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:

• name: Nouakchott
• geographic coordinates: 18 07 N, 16 02 W
• time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Independence:

• 28 November 1960 (from France)

Government Type:

• Military Junta

Executive Branch:

• chief of state: President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz (since 5 August 2009)
• head of government: Prime Minister Moulaye Ould Mohamed Ladghdaf (since 14 August 2008)
• cabinet: Council of Ministers

Legislative Branch:

• structure: bicameral legislature consists of the Senate and the National Assembly

Judicial Branch:

• structure: Supreme Court; Court of Appeals; lower courts

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Population:

• 3,516,806 (global rank: 133)
• growth rate: 2.26% (global rank: 40)

Nationality:

• noun: Mauritanian(s)
• adjective: Mauritanian

Major Cities:

• Nouakchott (capital): 786,000

Ethnic Groups:

• mixed Moor/black 40%, Moor 30%, black 30%

Religions:

• Muslim (official) 100%

Languages:

• Arabic (official and national), Pulaar, Soninke, Wolof (all national languages), French, Hassaniya

Life Expectancy at Birth:

• total population: 62.28 years (global rank: 188)
• male: 60 years
• female: 64.63 years

Infant Mortality:

• total population: 56.06 deaths/1,000 live births (global rank: 28)
• male: 61.04 deaths/1,000 live births
• female: 50.93 deaths/1,000 live births

HIV/AIDS:

• adult prevalence rate: 0.4% (2012 est.) (global rank: 83)
• people living with AIDS: 10,500 (2012 est.) (global rank: 100)

Literacy:

• definition: age 15 and over can read and write
• total population: 58.6%
• male: 65.3%
• female: 52%

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Overview: Mauritania's economy is dominated by natural resources and agriculture. 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's extensive mineral resources include iron ore, gold, copper, gypsum, and phosphate rock and exploration is ongoing for uranium, crude oil, and natural gas. Extractive commodities make up 75% of Mauritania's total exports. The nation's coastal waters are among the richest fishing areas in the world, and fishing accounts for 20% of budget revenues, but overexploitation by foreigners threatens this key source of revenue. Risks to Mauritania's economy include its recurring exposure to droughts, dependence on foreign aid and investment, and insecurity in neighboring Mali, as well as significant shortages of infrastructure, institutional capacity, and human capital.

Gross Domestic Product:

• GDP (PPP): $8.204 billion (global rank: 156)
• GDP per capita (PPP): $2,200 (global rank: 190)
• real growth rate: 6.4% (global rank: 31)
• composition by sector: agriculture: 16.9%, industry: 54.6%, services: 28.5%

Currency:

• currency: Ouguiyas (MRO)
• exchange rate (per US Dollar): 298.1

Poverty:

• population below poverty line: 40%
• unemployment rate: 30%

Agricultural Products:

• dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn; cattle, sheep

Industries:

• fish processing, oil production, mining (iron ore, gold, and copper)

Exports Commodities:

• iron ore, fish and fish products, gold, copper, petroleum

Imports Commodities:

• machinery and equipment, petroleum products, capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods

Location:

• Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara

Area:

• total: 1,030,700 sq km (global rank: 29)
• land: 1,030,700 sq km
• water: 0 sq km
• comparative: slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico

Climate:

• desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty

Land Use:

• arable land: 0.44%
• permanent crops: 0.01%
• other: 99.55%

Natural Resources:

• iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold, oil, fish

Current Environmental 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

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• international disputes: Mauritanian claims to Western Sahara remain dormant
• refugees (country of origin): 26,001 (Western Saharan - Sahrawis); 52,647 (Mali)
  
• human trafficking: Mauritania is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to conditions of forced labor and sex trafficking; adults and children from traditional slave castes are subjected to slavery-related practices rooted in ancestral master-slave relationships; Mauritanian boys called talibe are trafficked within the country by religious teachers for forced begging; Mauritanian girls, as well as girls from Mali, Senegal, The Gambia, and other West African countries are forced into domestic servitude; Mauritanian women and girls are forced into prostitution in the country or transported to countries in the Middle East for the same purpose