Mauritania
Type of Government: Republic
Independence: 1960 and France
Head of State: Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdellahi (since April 19, 2007)
2007/2008 UN Development Index ranking (out of 177 countries): 137
2007 TI Corruption Perception Index (out of 179): 123
Political Development: Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed Taya seized power in a coup in 1984. Opposition parties were legalized and a new constitution approved in 1991. Two multiparty presidential elections since then were widely seen as flawed, but October 2001 legislative and municipal elections were generally free and open. A bloodless coup in August 2005 deposed President Taya and ushered in a military council, which declared it would remain in power for up to two years while it created conditions for genuine democratic institutions and organized elections. Accordingly, parliamentary elections were held in late 2006-early 2007 and presidential elections in March 2007. The country continues to experience ethnic tensions among its black population and different Moor (Arab-Berber) communities.
Adult HIV Rate: 0.6%
Life Expectancy: 53.51
GDP: $1.569 billion
Inflation: 7%
Poverty: 40%
Petroleum: 75,000 bpd
Leading Export Partner: China (26.3%)
Economic Note: 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. Mauritania has an estimated 1 billion barrels of proved reserves. Substantial oil production and exports began in early 2006 and averaged 75,000 barrels per day for the year. Meantime the government emphasizes reduction of poverty, improvement of health and education, and promoting privatization of the economy.
