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 12December 1984); note - President TAYA deposed in a coup by theMilitary Council for Justice and Democracy led by Col. Ely OuldMohamed VALL on 3 August 2005head of government: Prime Minister Sidi Mohamed Ould BOUBAKAR (since8 August 2005)cabinet: Council of Ministerselections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term;election last held 7 November 2003 (next to be held NA 2009); primeminister appointed by the presidentelection results: President Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA reelectedfor 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) andthe National Assembly or Majlis al-Watani (81 seats; members electedby popular vote to serve five-year terms)elections: Senate - last held 9 and 16 April 2004 (next to be heldApril 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 byparty - 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 - PRDS64, 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 forJustice and Democracy or AJD [Kebe ABDOULAYE]; Democratic and SocialRepublican Party or PRDS (ruling party) [President Maaouya Ould SidAhmed TAYA]; Mauritanian Party for Renewal and Concorde or PMRC[Molaye El Hassen Ould JIYID]; National Union for Democracy andDevelopment or UNDD [Tidjane KOITA]; Party for Liberty, Equality andJustice or PLEJ [Daouda M'BAGNIGA]; Popular Front or FP [Ch'bih OuldCHEIKH MALAININE]; Popular Progress Alliance or APP [Messoud OuldBOULKHEIR]; Popular Social and Democratic Union or UPSD [MohamedMahmoud Ould MAH]; Progress Force Union or UFP [Mohamed OuldMAOULOUD]; Rally of Democratic Forces or RFD [Ahmed Ould DADDAH];Rally for Democracy and Unity or RDU [Ahmed Ould SIDI BABA]; Unionfor Democracy and Progress or UDP [Naha Mint MOUKNASS]note: the Action for Change party was banned in January 2002although its members were permitted to keep their seats in theNational Assembly; parties legalized by constitution ratified 12July 1991, however, politics continue to be tribally based
Political pressure groups and leaders:Arab nationalists; Ba'thists; General Confederation of MauritanianWorkers or CGTM [Abdallahi Ould MOHAMED, secretary general];Independent Confederation of Mauritanian Workers or CLTM [SamoryOuld BEYE]; Islamists; Mauritanian Workers Union or UTM [Mohamed ElyOuld BRAHIM, secretary general]
International organization participation:ABEDA, ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IBRD,ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member),ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW,UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:chief of mission: Ambassador Tijani Ould KERIMchancery: 2129 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008telephone: [1] (202) 232-5700, 5701FAX: [1] (202) 319-2623
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph E. LEBARON embassy: 288 Rue Abdallaye (between Presidency building and Spanish Embassy), Nouakchott mailing address: BP 222, Nouakchott telephone: [222] 525-2660/525-2663 FAX: [222] 25-25-92
Flag description:green with a yellow five-pointed star above a yellow, horizontalcrescent; the closed side of the crescent is down; the crescent,star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam
Economy Mauritania
Economy - overview:Half the population still depends on agriculture and livestock fora livelihood, even though many of the nomads and subsistence farmerswere forced into the cities by recurrent droughts in the 1970s and1980s. Mauritania has extensive deposits of iron ore, which accountfor nearly 40% of total exports. The decline in world demand forthis ore, however, has led to cutbacks in production. The nation'scoastal waters are among the richest fishing areas in the world, butoverexploitation by foreigners threatens this key source of revenue.The country's first deepwater port opened near Nouakchott in 1986.In the past, drought and economic mismanagement resulted in abuildup of foreign debt. In February 2000, Mauritania qualified fordebt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC)initiative and in December 2001 received strong support from donorand lending countries at a triennial Consultative Group review. In2001, exploratory oil wells in tracts 80 km offshore indicatedpotential extraction at current world oil prices. A new investmentcode approved in December 2001 improved the opportunities for directforeign investment. Ongoing negotiations with the IMF involveproblems of economic reforms and fiscal discipline. Substantial oilproduction and exports probably will not begin until 2006. Meantimethe government emphasizes reduction of poverty, improvement ofhealth and education, and promoting privatization of the economy.
GDP (purchasing power parity):$5.534 billion (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:3% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita:purchasing power parity - $1,800 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 25% industry: 29% services: 46% (2001 est.)
Labor force:786,000 (2001)
Labor force - by occupation:agriculture 50%, industry 10%, services 40% (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate:20% (2004 est.)
Population below poverty line:40% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.5% highest 10%: 30.2% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:37.3 (1995)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):7% (2003 est.)
