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 which now stands at more than three timesthe level of annual exports. In February 2000, Mauritania qualifiedfor debt 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. Anew investment code approved in December 2001 improved theopportunities for direct foreign investment. Ongoing negotiationswith the IMF involve problems of economic reforms and fiscaldiscipline. In 2001, exploratory oil wells in tracts 80 km offshoreindicated potential extraction at current world oil prices.Mauritania has an estimated 1 billion barrels of proved reserves.Substantial oil production and exports are scheduled to begin inearly 2006 and may average 75,000 barrels per day for that year.Meantime the government emphasizes reduction of poverty, improvementof health and education, and promoting privatization of the economy.
GDP (purchasing power parity):$6.901 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):$1.346 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:5.5% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):$2,200 (2005 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:39 (2000)
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; cattle, sheep
Industries:fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum
Industrial production growth rate:2% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production:185.6 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 85.9% hydro: 14.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:172.6 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports:0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:0 kWh (2003)
Oil - production:0 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption:24,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves:1 billion bbl (2005)
Natural gas - production:0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:0 cu m (2005)
Exports:$784 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities:iron ore, fish and fish products, gold
Exports - partners:Italy 14.9%, Japan 12.3%, France 11.8%, Belgium 8.5%, Germany 8.3%,Cote d'Ivoire 7.2%, Spain 6.5%, Russia 5%, Netherlands 4.4% (2005)
Imports:$1.124 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:machinery and equipment, petroleum products, capital goods,foodstuffs, consumer goods
Imports - partners:France 18.5%, UK 7.2%, US 7%, China 6%, Spain 5%, Belgium 4.3%(2005)
Debt - external:$2.5 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient:$305.7 million (2002)
Currency (code):ouguiya (MRO)
Currency code:MRO
Exchange rates:ouguiyas per US dollar - NA (2005), NA (2004), 263.03 (2003),271.74 (2002), 255.63 (2001)
Fiscal year:calendar year
Communications Mauritania
Telephones - main lines in use:41,000 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:745,600 (2005)
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:32 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):5 (2001)
Internet users:14,000 (2005)
Transportation Mauritania
Airports:25 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways:total: 82,438 to 3,047 m: 31,524 to 2,437 m: 5 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 17 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Railways: 717 km standard gauge: 717 km 1.435-m gauge (2005)
Roadways: total: 7,660 km paved: 866 km unpaved: 6,794 km (1999)
Ports and terminals:Nouadhibou, Nouakchott
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 - two 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: 606,463females age 18-49: 607,955 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:males age 18-49: 370,513females age 18-49: 384,269 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:$19.32 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:1.4% (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues Mauritania
Disputes - international:Mauritanian claims to Western Sahara have been dormant in recentyears
Trafficking in persons:current situation: Mauritania is a source and destination countryfor children trafficked for the purpose of forced labor, begging,and domestic servitude; adults and children are subjected toslavery-related practices rooted in ancestral master-slaverelationships in isolated parts of the country where a bartereconomy existstier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Mauritania is placed on the Tier 2Watch List for its failure to show evidence of increased efforts tocombat trafficking, particularly in the area of law enforcement
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
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@Mauritius
Introduction Mauritius
Background:Although known to Arab and Malay sailors as early as the 10thcentury, Mauritius was first explored by the Portuguese in 1505; itwas subsequently held by the Dutch, French, and British beforeindependence was attained in 1968. A stable democracy with regularfree elections and a positive human rights record, the country hasattracted considerable foreign investment and has earned one ofAfrica's highest per capita incomes. Recent poor weather anddeclining sugar prices have slowed economic growth, leading to someprotests over standards 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: 49.02% permanent crops: 2.94% other: 48.04% (2005)
Irrigated land:220 sq km (2003)
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:1,240,827 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 23.9% (male 149,486/female 147,621)15-64 years: 69.5% (male 430,288/female 431,753)65 years and over: 6.6% (male 31,939/female 49,740) (2006 est.)
