77.450 (January 1991),
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80.609 (1990), 83.051 (1989), 75.261 (1988), 73.878 (1987), 74.375
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(1986), 77.085 (1985)
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Fiscal year: calendar year
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: 670 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, single track, owned
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and operated by government mining company
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Highways: 7,525 km total; 1,685 km paved; 1,040 km gravel, crushed
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stone, or otherwise improved; 4,800 km unimproved roads, trails, tracks
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Inland waterways: mostly ferry traffic on the Senegal River
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Ports: Nouadhibou, Nouakchott
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Merchant marine: 1 cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
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1,290 GRT/1,840 DWT
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Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 30 total, 29 usable; 9 with permanent-surface runways;
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none with runways over 3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 17 with
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runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: poor system of cable and open-wire lines, minor
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radio relay links, and radio communications stations; 5,200 telephones;
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stations--2 AM, no FM, 1 TV; satellite earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean
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INTELSAT and 2 ARABSAT, with a third planned
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National
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Guard, National Police, Presidential Guard, Nomad Security Guard
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 423,501; 206,733 fit for
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military service; conscription law not implemented
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Defense expenditures: $37 million, 4.2% of GDP (1987)
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