Budget:revenues: $421 millionexpenditures: $378 million, including capital expenditures of $154million (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products:dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn, dates; cattle, sheep
Industries:fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum
Industrial production growth rate:2% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production:190.2 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 85.9% hydro: 14.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:176.9 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports:0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports:0 kWh (2002)
Oil - production:0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:24,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:NA
Oil - imports:NA
Exports:$541 million f.o.b. (2002)
Exports - commodities:iron ore, fish and fish products, gold
Exports - partners:Japan 13.1%, France 11%, Spain 9.7%, Germany 9.7%, Italy 9.6%,Belgium 7.5%, China 6.1%, Russia 4.6%, Cote d'Ivoire 4.1% (2004)
Imports:$860 million f.o.b. (2002)
Imports - commodities:machinery and equipment, petroleum products, capital goods,foodstuffs, consumer goods
Imports - partners:France 14.1%, US 7.6%, China 6.4%, Spain 5.8%, UK 4.6%, Germany4.3%, Belgium 4.2% (2004)
Debt - external:$2.5 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient:$220 million (2000)
Currency (code):ouguiya (MRO)
Currency code:MRO
Exchange rates:ouguiyas per US dollar - NA(2004), 263.03 (2003), 271.74 (2002),255.63 (2001), 238.92 (2000)
Fiscal year:calendar year
Communications Mauritania
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 communicationsstations (improvements being made)domestic: mostly cable and open-wire lines; a recently completeddomestic satellite telecommunications system links Nouakchott withregional capitalsinternational: country code - 222; satellite earth stations - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 2 Arabsat
Radio broadcast stations:AM 1, FM 14, shortwave 1 (2001)
Radios:410,000 (2001)
Television broadcast stations:1 (2002)
Televisions:98,000 (2001)
Internet country code:.mr
Internet hosts:25 (2003)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):5 (2001)
Internet users:10,000 (2002)
Transportation Mauritania
Railways: 717 km standard gauge: 717 km 1.435-m gauge (2004)
Highways: total: 7,660 km paved: 866 km unpaved: 6,794 km (1999 est.)
Waterways:some ferry traffic on Senegal River (2004)
Ports and harbors:Nouadhibou, Nouakchott
Airports:24 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:total: 82,438 to 3,047 m: 31,524 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.)
Military Mauritania
Military branches:Mauritanian Armed Forces: Army, Navy (Marine Mauritanienne;includes Naval Infantry), Air Force (Force Aerienne Islamique deMauritanie, FAIM) (2005)
Military service age and obligation:18 years of age (est.); conscript service obligation - 2 years;majority of servicemen believed to be volunteers; service in AirForce and Navy is voluntary (April 2005)
Manpower available for military service:males age 18-49: 606,463 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:males age 18-49: 370,513 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:$20.8 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:1.7% (2004)
Transnational Issues Mauritania
Disputes - international: Mauritanian claims to Western Sahara have been dormant in recent years
This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005
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@Mauritius
Introduction Mauritius
Background:Discovered by the Portuguese in 1505, Mauritius was subsequentlyheld by the Dutch, French, and British before independence wasattained in 1968. A stable democracy with regular free elections anda positive human rights record, the country has attractedconsiderable foreign investment and has earned one of Africa'shighest per capita incomes. Recent poor weather and declining sugarprices have slowed economic growth, leading to some protests overstandards of living in the Creole community.
Geography Mauritius
Location:Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar
Geographic coordinates:20 17 S, 57 33 E
Map references:Political Map of the World
Area:total: 2,040 sq kmland: 2,030 sq kmwater: 10 sq kmnote: includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (SaintBrandon), and Rodrigues
Area - comparative:almost 11 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:0 km
Coastline:177 km
Maritime claims:territorial sea: 12 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nmcontinental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate:tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (Mayto November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)
Terrain:small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains encirclingcentral plateau
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 mhighest point: Mont Piton 828 m
Natural resources:arable land, fish
Land use: arable land: 49.26% permanent crops: 2.96% other: 47.78% (2001)
Irrigated land:200 sq km (2000 est.)
Natural hazards:cyclones (November to April); almost completely surrounded by reefsthat may pose maritime hazards
Environment - current issues:water pollution, degradation of coral reefs
Environment - international agreements:party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-KyotoProtocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, EnvironmentalModification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine LifeConservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlandssigned, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:the main island, from which the country derives its name, is ofvolcanic origin and is almost entirely surrounded by coral reefs
People Mauritius
Population:1,230,602 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 24.4% (male 151,043/female 148,847)15-64 years: 69.1% (male 424,472/female 425,974)65 years and over: 6.5% (male 31,506/female 48,760) (2005 est.)
