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. Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA seized power in a coup in 1984 and ruled Mauritania with a heavy hand for more than two decades. A series of presidential elections that he held were widely seen as flawed. A bloodless coup in August 2005 deposed President TAYA and ushered in a military council that oversaw a transition to democratic rule. Independent candidate Sidi Ould Cheikh ABDALLAHI was inaugurated in April 2007 as Mauritania's first freely and fairly elected president. His term ended prematurely in August 2008 when a military junta led by General Mohamed Ould Abdel AZIZ deposed him and installed a military council government. AZIZ was subsequently elected president in July 2009 and sworn in the following month. AZIZ sustained injuries from an accidental shooting by his own troops in October 2012 but has continued to maintain his authority. The country continues to experience ethnic tensions among its black population (Afro-Mauritanians) and white and black Moor (Arab-Berber) communities and is having to confront a growing terrorism threat by al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

Geographic coordinates: 20 00 N 12 00 W

Area
Rank: 29
Land: 1,030,700 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico

Land boundaries
Border countries: (4) Algeria 463 km; Mali 2,237 km; Senegal 813 km; Western Sahara 1561 km

Coastline: 754 km

Maritime claims
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

Elevation
Extremes highest point: Kediet Ijill 915 m

Natural resources: iron ore gypsum copper phosphate diamonds gold oil fish

Land use
Permanent crops: 0.01%
Other: 99.55% (2011)

Irrigated land: 450.1 km² (2004)

Total renewable water resources: 11.4 km³ (2011)

Natural hazards: hot dry dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April; periodic droughts

Geography
Note: most of the population is concentrated in the cities of Nouakchott and Nouadhibou and along the Senegal River in the southern part of the country

Population: 3,437,610 (July 2013 est.)
Rank: 134
Growth rate: 2.29% (2013 est.)
Growth rate rank: 37
Below poverty line: 40% (2004 est.)

Nationality
Adjective: Mauritanian

Ethnic groups: mixed Moor/black 40% Moor 30% black 30%

Languages: Arabic (official and national) Pulaar Soninke Wolof (all national languages) French Hassaniya

Religions: Muslim (official) 100%

Age structure
15-24 years: 20% (male 335,998/female 351,367)
25-54 years: 32.2% (male 512,045/female 595,195)
55-64 years: 4.5% (male 68,960/female 84,303)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 51,736/female 70,186) (2013 est.)

Dependency ratios
Youth dependency ratio: 70.7 %
Elderly dependency ratio: 5.6 %
Potential support ratio: 17.9 (2013)

Median age
Male: 18.8 years
Female: 20.7 years (2013 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.29% (2013 est.)
Rank: 37

Birth rate: 32.31 births/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 36

Death rate: 8.5 deaths/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 83

Net migration rate: -0.87 migrant(s)/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 146

Urbanization
Rate of urbanization: 2.91% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: NOUAKCHOTT (capital) 709,000 (2009)

Environment
Current issues: overgrazing deforestation and soil erosion aggravated by drought are contributing to desertification; limited natural freshwater resources away from the Senegal which is the only perennial river; locust infestation
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.86 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.82 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2013 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 21.9 (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 31
Male: 62.51 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 52.3 deaths/1000 live births (2013 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 188
Male: 59.65 years
Female: 64.23 years (2013 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.15 children born/woman (2013 est.)
Rank: 36

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 9.3% (2007)

Drinking water source:

Physicians density: 0.13 physicians/1000 population (2009)

Hospital bed density: 0.4 beds/1000 population (2006)

Sanitation facility access:

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.7% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 60
People living with hivaids: 14,000 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 87
Deaths: fewer than 1000 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 76

Major infectious diseases
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea hepatitis A and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever
Respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
Animal contact disease: rabies (2013)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 12.7% (2008)
Rank: 127

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 15.9% (2008)
Rank: 48

Education expenditures: 3.9% of GDP (2011)
Rank: 114

Literacy
Total population: 58.6%
Male: 65.3%
Female: 52% (2011 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Male: 8 years
Female: 8 years (2011)

Country name
Conventional short form: Mauritania
Local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Islamiyah al Muritaniyah
Local short form: Muritaniyah

