Mauritania

Broadcast media

one state-run TV (Television de Mauritanie) and one state-run radio network (Radio de Mauritanie); Television de Mauritanie has three channels, Al Mahadra station (for Islamic content) and Channels 1 and 2, which cover news, sports, and other programming; Radio de Mauritanie runs 12 regional stations as well as a radio station for youth and the Holy Quran station; five private TV channels and five private radio stations also broadcast from Mauritania; six private international radio stations broadcast in Mauritania on the FM band; with satellite connections, Mauritanians also have access to hundreds of foreign TV channels (2013)

Internet country code

.mr

Internet hosts

22 (2012) country comparison to the world: 220

Internet users

75,000 (2009) country comparison to the world: 170

Telephone system

general assessment: limited system of cable and open-wire lines, minor microwave radio relay links, and radiotelephone communications stations; mobile-cellular services expanding rapidly domestic: Mauritel, the national telecommunications company, was privatized in 2001 but remains the monopoly provider of fixed-line services; fixed-line teledensity 2 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular network coverage extends mainly to urban areas with a teledensity of roughly 106 per 100 persons; mostly cable and open-wire lines; a domestic satellite telecommunications system links Nouakchott with regional capitals international: country code - 222; satellite earth stations - 3 (1 Intelsat - Atlantic Ocean, 2 Arabsat); fiber-optic and Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) cables for Internet access (2009)

Telephones - main lines in use

65,100 (2012) country comparison to the world: 158

Telephones - mobile cellular

4.024 million (2012) country comparison to the world: 121

Agriculture - products

dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn; cattle, sheep

Budget

revenues: $1.677 billion expenditures: $1.702 billion (2013 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-0.6% of GDP (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 59

Central bank discount rate

9% (31 December 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 18 12% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

18% (31 December 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 28 17% (31 December 2012 est.)

Current account balance

-$1.24 billion (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 122 -$1.263 billion (2012 est.)

Debt - external

$3.233 billion (31 December 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 134 $2.922 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

39 (2000) country comparison to the world: 66 37.3 (1995)

Economy - overview

Mauritania's economy is dominated by natural resources and agriculture. Half the population still depends on agriculture and livestock for a livelihood, even though many of the nomads and subsistence farmers were forced into the cities by recurrent droughts in the 1970s and 1980s. Mauritania's extensive mineral resources include iron ore, gold, copper, gypsum, and phosphate rock and exploration is ongoing for uranium, crude oil, and natural gas. Extractive commodities make up 75% of Mauritania's total exports. The nation's coastal waters are among the richest fishing areas in the world, and fishing accounts for 20% of budget revenues, but overexploitation by foreigners threatens this key source of revenue. Risks to Mauritania's economy include its recurring exposure to droughts, dependence on foreign aid and investment, and insecurity in neighboring Mali, as well as significant shortages of infrastructure, institutional capacity, and human capital.

Exchange rates

ouguiyas (MRO) per US dollar - 298.1 (2013 est.) 296.6 (2012 est.) 275.89 (2010 est.) 262.4 (2009) 238.2 (2008)

Exports

$2.728 billion (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 131 $2.642 billion (2012 est.)

Exports - commodities

iron ore, fish and fish products, gold, copper, petroleum

Exports - partners

China 50.5%, Italy 7.8%, Japan 7.3%, France 4.9%, Spain 4.2%, Cote dIvoire 4.1%, Netherlands 4% (2012)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$4.183 billion (2013 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$8.204 billion (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 156 $7.708 billion (2012 est.) $7.212 billion (2011 est.) note: data are in 2013 US dollars

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 52.4% government consumption: 22.7% investment in fixed capital: 61.9% investment in inventories: -8.9% exports of goods and services: 56.8% imports of goods and services: -84.9% (2013 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 16.9% industry: 54.6% services: 28.5% (2013 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$2,200 (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 190 $2,100 (2012 est.) $2,000 (2011 est.) note: data are in 2013 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

6.4% (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 31 6.9% (2012 est.) 3.6% (2011 est.)