Median age:total: 30.5 yearsmale: 29.65 yearsfemale: 31.46 years (2005 est.)
Population growth rate:0.84% (2005 est.)
Birth rate:15.62 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate:6.83 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Net migration rate:-0.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.02 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.65 male(s)/femaletotal population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: 15.03 deaths/1,000 live birthsmale: 17.74 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 12.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 72.38 yearsmale: 68.4 yearsfemale: 76.41 years (2005 est.)
Total fertility rate:1.96 children born/woman (2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:700 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:less than 100 (2001 est.)
Nationality:noun: Mauritian(s)adjective: Mauritian
Ethnic groups:Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian2%
Religions:Hindu 48%, Roman Catholic 23.6%, other Christian 8.6%, Muslim16.6%, other 2.5%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.4% (2000 census)
Languages:Creole 80.5%, Bhojpuri 12.1%, French 3.4% (official), other 3.7%,unspecified 0.3% (2000 census)
Literacy:definition: age 15 and over can read and writetotal population: 85.6%male: 88.6%female: 82.7% (2003 est.)
Government Mauritius
Country name:conventional long form: Republic of Mauritiusconventional short form: Mauritius
Government type:parliamentary democracy
Capital:Port Louis
Administrative divisions:9 districts and 3 dependencies*; Agalega Islands*, Black River,Cargados Carajos Shoals*, Flacq, Grand Port, Moka, Pamplemousses,Plaines Wilhems, Port Louis, Riviere du Rempart, Rodrigues*, Savanne
Independence:12 March 1968 (from UK)
National holiday:Independence Day, 12 March (1968)
Constitution:12 March 1968; amended 12 March 1992
Legal system:based on French civil law system with elements of English commonlaw in certain areas
Suffrage:18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:chief of state: President Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH (since 7 October2003) and Vice President Abdool Raouf BUNDHUN (since 25 February2002)head of government: Prime Minister Paul BERENGER (since 30 September2003)cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on therecommendation of the prime ministerelections: president and vice president elected by the NationalAssembly for five-year terms; election last held 25 February 2002(next to be held NA 2007); prime minister and deputy prime ministerappointed by the president, responsible to the National Assemblyelection results: Karl OFFMANN elected president and Raouf BUNDHUNelected vice president; percent of vote by the National Assembly -NA%; note - Karl OFFMANN stepped down on 30 September 2003
Legislative branch:unicameral National Assembly (66 seats; 62 elected by popular vote,4 appointed by the election commission from the losing politicalparties to give representation to various ethnic minorities; membersserve five-year terms)elections: last held on 11 September 2000 (next to be held September2005)election results: percent of vote by party - MSM/MMM 52.3%, MLP/PMSD36.9%, OPR 10.8%; seats by party - MSM/MMM 54, MLP/PMSD 6, OPR 2
Judicial branch:Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:Hizbullah [Cehl Mohamed FAKEEMEEAH]; Mauritian Labor Party or MLP[Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM]; Mauritian Militant Movement or MMM [PaulBERENGER] - in coalition with MSM; Mauritian Social Democrat Partyor PMSD [Charles Xavier-Luc DUVAL]; Militant Socialist Movement orMSM [Pravind JUGNAUTH] - governing party; Rodrigues Movement or MR[Joseph (Nicholas) Von MALLY]; Rodrigues Peoples Organization or OPR[Serge CLAIR]
Political pressure groups and leaders:various labor unions
International organization participation:ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU,ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC,ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,UNMIK, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:chief of mission: Ambassador Usha JEETAHchancery: 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 441, Washington, DC 20008telephone: [1] (202) 244-1491, 1492FAX: [1] (202) 966-0983
Diplomatic representation from the US:chief of mission: Ambassador John PRICEembassy: 4th Floor, Rogers House, John Kennedy Street, Port Louismailing address: international mail: P. O. Box 544, Port Louis; USmail: American Embassy, Port Louis, Department of State, Washington,DC 20521-2450telephone: [230] 202-4400FAX: [230] 208-9534
Flag description:four equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, yellow, and green
Economy Mauritius
Economy - overview:Since independence in 1968, Mauritius has developed from alow-income, agriculturally based economy to a middle-incomediversified economy with growing industrial, financial, and touristsectors. For most of the period, annual growth has been in the orderof 5% to 6%. This remarkable achievement has been reflected in moreequitable income distribution, increased life expectancy, loweredinfant mortality, and a much-improved infrastructure. Sugarcane isgrown on about 90% of the cultivated land area and accounts for 25%of export earnings. The government's development strategy centers onexpanding local financial institutions and building a domesticinformation telecommunications industry. Mauritius has attractedmore than 9,000 offshore entities, many aimed at commerce in Indiaand South Africa, and investment in the banking sector alone hasreached over $1 billion. Mauritius, with its strong textile sector,has been well poised to take advantage of the Africa Growth andOpportunity Act (AGOA).