Government type: military junta

Capital
Geographic coordinates: 18 04 N 15 58 W
Time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions: 13 regions (wilayas singular - wilaya); 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: previous 1964; latest adopted 12 July 1991; amended 2006 2012 (2012)

Legal system: mixed legal system of Islamic and French civil law

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Head of government: Prime Minister Moulaye Ould Mohamed LAGHDAF (since 14 August 2008)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held on 18 July 2009 (next to be held by 2014)
Election results: percent of vote - Mohamed Ould Abdel AZIZ 52.6% Messaoud Ould BOULKHEIR 16.3% Ahmed Ould DADDAH 13.7% other 17.4%

Legislative branch: bicameral legislature consists of the Senate or Majlis al-Shuyukh (56 seats; 53 members elected by municipal leaders and 3 members elected for Mauritanians abroad to serve six-year terms; a portion of seats up for election every two years) and the National Assembly or Al Jamiya Al Wataniya (95 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
Elections: Senate - last held in November 2009; National Assembly - last held on 19 November and 3 December 2006 (election scheduled for 16 October 2011 postponed rescheduled for 31 March 2012 and then postponed indefinitely)
Election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPM (Coalition of Majority Parties) 45 COD 7 RNRD-TAWASSOUL 4; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPM 63 (UPR 50 PRDR 7 UDP 3 HATEM-PMUC 2 RD 1) COD 27 (RFD 9 UFP 6 APP 6 PNDD-ADIL 6) RNRD-TAWASSOUL 4 FP 1

Judicial branch
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court president appointed by the president of the republic to serve a 5-year renewable term; Constitutional Council members appointed - 3 by the president of the republic 2 by the president of the National Assembly and 1 by the president of the Senate; members serve single 9-year terms with one-third of membership renewed every 3 years
Subordinate courts: High Court of Justice (cases involving treason and criminal acts of high government officials); courts of appeal; wilaya (regional) courts (located at the headquarters of each of the 13 regions); commercial and labor courts; criminal courts; moughataa (district) courts; informal/customary courts

Political parties and leaders: Union of the Forces for Progress or UFP [Mohamed Ould MAOULOUD]

International organization participation: ABEDA ACP AfDB AFESD AMF AMU AU CAEU (candidate) EITI (compliant country) FAO G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO (pending member) ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO (correspondent) ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) LAS MIGA NAM OIC OIF OPCW UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNWTO UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chancery: 2,129 Leroy Place NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 232-5,700 through 5,701
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 319-2,623
From the us embassy: 288 Rue Abdallaye Rue 42-100 (between Presidency building and Spanish Embassy) Nouakchott
From the us mailing address: BP 222 Nouakchott
From the us telephone: [222] 4,525-2,660 through 2,663
From the us FAX: [222] 4,525-1592

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; the gold color stands for the sands of the Sahara

National symbols: star and crescent

National anthem
Lyrics and music: Baba Ould CHEIKH/traditional arranged by Tolia NIKIPROWETZKY

Economy overview: Half the population still depends on agriculture and livestock for a livelihood even though many of the nomads and subsistence farmers were forced into the cities by recurrent droughts in the 1970s and 1980s. Mauritania has extensive deposits of iron ore which account for nearly 40% of total exports. 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. Before 2000 drought and economic mismanagement resulted in a buildup of foreign debt. In February 2000 Mauritania qualified for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative and nearly all of its foreign debt has since been forgiven. A new investment code approved in December 2001 improved the opportunities for direct foreign investment. Mauritania and the IMF agreed to a three-year Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) arrangement in 2006. Mauritania made satisfactory progress but the IMF World Bank and other international actors suspended assistance and investment in Mauritania after the August 2008 coup. Since the presidential election in July 2009 donors have resumed assistance. Oil prospects while initially promising have largely failed to materialize and the government has placed a priority on attracting private investment to spur economic growth. The government also emphasizes reduction of poverty improvement of health and education and privatization of the economy. Economic growth remained around 5% in 2010-12 mostly because of rising prices of gold copper iron ore and oil.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 157

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 31

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 190

Gross national saving:
Rank: 41

Gdp composition by end use
Government consumption: 21.8%
Investment in fixed capital: 64.5%
Investment in inventories: -8.9%
Exports of goods and services: 58.6%
Imports of goods and services: -90.7%: (2012 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Industry: 53.4%
Services: 29.9% (2012 est.)