Gross national saving

27.4% of GDP (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 37 26.2% of GDP (2012 est.) 39.3% of GDP (2011 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2.5% highest 10%: 29.5% (2000)

Imports

$3.355 billion (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 142 $3.176 billion (2012 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment, petroleum products, capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods

Imports - partners

China 12.9%, Netherlands 10.5%, US 7.8%, France 7.8%, Brazil 5.6%, Germany 5.5%, Spain 5.1%, Belgium 4.7% (2012)

Industrial production growth rate

8% (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 23

Industries

fish processing, oil production, mining (iron ore, gold, copper) note: gypsum deposits have never been exploited

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4.6% (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 150 4.9% (2012 est.)

Labor force

1.318 million (2007) country comparison to the world: 135

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 50% industry: 2% services: 48% (2001 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA

Population below poverty line

40% (2004 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$1.739 billion (31 December 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 133 $1.514 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

40.1% of GDP (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 41

Unemployment rate

30% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 184 20% (2004 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

1.774 million Mt (2011 est.)

Crude oil - exports

7,337 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 62

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 94

Crude oil - production

6,577 bbl/day (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 95

Crude oil - proved reserves

20 million bbl (1 January 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 84

Electricity - consumption

651.9 million kWh (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 162

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 169

Electricity - from fossil fuels

63.1% of total installed capacity (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 128

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

36.9% of total installed capacity (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 63

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 141

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 203

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 172

Electricity - installed generating capacity

263,000 kW (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 154

Electricity - production

701 million kWh (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 154

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 173

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 150

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 97

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 168

Natural gas - proved reserves

28.32 billion cu m (1 January 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 71

Refined petroleum products - consumption

18,120 bbl/day (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 133

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 200

Refined petroleum products - imports

12,810 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 126

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 175

Area

total: 1,030,700 sq km country comparison to the world: 29 land: 1,030,700 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico

Climate

desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty

Coastline

754 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Sebkhet Te-n-Dghamcha -5 m highest point: Kediet Ijill 915 m

Environment - current issues

overgrazing, deforestation, and soil erosion aggravated by drought are contributing to desertification; limited natural freshwater resources away from the Senegal, which is the only perennial river; locust infestation

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 1.35 cu km/yr (7%/2%/91%) per capita: 420.2 cu m/yr (2005)

Geographic coordinates

20 00 N, 12 00 W

Geography - note

most of the population is concentrated in the cities of Nouakchott and Nouadhibou and along the Senegal River in the southern part of the country

Irrigated land

450.1 sq km (2004)

Land boundaries

total: 5,074 km border countries: Algeria 463 km, Mali 2,237 km, Senegal 813 km, Western Sahara 1,561 km

Land use

arable land: 0.44% permanent crops: 0.01% other: 99.55% (2011)

Location

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara

Map references

Africa

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

Natural hazards

hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April; periodic droughts

Natural resources

iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold, oil, fish

Terrain

mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills

Total renewable water resources

11.4 cu km (2011)

Administrative divisions

13 regions (wilayas, singular - wilaya); Adrar, Assaba, Brakna, Dakhlet Nouadhibou, Gorgol, Guidimaka, Hodh ech Chargui, Hodh el Gharbi, Inchiri, Nouakchott, Tagant, Tiris Zemmour, Trarza

Capital

name: Nouakchott geographic coordinates: 18 04 N, 15 58 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Constitution

previous 1964; latest adopted 12 July 1991; amended 2006, 2012 (2012)

Country name

conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Mauritania conventional short form: Mauritania local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Islamiyah al Muritaniyah local short form: Muritaniyah

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires David REIMER embassy: 288 Rue Abdallaye, Rue 42-100 (between Presidency building and Spanish Embassy), Nouakchott mailing address: BP 222, Nouakchott telephone: [222] 4525-2660 through 2663 FAX: [222] 4525-1592

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Mohamed Lemine El HAYCEN (since 28 July 2010) chancery: 2129 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 232-5700 through 5701 FAX: [1] (202) 319-2623