GDP (purchasing power parity):$15.68 billion (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:4.7% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita:purchasing power parity - $12,800 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 7.6% industry: 30% services: 62.4% (2004 est.)
Labor force: 560,000 (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture and fishing 14%, construction and industry 36%, transportation and communication 7%, trade, restaurants, hotels 16%, finance 3%, other services 24% (1995)
Unemployment rate:10.8% (2004 est.)
Population below poverty line:10% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:lowest 10%: NAhighest 10%: NA
Distribution of family income - Gini index:37 (1987 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):4.5% (2004 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):22.5% of GDP (2004 est.)
Budget:revenues: $1.231 billionexpenditures: $1.582 billion, including capital expenditures of NA(2004 est.)
Public debt:29.2% of GDP (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products:sugarcane, tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses; cattle, goats; fish
Industries:food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, clothing;chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, nonelectricalmachinery; tourism
Industrial production growth rate:8% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production:1.836 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 90.8% hydro: 9.2% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:1.707 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports:0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports:0 kWh (2002)
Oil - production:0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:21,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:NA
Oil - imports:NA
Current account balance:$284.1 million (2004 est.)
Exports:$2.012 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities:clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses
Exports - partners:UK 33.1%, France 20.4%, US 14.8%, Madagascar 5.1%, Italy 4.1% (2004)
Imports:$2.245 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:manufactured goods, capital equipment, foodstuffs, petroleumproducts, chemicals
Imports - partners:South Africa 11.3%, China 9.4%, India 9.3%, France 9.2%, Bahrain5.3%, Japan 4.1% (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:$1.676 billion (2004 est.)
Debt - external:$1.78 billion (2004 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:$42 million (1997)
Currency (code):Mauritian rupee (MUR)
Currency code:MUR
Exchange rates:Mauritian rupees per US dollar - 27.499 (2004), 27.902 (2003),29.962 (2002), 29.129 (2001), 26.25 (2000)
Fiscal year:1 July - 30 June
Communications Mauritius
Telephones - main lines in use:348,200 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular:462,400 (2003)
Telephone system:general assessment: small system with good servicedomestic: primarily microwave radio relay trunk systeminternational: country code - 230; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Indian Ocean); new microwave link to Reunion; HFradiotelephone links to several countries; fiber optic submarinecable (SAT-3/WASC/SAFE) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia
Radio broadcast stations:AM 4, FM 9, shortwave 0 (2002)
Radios:420,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:2 (plus several repeaters) (1997)
Televisions:258,000 (1997)
Internet country code:.mu
Internet hosts:3,985 (2003)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):2 (2000)
Internet users:150,000 (2003)
Transportation Mauritius
Highways:total: 2,000 kmpaved: 1,960 km (including 60 km of expressways)unpaved: 40 km (2002)
Ports and harbors:Port Louis
Merchant marine:total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 22,946 GRT/27,102 DWTby type: bulk carrier 4, passenger/cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 2foreign-owned: 6 (India 4, Switzerland 2) (2005)
Airports:6 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:total: 2over 3,047 m: 1914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:total: 4914 to 1,523 m: 2under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Military Mauritius
Military branches:National Police Force (includes the paramilitary Special MobileForce or SMF and National Coast Guard)
Manpower available for military service:males age 18-49: 313,271 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:males age 18-49: 248,659 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:$12.5 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:0.2% (2004)
Transnational Issues Mauritius
Disputes - international:Mauritius claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered BritishIndian Ocean Territory), and its former inhabitants, who residechiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK citizenship but no right topatriation in the UK; claims French-administered Tromelin Island
Illicit drugs:minor consumer and transshipment point for heroin from South Asia;small amounts of cannabis produced and consumed locally; significantoffshore financial industry creates potential for money laundering,but corruption levels are relatively low and the government appearsgenerally to be committed to regulating its banking industry
This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005
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@Mayotte
Introduction Mayotte
Background:Mayotte was ceded to France along with the other islands of theComoros group in 1843. It was the only island in the archipelagothat voted in 1974 to retain its link with France and foregoindependence.