Median age:total: 30.8 yearsmale: 30 yearsfemale: 31.8 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:0.82% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:15.43 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:6.86 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:-0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.02 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/femaletotal population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: 14.59 deaths/1,000 live birthsmale: 17.23 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 11.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 72.63 yearsmale: 68.66 yearsfemale: 76.66 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:1.95 children born/woman (2006 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%, English (official;spoken by less than 1% of the population), other 3.7%, unspecified0.3% (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: Mauritiuslocal long form: Republic of Mauritiuslocal short form: Mauritius
Government type:parliamentary democracy
Capital:name: Port Louisgeographic coordinates: 20 10 S, 57 30 Etime difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC duringStandard Time)
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; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, withreservations
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 Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM (since 5July 2005)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 (eligible for a second term); electionlast held 25 February 2002 (next to be held in 2007); prime ministerand deputy prime minister appointed by the president, responsible tothe 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 (70 seats; 62 elected by popular vote,8 appointed by the election commission to give representation tovarious ethnic minorities; members serve five-year terms)elections: last held on 3 July 2005 (next to be held in 2010)election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - AS38, MSM/MMM 22, OPR 2; appointed seats - AS 4, MSM/MMM 2, OPR 2
Judicial branch:Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:Alliance Sociale or AS; Hizbullah [Cehl Mohamed FAKEEMEEAH];Mauritian Labor Party or MLP [Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM]; MauritianMilitant Movement or MMM [Paul BERENGER] (in coalition with MSM);Mauritian Social Democrat Party or PMSD [Charles Xavier-Luc DUVAL];Militant Socialist Movement or MSM [Pravind JUGNAUTH] (the governingparty); 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, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt,ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC,Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, SADC,UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Usha JEETAH chancery: 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 441, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 244-1491, 1492 FAX: [1] (202) 966-0983
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador John PRICE embassy: 4th Floor, Rogers House, John Kennedy Street, Port Louis mailing address: international mail: P. O. Box 544, Port Louis; US mail: American Embassy, Port Louis, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2450 telephone: [230] 202-4400 FAX: [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):$15.73 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):$6.681 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:2.5% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):$12,800 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5.9% industry: 29.8% services: 64.3% (2005 est.)
Labor force: 570,000 (2005 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:9.6% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line:10% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:lowest 10%: NA%highest 10%: NA%
Distribution of family income - Gini index:37 (1987 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):5% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):21.2% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:revenues: $1.377 billionexpenditures: $1.77 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA(2005 est.)
Public debt:67.5% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:sugarcane, tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses; cattle, goats; fish
Industries:food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, clothing,chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, nonelectricalmachinery, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:8% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production:1.941 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 90.8% hydro: 9.2% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:1.805 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports:0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:0 kWh (2003)
Oil - production:0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - consumption:21,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production:0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:0 cu m (2003 est.)
Current account balance:$-342 million (2005 est.)
Exports:$1.949 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses
Exports - partners:UK 32.3%, France 20.7%, US 11.7%, Madagascar 6.2%, Italy 5.3% (2005)
Imports:$2.507 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:manufactured goods, capital equipment, foodstuffs, petroleumproducts, chemicals
Imports - partners:France 12.1%, South Africa 11%, India 7.2%, Finland 6.1%, China 6%,Germany 5.3%, Bahrain 5.2%, Singapore 4.1% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:$1.366 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external:$3.246 billion (2005 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:$42 million (1997)
Currency (code):Mauritian rupee (MUR)
Currency code:MUR
Exchange rates:Mauritian rupees per US dollar - 29.496 (2005), 27.499 (2004),27.902 (2003), 29.962 (2002), 29.129 (2001)
Fiscal year:1 July - 30 June
Communications Mauritius
Telephones - main lines in use:359,000 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:713,300 (2005)
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:4,997 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):2 (2000)
Internet users:180,000 (2005)
Transportation Mauritius
Airports: 6 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways:total: 2over 3,047 m: 1914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:total: 4914 to 1,523 m: 3under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Roadways:total: 2,020 kmpaved: 2,020 km (including 75 km of expressways) (2005)
Merchant marine:total: 6 ships (1000 GRT or over) 22,386 GRT/23,214 DWTby type: bulk carrier 2, passenger/cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 2foreign-owned: 4 (India 2, Switzerland 2) (2006)
Ports and terminals:Port Louis
Military Mauritius
Military branches:no regular military forces; National Police Force, Special MobileForce, National Coast Guard
Manpower available for military service:males age 18-49: 313,271 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:$12.04 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:0.2% (2005 est.)