Executive branch

chief of state: President Mohamed Ould Abdel AZIZ (since 5 August 2009); note - AZIZ, who deposed democratically elected President Sidi Ould Cheikh ABDELLAHI in a coup and installed himself as President of the High State Council on 6 August 2008, retired from the military and stepped down from the presidency in April 2009 to run for president; he was elected president in an election held on 18 July 2009 head of government: Prime Minister Moulaye Ould Mohamed LAGHDAF (since 14 August 2008) cabinet: Council of Ministers (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website) elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held on 18 July 2009 (next to be held by 2014) election results: Mohamed Ould Abdel AZIZ elected president; percent of vote - Mohamed Ould Abdel AZIZ 52.6%, Messaoud Ould BOULKHEIR 16.3%, Ahmed Ould DADDAH 13.7%, other 17.4%

Flag description

green with a yellow five-pointed star above a yellow, horizontal crescent; the closed side of the crescent is down; the crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam; the gold color stands for the sands of the Sahara

Government type

military junta

Independence

28 November 1960 (from France)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

International organization participation

ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, CAEU (candidate), EITI (compliant country), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAS, MIGA, MIUSMA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

highest court(s): Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (subdivided into 1 criminal and 2 civil chambers, each with a president and 5 counselors); Constitutional Council (consists of 6 members) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court president appointed by the president of the republic to serve a 5-year renewable term; Constitutional Council members appointed - 3 by the president of the republic, 2 by the president of the National Assembly, and 1 by the president of the Senate; members serve single, 9-year terms with one-third of membership renewed every 3 years subordinate courts: High Court of Justice (cases involving treason and criminal acts of high government officials); courts of appeal; wilaya (regional) courts (located at the headquarters of each of the 13 regions); commercial and labor courts; criminal courts; moughataa (district) courts; informal/customary courts

Legal system

mixed legal system of Islamic and French civil law

Legislative branch

bicameral legislature consists of the Senate or Majlis al-Shuyukh (56 seats; 53 members elected by municipal leaders and 3 members elected for Mauritanians abroad to serve six-year terms; a portion of seats up for election every two years) and the National Assembly or Al Jamiya Al Wataniya (146 seats; 106 members elected in single- and multi-member constituencies to serve five-year terms and 40 are elected nationwide through a closed list proportional representation system to serve five-year terms; of the 40 seats elected at the nationwide level, 20 are reserved for women) elections: Senate - last held in November 2009; National Assembly - first round last held on 23 November and second round on 21 December 2013 election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPM (Coalition of Majority Parties) 45, COD 7, RNRD-TAWASSOUL 4; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UPR 75, RNRD-TAWASSOUL 16, El Wiam 10, APP 7, UDP 6, El Karam Party 6, AJD/MR 4, Surge of Youth for the Nation 4, El Vadila Party 3, PUD 3, Ravah Party 3, PRDR 3, others 6

National anthem

name: "Hymne National de la Republique Islamique de Mauritanie" (National Anthem of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania)

National holiday

Independence Day, 28 November (1960)

National symbol(s)