Geography Mayotte
Location:Southern Africa, island in the Mozambique Channel, about one-halfof the way from northern Madagascar to northern Mozambique
Geographic coordinates:12 50 S, 45 10 E
Map references:Africa
Area:total: 374 sq kmland: 374 sq kmwater: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:0 km
Coastline:185.2 km
Maritime claims:territorial sea: 12 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:tropical; marine; hot, humid, rainy season during northeasternmonsoon (November to May); dry season is cooler (May to November)
Terrain:generally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient volcanic peaks
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 mhighest point: Benara 660 m
Natural resources:NEGL
Land use:arable land: NA%permanent crops: NA%other: NA%
Irrigated land:NA sq km
Natural hazards:cyclones during rainy season
Environment - current issues:NA
Geography - note:part of Comoro Archipelago; 18 islands
People Mayotte
Population:193,633 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 46.2% (male 44,926/female 44,521)15-64 years: 52.1% (male 54,713/female 46,156)65 years and over: 1.7% (male 1,666/female 1,651) (2005 est.)
Median age:total: 16.96 yearsmale: 18.04 yearsfemale: 15.87 years (2005 est.)
Population growth rate:3.93% (2005 est.)
Birth rate:41.58 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate:7.9 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Net migration rate:5.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.03 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female15-64 years: 1.18 male(s)/female65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/femaletotal population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: 62.4 deaths/1,000 live birthsmale: 68.51 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 56.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 61.39 yearsmale: 59.22 yearsfemale: 63.62 years (2005 est.)
Total fertility rate:5.89 children born/woman (2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:NA
Nationality:noun: Mahorais (singular and plural)adjective: Mahoran
Ethnic groups:NA
Religions:Muslim 97%, Christian (mostly Roman Catholic)
Languages:Mahorian (a Swahili dialect), French (official language) spoken by35% of the population
Literacy: definition: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA%
Government Mayotte
Country name:conventional long form: Territorial Collectivity of Mayotteconventional short form: Mayotte
Dependency status:territorial collectivity of France
Government type:NA
Capital:Mamoutzou
Administrative divisions:none (territorial collectivity of France)
Independence:none (territorial collectivity of France)
National holiday:Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
Constitution:4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system:French law
Suffrage:18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May1995), represented by Prefect Jean-Paul KIHL (since 17 January 2005)head of government: President of the General Council Said Omar OILI(since NA 2004)cabinet: NAelections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-yearterm; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of theFrench Ministry of the Interior; president of the General Councilelected by the members of the General Council for a six-year term
Legislative branch:unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats; membersare elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms)elections: last held 21 and 28 March 2004 (next to be held NA 2007)election results: percent of vote by party - MDM 23.3%, UMP 22.8%,PS 10.2%, MRC 8.9%, FRAP 6.5%, MPM 1.2%; seats by party - MDM 6, UMP9, MRC 2, MPM 1, diverse left 1note: Mayotte elects one member of the French Senate; elections lastheld 24 September 2001 (next to be held September 2007); results -percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; Mayotte alsoelects one member to the French National Assembly; elections lastheld 16 June 2002 (next to be held as a special election in June2005); results - percent of vote by party - UMP-RPR 55.08%, UDF44.92%; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1
Judicial branch:Supreme Court or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel
Political parties and leaders:Democratic Front or FD [Youssouf MOUSSA]; Mahoran Popular Movementor MPM [Ahmed MADI]; FARC [leader NA]; Federation of Mahorans or RPR(UMP) [Mansour KAMARDINE]; Movement for Department Status Mayotte orMDM [Mouhoutar SALIM]; Renewed Communist Party of Mayotte or MRC[Omar SIMBA]; Socialist Party or PS (local branch of French PartiSocialiste) [Ibrahim ABUBACAR]; Union for French Democracy or UDF[Henri JEAN-BAPTISTE]
Political pressure groups and leaders:NA
International organization participation:UPU
Diplomatic representation in the US:none (territorial collectivity of France)
Diplomatic representation from the US:none (territorial collectivity of France)
Flag description:the flag of France is used
Economy Mayotte
Economy - overview:Economic activity is based primarily on the agricultural sector,including fishing and livestock raising. Mayotte is notself-sufficient and must import a large portion of its foodrequirements, mainly from France. The economy and future developmentof the island are heavily dependent on French financial assistance,an important supplement to GDP. Mayotte's remote location is anobstacle to the development of tourism.
