| GEOGRAPHY |
| Country name: |
conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Mauritania
conventional short form: Mauritania
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Islamiyah al Muritaniyah
local short form: Muritaniyah |
| Capital: |
Nouakchott |
| Location: |
Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara |
| Geographic
Coordinates: |
20 00 N, 12 00 W |
| Area: |
total: 1,030,700 sq km
land: 1,030,400 sq km
water: 300 sq km |
| Area
Comparative: |
slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico |
| Land
Boundaries: |
total: 5,074 km
border countries: Algeria 463 km, Mali 2,237 km, Senegal 813 km, Western Sahara 1,561 km |
| Coastline: |
754 km |
| Maritime
Claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
|
| Climate: |
desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty |
| Terrain: |
mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills |
| Elavation
Extremes: |
lowest point: Sebkhet Te-n-Dghamcha -5 m
highest point: Kediet Ijill 915 m |
| Natural
Resources: |
iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold, oil, fish |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
republic |
| Administratives
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 9 and 16 April 2004 (next to be held April 2006); 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 - NA; 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 [Messoud Ould BOULKHEIR]; 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 although its members were permitted to keep their seats in the National Assembly; parties legalized by constitution ratified 12 July 1991, however, politics continue to be tribally based |
| PEOPLE |
| Population: |
3,086,859 (July 2005 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 45.8% (male 707,728/female 704,616)
15-64 years: 52% (male 792,589/female 813,763)
65 years and over: 2.2% (male 27,560/female 40,603) (2005 est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 16.98 years
male: 16.71 years
female: 17.24 years (2005 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Mauritanian(s)
adjective: Mauritanian |
| Ethnic groups: |
mixed Maur/black 40%, Moor 30%, black 30% |
| Religions: |
Muslim 100% |
| Languages: |
Arabic (official), Pulaar, Soninke, French, Hassaniya, Wolof |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| 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) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
1 (2002) |
| Internet country
code: |
.mr |
| Internet hosts: |
25 (2003) |
| Internet users: |
10,000 (2002) |
| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
717 km
standard gauge: 717 km 1.435-m gauge (2003) |
| Highways: |
total: 7,660 km
paved: 866 km
unpaved: 6,794 km (1999 est.) |
| Waterways: |
some ferry traffic on Senegal River (2004) |
| Pipelines: |
|
| Ports and harbors: |
Bogue, Kaedi, Nouadhibou, Nouakchott, Rosso |
| Merchant marine: |
|
| Airports: |
24 (2004 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.) |
| Heliports: |
|
