Mauritania 
Facts
Population: 3,270,065 (July 2007 est.).
Age structure: 0-14 years: 45.5% (male 744,995/female 741,369)
15-64 years: 52.4% (male 845,272/female 866,998)
65 years and over: 2.2% (male 28,564/female 42,867) (2007 est.).
Population growth rate: 2.867% (2007 est.).
Birth rate: 40.56 births/1,000 population (2007 est.).
Death rate: 11.89 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.).
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.).
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.005 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.975 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.666 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2007 est.).
Infant mortality rate: total: 68.07 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 71.07 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 64.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.).
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 53.51 years
male: 51.24 years
female: 55.85 years (2007 est.).
Total fertility rate: 5.78 children born/woman (2007 est.).
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.6% (2003 est.).
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 9,500 (2003 est.).
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 500 (2003 est.).
Nationality: noun: Mauritanian(s)
adjective: Mauritanian.
Ethnic groups: mixed Moor/black 40%, Moor 30%, black 30%.
Religions: Muslim 100%.
Languages: Arabic (official), Pulaar, Soninke, French, Hassaniya, Wolof.
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 51.2%
male: 59.5%
female: 43.4% (2000 census).
GDP (purchasing power parity): $8.124 billion (2006 est.).
GDP - real growth rate: 14.1% (2006 est.).
GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,600 (2006 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.).
Population below poverty line: 40% (2004 est.).
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.5%
highest 10%: 30.2% (2000).
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7% (2003 est.).
Unemployment rate: 20% (2004 est.).
Budget: revenues: $421 million
expenditures: $378 million; including capital expenditures of $154 million (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: 176.7 million kWh (2004).
Electricity - consumption: 164.3 million kWh (2004).
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2004).
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2004).
Exports: $784 million f.o.b. (2004 est.).
Exports - commodities: iron ore, fish and fish products, gold.
Exports - partners: Italy 14.9%, Japan 12.2%, France 11.9%, Belgium 8.4%, Germany 8.2%, Cote d'Ivoire 7.1%, Spain 7.1%, Russia 4.9%, 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 18.2%, UK 7.2%, US 6.9%, 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).
Exchange rates: ouguiyas per US dollar - 271.3 (2006), 267.04 (2005), 265.8 (2004), 263.03 (2003), 271.74 (2002).
Fiscal year: calendar year.
Statistics: C.I.A. World Factbook. Updated: July 20, 2007.
Mauritania in the News
An attack on the Israeli Embassy on Feb. 1 and two other high-profile attacks since December have thrown into question Mauritania's future as a modernizing, tolerant Islamic Republic.
On Aug. 8, Mauritania's National Assembly unanimously adopted a law criminalizing slavery … the first time in Mauritanian history that slaveholders have been sanctioned.
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