GDP (purchasing power parity):$466.8 million (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:NA%
GDP - per capita:purchasing power parity - $2,600 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
Labor force:48,800 (2000)
Unemployment rate:38% (1999)
Population below poverty line:NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:lowest 10%: NA%highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):NA%
Budget:revenues: NAexpenditures: $73 million, including capital expenditures of NA(1991 est.)
Agriculture - products:vanilla, ylang-ylang (perfume essence), coffee, copra
Industries:newly created lobster and shrimp industry, construction
Industrial production growth rate:NA%
Electricity - production:NA kWh
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0%
Electricity - consumption:NA kWh
Exports:$3.44 million f.o.b. (1997)
Exports - commodities:ylang-ylang (perfume essence), vanilla, copra, coconuts, coffee,cinnamon
Exports - partners:France 80%, Comoros 15%, Reunion (2000)
Imports:$141.3 million f.o.b. (1997)
Imports - commodities:food, machinery and equipment, transportation equipment, metals,chemicals
Imports - partners:France 66%, Africa 14%, Southeast Asia 11% (2000 est.)
Debt - external:$NA
Economic aid - recipient:$107.7 million; note - extensive French financial assistance (1995)
Currency (code):euro (EUR)
Currency code:EUR
Exchange rates:euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002),1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000)
Fiscal year:calendar year
Communications Mayotte
Telephones - main lines in use:10,000 (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular:21,700 (2002)
Telephone system:general assessment: small system administered by French Departmentof Posts and Telecommunicationsdomestic: NAinternational: country code - 269; microwave radio relay and HFradiotelephone communications to Comoros (2001)
Radio broadcast stations:AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2001)
Radios:NA
Television broadcast stations:3 (2001)
Televisions:3,500 (1994)
Internet country code:.yt
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):NA
Internet users:NA
Transportation Mayotte
Highways: total: 93 km paved: 72 km unpaved: 21 km
Ports and harbors:Dzaoudzi
Airports:1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Military Mayotte
Military - note:defense is the responsibility of France; small contingent of Frenchforces stationed on the island
Transnational Issues Mayotte
Disputes - international: claimed by Comoros
This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005
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@Mexico
Introduction Mexico
Background:The site of advanced Amerindian civilizations, Mexico came underSpanish rule for three centuries before achieving independence earlyin the 19th century. A devaluation of the peso in late 1994 threwMexico into economic turmoil, triggering the worst recession in overhalf a century. The nation continues to make an impressive recovery.Ongoing economic and social concerns include low real wages,underemployment for a large segment of the population, inequitableincome distribution, and few advancement opportunities for thelargely Amerindian population in the impoverished southern states.Elections held in July 2000 marked the first time since the 1910Mexican Revolution that the opposition defeated the party ingovernment, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). Vicente FOXof the National Action Party (PAN) was sworn in on 1 December 2000as the first chief executive elected in free and fair elections.
Geography Mexico
Location:Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico,between Belize and the US and bordering the North Pacific Ocean,between Guatemala and the US
Geographic coordinates:23 00 N, 102 00 W
Map references:North America
Area:total: 1,972,550 sq kmland: 1,923,040 sq kmwater: 49,510 sq km
Area - comparative:slightly less than three times the size of Texas
Land boundaries: total: 4,353 km border countries: Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,141 km
Coastline: 9,330 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:varies from tropical to desert
Terrain:high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus; desert
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Laguna Salada -10 m highest point: Volcan Pico de Orizaba 5,700 m
Natural resources: petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, timber
Land use: arable land: 12.99% permanent crops: 1.31% other: 85.7% (2001)
Irrigated land:65,000 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:tsunamis along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructiveearthquakes in the center and south, and hurricanes on the Pacific,Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean coasts
Environment - current issues:scarcity of hazardous waste disposal facilities; rural to urbanmigration; natural fresh water resources scarce and polluted innorth, inaccessible and poor quality in center and extremesoutheast; raw sewage and industrial effluents polluting rivers inurban areas; deforestation; widespread erosion; desertification;deteriorating agricultural lands; serious air and water pollution inthe national capital and urban centers along US-Mexico border; landsubsidence in Valley of Mexico caused by groundwater depletionnote: the government considers the lack of clean water anddeforestation national security issues
Environment - international agreements:party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-KyotoProtocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Lawof the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone LayerProtection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whalingsigned, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:strategic location on southern border of US; corn (maize), one ofthe world's major grain crops, is thought to have originated inMexico
People Mexico
Population:106,202,903 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 31.1% (male 16,844,400/female 16,159,511)15-64 years: 63.3% (male 32,521,043/female 34,704,093)65 years and over: 5.6% (male 2,715,010/female 3,258,846) (2005 est.)