star and crescent

Political parties and leaders

Alliance for Justice and Democracy/Movement for Renewal or AJD/MR [Ibrahima Moctar SARR] Alternative or El-Badil [Mohamed Yahdhi Ould MOCTAR HACEN] Coalition of Majority Parties or CPM (parties supporting the regime including PRDR, UPR, UDP, RD, HATEM-PMUC, UCD) Coalition for Pacific Alternation or CAP (coalition of opposition parties, including APP, El Wiam, and Sawab) Coordination of Democratic Opposition or COD [Ahmed Ould DADDAH] (coalition of 11 opposition political parties including RNRD-TAWASSOUL, RFD, UFP, PNDD-ADIL, Alternative or El-Badil) Democratic Renewal or RD [Moustapha Ould ABDEIDARRAHMANE] El Karama Party [Cheikhna Ould Mohamed Ould HAJBOU] El Vadila Party [Ethmane Ould Ahmed ABOULMAALY] El Wiam [Boidiel Ould HOUMEIT] Mauritanian Party for Unity and Change or HATEM-PMUC [Saleh Ould HANENA] National Pact for Democracy and Development or PNDD-ADIL [Yahya Ould Ahmed El WAGHEF] (independents formerly supporting President Abdellahi) National Rally for Freedom, Democracy and Equality or RNLDE National Rally for Reform and Development or RNRD-TAWASSOUL [Mohamed Jamil MANSOUR] (moderate Islamists) Party of Unity and Development or PUD [Mohamed BARO] Popular Progressive Alliance or APP [Messaoud Ould BOULKHEIR] Popular Front or FP [Mohamed Lemine Ch'bih Ould CHEIKH MALAININE] Rally of Democratic Forces or RFD [Ahmed Ould DADDAH] Ravah Party Republican Party for Democracy and Renewal or PRDR [Mintata Mint HIDEID] Sawab [Abdel Salem Ould HORMA] Socialist and Democratic Unity Party or PUDS [Mahfouz Weld AZIZ] Surge of Youth for the Nation [Lalla CHERIVA] Union for Democracy and Progress or UDP [Naha Mint MOUKNASS] Union for the Republic or UPR [Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Mohamed LEMINE] Union of Democratic Center or UCD [Cheikh Sid'Ahmed Ould BABA] Union of the Forces for Progress or UFP [Mohamed Ould MAOULOUD]

Political pressure groups and leaders

General Confederation of Mauritanian Workers or CGTM [Abdallahi Ould MOHAMED, secretary general] Independent Confederation of Mauritanian Workers or CLTM [Samory Ould BEYE] Mauritanian Workers Union or UTM [Mohamed Ely Ould BRAHIM, secretary general] other: Arab nationalists; Ba'thists; Islamists

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

Independent from France in 1960, Mauritania annexed the southern third of the former Spanish Sahara (now Western Sahara) in 1976 but relinquished it after three years of raids by the Polisario guerrilla front seeking independence for the territory. Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA seized power in a coup in 1984 and ruled Mauritania with a heavy hand for more than two decades. A series of presidential elections that he held were widely seen as flawed. A bloodless coup in August 2005 deposed President TAYA and ushered in a military council that oversaw a transition to democratic rule. Independent candidate Sidi Ould Cheikh ABDALLAHI was inaugurated in April 2007 as Mauritania's first freely and fairly elected president. His term ended prematurely in August 2008 when a military junta led by General Mohamed Ould Abdel AZIZ deposed him and installed a military council government. AZIZ was subsequently elected president in July 2009 and sworn in the following month. AZIZ sustained injuries from an accidental shooting by his own troops in October 2012 but has continued to maintain his authority. The country continues to experience ethnic tensions among its black population (Afro-Mauritanians) and white and black Moor (Arab-Berber) communities, and confronts a terrorism threat by al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 718,713 females age 16-49: 804,622 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 480,042 females age 16-49: 581,473 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 36,116 female: 36,826 (2010 est.)

Military branches

Mauritanian Armed Forces: Army, Mauritanian Navy (Marine Mauritanienne; includes naval infantry), Islamic Republic of Mauritania Air Group (Groupement Aerienne Islamique de Mauritanie, GAIM) (2013)

Military service age and obligation

18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2012)

Age structure

0-14 years: 39.5% (male 697,156/female 691,548) 15-24 years: 20% (male 343,214/female 358,533) 25-54 years: 32.5% (male 528,133/female 613,324) 55-64 years: 4.5% (male 71,265/female 87,086) 65 years and over: 3.5% (male 53,705/female 72,842) (2014 est.)

Birth rate

31.83 births/1,000 population (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 36

Child labor - children ages 5-14

total number: 127,251 percentage: 16 % (2007 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

19.5% (2012) country comparison to the world: 32

Contraceptive prevalence rate

9.3% (2007)

Death rate

8.35 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 86

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 75.7 % youth dependency ratio: 70.1 % elderly dependency ratio: 5.6 % potential support ratio: 17.9 (2014 est.)