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 19 December, 2006
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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
Natural hazards:cyclones during rainy season
Environment - current issues:NA
Geography - note:part of Comoro Archipelago; 18 islands
People Mayotte
Population:201,234 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 46% (male 46,512/female 46,067)15-64 years: 52.3% (male 56,899/female 48,274)65 years and over: 1.7% (male 1,756/female 1,726) (2006 est.)
Median age:total: 17 yearsmale: 18 yearsfemale: 16 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:3.77% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:40.95 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:7.7 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:4.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 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: 1.02 male(s)/femaletotal population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: 60.76 deaths/1,000 live birthsmale: 66.76 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 54.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 61.76 yearsmale: 59.57 yearsfemale: 64.02 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:5.79 children born/woman (2006 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:departmental collectivity of France
Government type:NA
Capital:name: Mamoudzougeographic coordinates: 12 47 S, 45 14 Etime difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC duringStandard Time)
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 8 April 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;next election to be held in 2010
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 in 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 in 2007); results - percent ofvote by party - UMP-RPR 55.08%, UDF 44.92%; seats by party - UMP-RPR1
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]; Federation of Mahorans or RPR (UMP) [MansourKAMARDINE]; Force of the Rally and the Alliance for Democracy orFRAP; Movement for Department Status Mayotte or MDM [MouhoutarSALIM]; Renewed Communist Party of Mayotte or MRC [Omar SIMBA];Socialist Party or PS (local branch of French Parti Socialiste)[Ibrahim ABUBACAR]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [HenriJEAN-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:unofficial, local flag with the coat of arms of Mayotte centered ona white field, above which the name of the island appears in redcapital letters; the main elements of the coat of arms, flanked oneither side by a seahorse, appear above a scroll with the motto RAHACHIRI (We are Vigilant); the only official flag is the nationalflag of France
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 (official exchange rate):NA
GDP - real growth rate:NA%
GDP - per capita (PPP):$2,600 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
Labor force:44,560 (2002)
Unemployment rate:32.8% (2003)
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:87.79 million kWh NA kWh
Exports:$4.85 million f.o.b. (2004)
Exports - commodities:ylang-ylang (perfume essence), vanilla, copra, coconuts, coffee,cinnamon
Exports - partners:France 80%, Comoros 15%, Reunion (2004)
Imports:$256.7 million f.o.b. (2004)
Imports - commodities:food, machinery and equipment, transportation equipment, metals,chemicals
Imports - partners:France 66%, Africa 14%, Southeast Asia 11% (2004)
Debt - external:$NA
Economic aid - recipient:$208 million; note - extensive French financial assistance (2004)
Currency (code):euro (EUR)
Currency code:EUR
Exchange rates:euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003),1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001)
Fiscal year:calendar year
Communications Mayotte
Telephones - main lines in use:10,000 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:48,100 (2004)
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
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 hosts:1 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):NA
Internet users:NA
Transportation Mayotte
Airports: 1 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)
Roadways: total: 93 km paved: 72 km unpaved: 21 km
Ports and terminals:Dzaoudzi
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 19 December, 2006
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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: 12.66% permanent crops: 1.28% other: 86.06% (2005)
Irrigated land:63,200 sq km (2003)
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:107,449,525 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 30.6% (male 16,770,957/female 16,086,172)15-64 years: 63.6% (male 33,071,809/female 35,316,281)65 years and over: 5.8% (male 2,814,707/female 3,389,599) (2006 est.)