Median age:total: 24.93 yearsmale: 24.04 yearsfemale: 25.85 years (2005 est.)
Population growth rate:1.17% (2005 est.)
Birth rate:21.01 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate:4.73 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Net migration rate:-4.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.05 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/femaletotal population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: 20.91 deaths/1,000 live birthsmale: 22.85 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 18.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 75.19 yearsmale: 72.42 yearsfemale: 78.1 years (2005 est.)
Total fertility rate:2.45 children born/woman (2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:0.3% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:160,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:5,000 (2003 est.)
Nationality:noun: Mexican(s)adjective: Mexican
Ethnic groups:mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantlyAmerindian 30%, white 9%, other 1%
Religions:nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%, other 5%
Languages:Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional indigenouslanguages
Literacy:definition: age 15 and over can read and writetotal population: 92.2%male: 94%female: 90.5% (2003 est.)
Government Mexico
Country name:conventional long form: United Mexican Statesconventional short form: Mexicolocal long form: Estados Unidos Mexicanoslocal short form: Mexico
Government type:federal republic
Capital:Mexico (Distrito Federal)
Administrative divisions:31 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district*(distrito federal); Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja CaliforniaSur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Colima,Distrito Federal*, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco,Mexico, Michoacan de Ocampo, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca,Puebla, Queretaro de Arteaga, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosi,Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz-Llave,Yucatan, Zacatecas
Independence:16 September 1810 (from Spain)
National holiday:Independence Day, 16 September (1810)
Constitution:5 February 1917
Legal system:mixture of US constitutional theory and civil law system; judicialreview of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction,with reservations
Suffrage:18 years of age; universal and compulsory (but not enforced)
Executive branch:chief of state: President Vicente FOX Quesada (since 1 December2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head ofgovernmenthead of government: President Vicente FOX Quesada (since 1 December2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head ofgovernmentcabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; note - appointment ofattorney general requires consent of the Senateelections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term;election last held 2 July 2000 (next to be held 2 July 2006)election results: Vicente FOX Quesada elected president; percent ofvote - Vicente FOX Quesada (PAN) 42.52%, Francisco LABASTIDA Ochoa(PRI) 36.1%, Cuauhtemoc CARDENAS Solorzano (PRD) 16.64%, other 4.74%
Legislative branch:bicameral National Congress or Congreso de la Union consists of theSenate or Camara de Senadores (128 seats; 96 are elected by popularvote to serve six-year terms, and 32 are allocated on the basis ofeach party's popular vote) and the Federal Chamber of Deputies orCamara Federal de Diputados (500 seats; 300 members are directlyelected by popular vote to serve three-year terms; remaining 200members are allocated on the basis of each party's popular vote,also for three-year terms)elections: Senate - last held 2 July 2000 for all of the seats (nextto be held 2 July 2006); Chamber of Deputies - last held 6 July 2003(next to be held 2 July 2006)election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats byparty - PRI 60, PAN 46, PRD 16, PVEM 5, unassigned 1; Chamber ofDeputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRI 222,PAN 151, PRD 95, PVEM 17, PT 6, CD 5, unassigned 4; note - specialelections were held in December 2003; the PRI and the PRD each wonone seat and were each assigned one additional proportionalrepresentation seat
Judicial branch:Supreme Court of Justice or Suprema Corte de Justicia Nacional(justices or ministros are appointed by the president with consentof the Senate)
Political parties and leaders:Convergence for Democracy or CD [Dante DELGADO Ranauro];Institutional Revolutionary Party or PRI [Roberto MADRAZO Pintado];Mexican Green Ecological Party or PVEM [Jorge Emilio GONZALEZMartinez]; National Action Party or PAN [Luis Felipe BRAVO Mena];Party of the Democratic Revolution or PRD [Leonel GODOY]; WorkersParty or PT [Alberto ANAYA Gutierrez]