Agriculture products: dates millet sorghum rice corn; cattle sheep

Industries: fish processing oil production mining (iron ore gold and copper)

Industrial production growth rate: 14.7% (2012 est.)
Rank: 4

Labor force: 1.318 million (2007)
Rank: 136
By occupation industry: 10%
By occupation services: 40% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate: 20% (2004 est.)
Rank: 182

Population below poverty line: 40% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Highest 10: 29.5% (2000)

Distribution of family income gini index: 37.3 (1995)
Rank: 67

Budget
Expenditures: $1.449 billion (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit: 2.9% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 17

Taxes and other revenues: 40.2% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 47

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 5.6% (2011 est.)
Rank: 143

Central bank discount rate: 12% (31 December 2007)
Rank: 17

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 17% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 29

Stock of domestic credit: $1.743 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 142

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

Current account balance: $-310.2 million (2011 est.)
Rank: 122

Exports: $2.814 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 135
Commodities: iron ore fish and fish products gold copper petroleum
Partners: China 50.5% Italy 7.8% Japan 7.3% France 4.9% Spain 4.2% Cote dIvoire 4.1% Netherlands 4% (2012)

Imports: $2.533 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 144
Commodities: machinery and equipment petroleum products capital goods foodstuffs consumer goods
Partners: China 12.9% Netherlands 10.5% US 7.8% France 7.8% Brazil 5.6% Germany 5.5% Spain 5.1% Belgium 4.7% (2012)

Debt external: $2.709 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 138

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 701 million kWh (2010 est.)
Production rank: 154
Consumption: 651.9 million kWh (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 161
Exports: 0 kWh (2012 est.)
Exports rank: 104
Imports: 0 kWh (2012 est.)
Imports rank: 215
Installed generating capacity: 263,000 kW (2010 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 152
Generation sources fossil fuels: 63.1% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 128
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 140
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 36.9% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 62
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 204

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 6,577 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 96
Crude oil exports: 7,337 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 62
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 94
Crude oil proven reserves: 20 million bbl (1 January 2013 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 84

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products production rank: 207
Products consumption: 18,120 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 133
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products exports rank: 198
Products imports: 12,810 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products imports rank: 125

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Production rank: 168
Consumption: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 173
Exports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 149
Imports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 98
Proven reserves: 28.32 billion m³ (1 January 2013 es)
Proven reserves rank: 71

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 1.774 million Mt (2011 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 151

Telephones
Main lines in use: 65,100 (2012)
Main lines in use rank: 158
Mobile cellular: 4.024 million (2012)
Mobile cellular rank: 121

Telephone system
Domestic: Mauritel the national telecommunications company was privatized in 2001 but remains the monopoly provider of fixed-line services; fixed-line teledensity 2 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular network coverage extends mainly to urban areas with a teledensity of roughly 100 per 100 persons; mostly cable and open-wire lines; a domestic satellite telecommunications system links Nouakchott with regional capitals
International: country code - 222; satellite earth stations - 3 (1 Intelsat - Atlantic Ocean 2 Arabsat); fiber-optic and Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) cables for Internet access (2009)

Broadcast media: broadcast media state-owned; 1 state-run TV and 1 state-run radio network; Television de Mauritanie the state-run TV station has an additional 6 regional TV stations that provide local programming (2008)

Internet
Country code: .mr
Hosts: 22 (2012)
Hosts rank: 220
Users: 75,000 (2009)
Users rank: 170

Military expenditures: 5.5% of GDP (2006)
Rank: 13

Military service age and obligation: 18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2012)

Airports: 30 (2013)
Rank: 116
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 5
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4 (2013)
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 10
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 8
With unpaved runways: 2 (2013)

Railways: 728 km
Standard gauge: 728 km 1.435-m gauge (2008)

Roadways
Rank: 133
Paved: 3,158 km
Unpaved: 7,470 km (2010)

Waterways: (some navigation is possible on the Senegal River) (2011)

Ports and terminals: Nouadhibou Nouakchott

Disputes international: Mauritanian claims to Western Sahara remain dormant