Median age:total: 25.3 yearsmale: 24.3 yearsfemale: 26.2 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:1.16% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:20.69 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:4.74 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:-4.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 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 (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: 20.26 deaths/1,000 live birthsmale: 22.19 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 18.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 75.41 yearsmale: 72.63 yearsfemale: 78.33 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:2.42 children born/woman (2006 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:name: Mexico (Distrito Federal)geographic coordinates: 19 24 N, 99 09 Wtime difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during StandardTime)daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends lastSunday in Octobernote: Mexico is divided into four time zones
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 Felipe de Jesus CALDERON Hinojosa (since1 December 2006); note - the president is both the chief of stateand head of governmenthead of government: President Felipe de Jesus CALDERON Hinojosa(since 1 December 2006)cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; note - appointment ofattorney general requires consent of the Senateelections: president elected by popular vote for a single six-yearterm; election last held 2 July 2006 (next to be held 1 July 2012)election results: Felipe CALDERON elected president; percent of vote- Felipe CALDERON (PAN) 35.89%, Andres Manuel Lopez OBRADOR (PRD)35.31%, Roberto MADRAZO (PRI) 22.26%, other 6.54%
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 2006 for all of the seats (nextto be held 1 July 2012); Chamber of Deputies - last held 2 July 2006(next to be held 5 July 2009)election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats byparty - PAN 52, PRI 33, PRD 29, PVEM 6, CD 5, PT 2, PNA 1; Chamberof Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PAN206, PRD 127, PRI 103, PVEM 18, CD 17, PT 16, other 13; note -election results pending certification
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 (Institutional RevolutionaryParty) or PRI [leader NA]; Mexican Green Ecological Party or PVEM[Jorge Emilio GONZALEZ Martinez]; National Action Party (PartidoAccion Nacional) or PAN [Manuel ESPINO Barrientos]; New AllianceParty (Partido Nueva Alianza) or PNA [Miguel Angel JIMENEZ Godines];Party of the Democratic Revolution (Partido de la RevolucionDemocratica) or PRD [Leonel COTA Montano]; Workers Party 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, CAN (observer), CDB, CE (observer), CSN(observer), EBRD, FAO, G-3, G-6, G-15, G-24, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAFTA, 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 Carlos Alberto DE ICAZA Gonzalezchancery: 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, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York,Nogales (Arizona), Omaha, Orlando, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio,San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, San Juan (Puerto Rico)consulate(s): Albuquerque, Brownsville (Texas), Calexico(California), Del Rio (Texas), Detroit, Douglas (Arizona), EaglePass (Texas), Fresno (California), Indianapolis (Indiana), KansasCity (Missouri), Laredo (Texas), Las Vegas, McAllen (Texas), Midland(Texas), Oxnard (California), Philadelphia, Portland (Oregon),Presidio (Texas), Raleigh, Saint Paul (Minnesota), Salt Lake City,San Bernardino, Santa Ana (California), Seattle, Tucson, Yuma(Arizona)
Diplomatic representation from the US:chief of mission: Ambassador Antonio O. GARZA, Jr.embassy: Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, 06500 Mexico,Distrito Federalmailing address: P. O. Box 9000, Brownsville, TX 78520-9000telephone: [52] (55) 5080-2000FAX: [52] (55) 5511-9980consulate(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 FOX administration is cognizant of the need toupgrade infrastructure, modernize the tax system and labor laws, andallow private investment in the energy sector, but has been unableto win the support of the opposition-led Congress. The nextgovernment that takes office in December 2006 will confront the samechallenges of boosting economic growth, improving Mexico'sinternational competitiveness, and reducing poverty.
GDP (purchasing power parity):$1.064 trillion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):$693 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:3% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):$10,000 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.8% industry: 25.9% services: 70.2% (2005 est.)
Labor force: 43.4 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 18% industry: 24% services: 58% (2003)
Unemployment rate:3.6% plus underemployment of perhaps 25% (2005 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:54.6 (2000)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):4% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):19.3% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:revenues: $181 billionexpenditures: $184 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA(2005)
Public debt:17.4% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, beans, cotton, coffee, fruit,tomatoes; beef, poultry, dairy products; wood products
Industries:food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum,mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer durables,tourism
Industrial production growth rate:1.9% (2005 est.)
Electricity - production:209.2 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 78.7% hydro: 14.2% nuclear: 4.2% other: 2.9% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:193.9 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports:1.07 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:390.2 million kWh (2003)
Oil - production:3.42 million bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption:1.752 million bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports:1.863 million bbl/day (2004)
Oil - imports:205,000 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - proved reserves:33.31 billion bbl (2005 est.)
Natural gas - production:47.3 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:55.1 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - exports:0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports:7.85 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:424.3 billion cu m (2005)
Current account balance:$-5.708 billion (2005 est.)
Exports:$213.7 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:manufactured goods, oil and oil products, silver, fruits,vegetables, coffee, cotton
Exports - partners:US 85.7%, Canada 2%, Spain 1.4% (2005)
Imports:$223.7 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)