Political pressure groups and leaders:Confederation of Employers of the Mexican Republic or COPARMEX;Confederation of Industrial Chambers or CONCAMIN; Confederation ofMexican Workers or CTM; Confederation of National Chambers ofCommerce or CONCANACO; Coordinator for Foreign Trade BusinessOrganizations or COECE; Federation of Unions Providing Goods andServices or FESEBES; National Chamber of Transformation Industriesor CANACINTRA; National Peasant Confederation or CNC; National Unionof Workers or UNT; Regional Confederation of Mexican Workers orCROM; Revolutionary Confederation of Workers and Peasants or CROC;Roman Catholic Church
International organization participation:APEC, BCIE, BIS, CDB, CE (observer), EBRD, FAO, G-3, G-6, G-15,G-19, G-24, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU,ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM (observer), NEA, OAS, OECD, OPANAL, OPCW,PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMOVIC, UPU,WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:chief of mission: Ambassador-designate Carlos Alberto de ICAZAGonzalezchancery: 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006telephone: [1] (202) 728-1600FAX: [1] (202) 728-1698consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas,Denver, El Paso, Houston, Laredo (Texas), Los Angeles, Miami, NewOrleans, New York, Nogales (Arizona), Phoenix, Sacramento, SanAntonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, San Juan (Puerto Rico)consulate(s): Albuquerque, Brownsville (Texas), Calexico(California), Corpus Christi (Texas), Del Rio (Texas), Detroit,Douglas (Arizona), Eagle Pass (Texas), Fresno (California),Indianapolis (Indiana), Kansas City (Missouri), Las Vegas, McAllen(Texas), Midland (Texas), Omaha, Orlando, Oxnard (California),Philadelphia, Portland (Oregon), Presidio (Texas), Raleigh, SaltLake City, San Bernardino, Santa Ana (California), Seattle, Tucson,Yuma (Arizona)
Diplomatic representation from the US:chief of mission: Ambassador Antonio O. GARZAembassy: Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, 06500 Mexico,Distrito Federalmailing address: P. O. Box 9000, Brownsville, TX 78520-0900telephone: [52] (55) 5080-2000FAX: [52] (55) 5525-5040consulate(s) general: Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuanaconsulate(s): Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida, Nogales, Nuevo, Laredo
Flag description:three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red;the coat of arms (an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in itsbeak) is centered in the white band
Economy Mexico
Economy - overview:Mexico has a free market economy that recently entered the trilliondollar class. It contains a mixture of modern and outmoded industryand agriculture, increasingly dominated by the private sector.Recent administrations have expanded competition in seaports,railroads, telecommunications, electricity generation, natural gasdistribution, and airports. Per capita income is one-fourth that ofthe US; income distribution remains highly unequal. Trade with theUS and Canada has tripled since the implementation of NAFTA in 1994.Mexico has 12 free trade agreements with over 40 countriesincluding, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, the European Free TradeArea, and Japan, putting more than 90% of trade under free tradeagreements. The government is cognizant of the need to upgradeinfrastructure, modernize the tax system and labor laws, and provideincentives to invest in the energy sector, but progress is slow.
GDP (purchasing power parity):$1.006 trillion (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:4.1% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita:purchasing power parity - $9,600 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 4% industry: 27.2% services: 68.9% (2004 est.)
Labor force:34.73 million (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:agriculture 18%, industry 24%, services 58% (2003)
Unemployment rate:3.2% plus underemployment of perhaps 25% (2004 est.)
Population below poverty line:40% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.6% highest 10%: 35.6% (2002)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:53.1 (1998)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):5.4% (2004 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):19.4% of GDP (2004 est.)
Budget:revenues: $160 billionexpenditures: $158 billion, including capital expenditures of NA(2004 est.)
Public debt:23.5% of GDP (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products:corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, beans, cotton, coffee, fruit,tomatoes; beef, poultry, dairy products; wood products
Industries:food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum,mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer durables,tourism
Industrial production growth rate:3.8% (2004 est.)
Electricity - production:203.6 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 78.7% hydro: 14.2% nuclear: 4.2% other: 2.9% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:189.7 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports:98.65 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports:367.7 million kWh (2002)
Oil - production:3.46 million bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption:1.752 million bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports:1.863 million bbl/day (2004)