Drinking water source

improved: urban: 52.3% of population rural: 47.7% of population total: 49.6% of population unimproved: urban: 47.7% of population rural: 52.3% of population total: 50.4% of population (2012 est.)

Education expenditures

3.7% of GDP (2011) country comparison to the world: 120

Ethnic groups

black Moors (Haratines - Arab-speaking slaves, former slaves, and their descendants of African origin, enslaved by white Moors) 40%, white Moors (of Arab-Berber descent, known as Bidhan) 30%, black Africans (non-Arabic speaking, Halpulaar, Soninke, Wolof, and Bamara ethnic groups) 30%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.4% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 83

HIV/AIDS - deaths

800 (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 81

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

10,500 (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 100

Health expenditures

5.4% of GDP (2011) country comparison to the world: 125

Hospital bed density

0.4 beds/1,000 population (2006)

Infant mortality rate

total: 56.06 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 28 male: 61.04 deaths/1,000 live births female: 50.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2014 est.)

Languages

Arabic (official and national), Pulaar, Soninke, Wolof (all national languages), French, Hassaniya (a variety of Arabic)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 62.28 years country comparison to the world: 188 male: 60 years female: 64.63 years (2014 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 58.6% male: 65.3% female: 52% (2011 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis animal contact disease: rabies (2013)

Major urban areas - population

NOUAKCHOTT (capital) 786,000 (2011)

Maternal mortality rate

510 deaths/100,000 live births (2010) country comparison to the world: 19

Median age

total: 19.9 years male: 19 years female: 20.9 years (2014 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth

21.9 note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2000-01 est.)

Nationality

noun: Mauritanian(s) adjective: Mauritanian

Net migration rate

-0.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 146

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

12.7% (2008) country comparison to the world: 127

Physicians density

0.13 physicians/1,000 population (2009)

Population

3,516,806 (July 2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 133

Population growth rate

2.26% (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 40

Religions

Muslim (official) 100%

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: 51.1% of population rural: 9.2% of population total: 26.7% of population unimproved: urban: 48.9% of population rural: 90.8% of population total: 73.3% of population (2012 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 8 years male: 8 years female: 8 years (2012)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 0.86 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.07 children born/woman (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 39

Urbanization

urban population: 41.5% of total population (2011) rate of urbanization: 2.91% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Disputes - international

Mauritanian claims to Western Sahara remain dormant

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 26,001 (Western Saharan - Sahrawis) (2013); 52,647 (Mali) (2014)

Trafficking in persons

current situation: Mauritania is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to conditions of forced labor and sex trafficking; adults and children from traditional slave castes are subjected to slavery-related practices rooted in ancestral master-slave relationships; Mauritanian boys called talibe are trafficked within the country by religious teachers for forced begging; Mauritanian girls, as well as girls from Mali, Senegal, The Gambia, and other West African countries are forced into domestic servitude; Mauritanian women and girls are forced into prostitution in the country or transported to countries in the Middle East for the same purpose tier rating: Tier 3 - Mauritania does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; after the previous year's unprecedented progress in prosecuting and convicting trafficking offenders, the government has not convicted any traffickers; the government has not provided adequate protective services to victims or ensure their referral to NGOs, which provide the majority of care to trafficking victims and generally do not receive government financial support; the absence of measures in place to identify trafficking victims among vulnerable populations may have led to victims being punished for acts committed as a result of being trafficked; the effectiveness of the 2007 anti-slavery law remains impaired because the slaves, many of whom are illiterate, are first required to file a legal complaint, and the government provides no programs to assist victims in lodging slavery complaints (2013)

Airports

30 (2013) country comparison to the world: 116

Airports - with paved runways

total: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 21 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 2 (2013)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): Nouadhibou, Nouakchott

Railways

728 km standard gauge: 728 km 1.435-m gauge (2008)

Roadways

total: 10,628 km country comparison to the world: 133 paved: 3,158 km unpaved: 7,470 km (2010)

Waterways

(some navigation is possible on the Senegal River) (2011)