STATISTICS: MAURITANIA

Mauritania Official name: Al-Jumhuriyah al-Islamiyah al-Muritaniyah (Arabic) (Islamic Republic of Mauritania). Form of government: unitary multiparty republic with two legislative houses (Senate ; National Assembly ). Head of state and government: President assisted by the Prime Minister. Capital: Nouakchott. Official language: Arabic{1}. Official religion: Islam. Monetary unit: 1 ouguiya (UM) = 5 khoums; valuation (Sept. 25, 1998) 1 U.S.$ = UM 208.83; 1 = UM 355.53. Demography Population (1998): 2,511,000. Density (1998): persons per sq mi 6.3, persons per sq km 2.4. Urban-rural (1995): urban 53.8%; rural 46.2%. Sex distribution (1995): male 49.52%; female 50.48%. Age breakdown (1995): under 15, 43.1%; 15-29, 27.3%; 30-44, 16.1%; 45-59, 8.3%; 60-74, 4.3%; 75 and over, 0.9%. Population projection: (2000) 2,660,000; (2010) 3,582,000. Doubling time: 22 years. Ethnic composition (1993){2}: Moor 70% (of which about 40% "black" Moor [Haratin, or African Sudanic] and about 30% "white" Moor [Bidan, or Arab-Berber]); other black African 30% (mostly Wolof, Tukulor, Soninke, and Fulani). Religious affiliation (1994): Sunni Muslim 99.5%; Roman Catholic 0.2%; other 0.3%. Major cities (1992): Nouakchott 735,000{3}; Nouadhibou 72,305; Kadi 35,241; Kiffa 29,292{4}; Rosso 27,783{4}. Vital statistics Birth rate per 1,000 population (1996): 46.9 (world avg. 25.0). Death rate per 1,000 population (1996): 15.2 (world avg. 9.3). Natural increase rate per 1,000 population (1996): 31.7 (world avg. 15.7). Total fertility rate (avg. births per childbearing woman; 1996): 6.8. Life expectancy at birth (1996): male 46.1 years; female 52.1 years. National economy Budget (1996). Revenue: UM 44,720,000,000 (tax revenue 59.0%, of which import taxes 12.6% value-added taxes 10.8%, taxes on wages 8.4%; nontax revenue 39.1%, of which fishing royalties and penalties 31.6%). Expenditures: UM 36,740,000,000 (current expenditures 71.3%, of which interest on public debt 13.4%, defense 10.0%; development expenditures 22.5%; other 6.2%). Land use (1994): forested 4.3%; meadows and pastures 38.3%; agricultural and under permanent cultivation 0.2%; desert 57.2%. Production (metric tons except as noted). Agriculture, forestry, fishing (1996): sorghum 144,900, rice 52,800, dates 35,900, pulses 12,000, millet 7,500; livestock (number of live animals) 6,199,000 sheep, 4,133,000 goats, 1,312,000 cattle, 1,087,000 camels; roundwood (1995) 14,000 cu m; fish catch (metric tons; 1995) 90,000, of which octopuses 31,700{5}. Mining and quarrying (gross weight; 1996): iron ore 11,363,000; gold 57,900 troy oz{3}. Manufacturing (1994): cow's milk 91,000; goat's milk 77,000; meat 61,000, of which fresh beef and veal 18,000; hides and skins 4,318; cement, tiles, and bricks 5.9{6}; fabricated metal products 5.4{6}; paper and paper products 2.1{6}. Construction: n.a. Energy production (consumption): electricity (kW-hr; 1994) 148,000,000 (148,000,000); coal (metric tons; 1994) none (6,000); crude petroleum (barrels; 1994) none (6,905,000); petroleum products (metric tons; 1994) 835,000 (918,000); natural gas, none (none). Population economically active (1994): total 687,000; activity rate of total population 31.3% (participation rates: over age 10 45.5%; female 22.9%). Household income and expenditure. Average household size, n.a.; expenditure (1990): food and beverages 73.1%, clothing and footwear 8.1%, energy and water 7.7%, transportation and communications 2.0%. Gross national product (1996): U.S.$1,089,000,000 (U.S.$470 per capita). Public debt (external, outstanding; 1996): U.S.$2,073,000,000. Tourism (1996): receipts U.S.$2,000,000; expenditures U.S.$13,600,000. Foreign trade Imports (1996): U.S.$435,400,000 (petroleum products 30.5%, private sector foodstuffs 22.4%, imports for National Industrial and Mining Company 20.8%, public sector food aid 12.7%). Major import sources (1995){7}: France 24%; Spain 8%; United States 7%; Belgium 6%; China 5%. Exports (1996): U.S.$485,200,000 (fish 57.0%, of which cephalopods 28.8%; iron ore 42.7%). Major export destinations (1995){7}: Japan 27%; Italy 18%; France 12%; Spain 11%; Cte d'Ivoire 6%. Transport Transport. Railroads (1995): route length 437 mi, 704 km; passenger-km, negligible; (1993) metric ton-km cargo 6,890,000,000. Roads (1995): total length 4,700 mi, 7,600 km (paved 11%). Vehicles (1995): passenger cars 17,300; trucks and buses 9,210. Merchant marine (1992): vessels (100 gross tons and over) 126; total deadweight tonnage 23,875. Air transport (1996){8}: passenger-km 224,736,000; metric ton-km cargo 16,420,000; airports (1997) with scheduled flights 9. Education and health Educational attainment (1988). Percentage of population age 25 and over having: no formal schooling 60.8%; primary and incomplete secondary 34.1%; secondary 3.8%; higher 1.3%. Literacy (1995): percentage of total population age 15 and over literate 37.7%; males literate 49.6%; females literate 26.3%. Health: physicians (1994) c. 200 (1 per 11,085 persons); hospital beds (1988) 1,556 (1 per 1,217 persons); infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births (1996) 81.7. Food (1995): daily per capita caloric intake 2,592 (vegetable products 83%, animal products 17%); 112% of FAO recommended minimum requirement. Military Total active duty personnel (1996): 15,650 (army 95.8%, navy 3.2%, air force 1.0%). Military expenditure as percentage of GNP (1995): 3.2% (world 2.8%); per capita expenditure U.S.$15. {1} The 1991 constitution names Arabic as the official language and the following as national languages: Arabic, Fulani, Soninke, and Wolof. {2} Estimated figures; 1988 census data for ethnicity/race not released by the government. {3} 1995. {4} 1988. {5} Fish catch (1995) including foreign fishing vessels equals 424,500 metric tons. {6} 1993 value added of production in U.S.$'000,000. {7} Estimated figures. {8} Data represent 1/11 of the total scheduled traffic of Air Afrique.