elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation
to serve five-year terms; note - additional seats are given to the
party with the largest popular vote to ensure a legislative majority)
elections: last held on 8 March 2008 (next to be held by March 2013)
election results: percent of vote by party - PN 49.3%, MLP 48.8%,
other 1.9%; seats by party - PN 35, MLP 34
Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court; Court of Appeal; judges for both courts are
appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister
Political parties and leaders:
Alternativa Demokratika/Alliance for Social Justice or AD [Harry
VASSALLO]; Malta Labor Party or MLP [acting leader Charles MANGION];
Nationalist Party or PN [Lawrence GONZI]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Alleanza Liberal-Demokratika Maltra ro ALDM (against illegal
immigration); Alleanza Nazzionali Repubblikana or ANR (encourages
tourism); Alternattiva Demokratika (campaign to reform rent law, and
other campaigns); Azzjoni Nazzjonali or AN (freedom to participate
in democratic government); Ghazdatal-Konsumaturi (consumer rights);
Nazi Watch Malta (exposing Nazis)
other: environmentalists
International organization participation:
Australia Group, C, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA,
PFP, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU,
WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mark MICELI-FARRUGIA
chancery: 2017 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 462-3611, 3612
FAX: [1] (202) 387-5470
consulate(s): New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Molly BORDONARO
embassy: 3rd Floor, Development House, Saint Anne Street, Floriana,
VLT 01
mailing address: P. O. Box 535, Valletta, CMR01
telephone: [356] 2561 4000
FAX: [356] 21 243229
Flag description:
two equal vertical bands of white (hoist side) and red; in the upper
hoist-side corner is a representation of the George Cross, edged in
red
Economy
Malta
Economy - overview:
Major resources are limestone, a favorable geographic location, and
a productive labor force. Malta produces only about 20% of its food
needs, has limited fresh water supplies, and has few domestic energy
sources. The economy is dependent on foreign trade, manufacturing
(especially electronics and pharmaceuticals), and tourism. Economic
recovery of the European economy has lifted exports, tourism, and
overall growth. Malta adopted the euro on 1 January 2008.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$9.4 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$7.419 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.8% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$23,400 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2.7%
industry: 22.3%
services: 74.9% (2003 est.)
Labor force:
166,000 (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 3%
industry: 22%
services: 75% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate:
6.4% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
28 (2005)
Investment (gross fixed):
18.9% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $3.485 billion
expenditures: $3.554 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.3% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
NA (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
6.24% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$4.603 billion
note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro
Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for
the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual
members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi
money circulating within their own borders (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$7.645 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$10.99 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
potatoes, cauliflower, grapes, wheat, barley, tomatoes, citrus, cut
flowers, green peppers; pork, milk, poultry, eggs
Industries:
tourism, electronics, ship building and repair, construction, food
and beverages, pharmaceuticals, footwear, clothing, tobacco
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
2.146 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
1.85 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
18,680 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
18,910 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
-$424.5 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$3.238 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, manufactures
Exports - partners:
Singapore 14.4%, Germany 13.7%, France 12.6%, US 11.3%, UK 10%, Hong
Kong 6.1%, Japan 4.9%, Italy 4% (2007)
Imports:
$4.541 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, manufactured and
semi-manufactured goods; food, drink, tobacco
Imports - partners:
Italy 26%, UK 15%, France 9.5%, Germany 8.8%, Singapore 5.2% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$6.19 million (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$3.798 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$188.8 million (2005)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$NA
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$NA
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$4.097 billion (2005)
Currency (code):
euro (EUR) as of 1 January 2008; Maltese lira (MTL) before then
Currency code:
MTL
Exchange rates:
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6795 (January 2008), Maltese liri per
US dollar - 0.3106 (2007), 0.37 (2006), 0.34578 (2005), 0.34466
(2004), 0.37723 (2003)
Communications
Malta
Telephones - main lines in use:
198,100 (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
371,500 (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: automatic system satisfies normal requirements;
fixed-line teledensity 50 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular
teledensity about 90 per 100 persons
domestic: submarine cable and microwave radio relay between islands
international: country code - 356; submarine cable connects to
Italy; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 18, shortwave 6 (1999)
Radios:
255,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
5 (2006)
Televisions:
280,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.mt
Internet hosts:
26,494 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
6 (2002)
Internet users:
158,000 (2007)
Transportation
Malta
Airports:
1 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)
Roadways:
total: 2,227 km
paved: 2,014 km
unpaved: 213 km (2005)
Merchant marine:
total: 1,438
by type: bulk carrier 459, cargo 411, carrier 2, chemical tanker
171, container 80, liquefied gas 25, passenger 29, passenger/cargo
15, petroleum tanker 159, refrigerated cargo 32, roll on/roll off
37, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 17
foreign-owned: 1,343 (Austria 1, Azerbaijan 2, Bangladesh 2, Belgium
15, Bulgaria 5, Canada 1, China 12, Croatia 9, Cyprus 31, Denmark
30, Egypt 1, Estonia 11, France 5, Germany 91, Greece 452, Hong Kong
1, Iceland 5, India 2, Iran 79, Israel 18, Italy 50, Japan 8, South
Korea 2, Latvia 19, Lebanon 11, Libya 3, Lithuania 1, Norway 93,
Pakistan 2, Poland 24, Portugal 3, Romania 8, Russia 58, Slovenia 4,
Spain 3, Sweden 2, Switzerland 20, Syria 6, Turkey 176, Ukraine 30,
UAE 5, UK 19, US 23)
registered in other countries: 3 (Panama 3) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Marsaxlokk (Malta Freeport), Valletta
Military
Malta
Military branches:
Armed Forces of Malta (AFM; includes air and maritime elements)
(2007)
Military service age and obligation:
17 years 6 months of age for voluntary military service; no
conscription (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 96,309
females age 16-49: 92,242 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 80,227
females age 16-49: 76,623 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 2,815
female: 2,657 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
0.7% of GDP (2006 est.)
Transnational Issues
Malta
Disputes - international:
none
Illicit drugs:
minor transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Western
Europe
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Marshall Islands
Introduction
Marshall Islands
Background:
After almost four decades under US administration as the easternmost
part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Marshall
Islands attained independence in 1986 under a Compact of Free
Association. Compensation claims continue as a result of US nuclear
testing on some of the atolls between 1947 and 1962. The Marshall
Islands hosts the US Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) Reagan Missile
Test Site, a key installation in the US missile defense network.
Geography
Marshall Islands
Location:
Oceania, two archipelagic island chains of 29 atolls, each made up
of many small islets, and five single islands in the North Pacific
Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and Australia
Geographic coordinates:
9 00 N, 168 00 E
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total: 181.3 sq km
land: 181.3 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: the archipelago includes 11,673 sq km of lagoon waters and
includes the atolls of Bikini, Enewetak, Kwajalein, Majuro,
Rongelap, and Utirik
Area - comparative:
about the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
370.4 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November; islands border
typhoon belt
Terrain:
low coral limestone and sand islands
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Likiep 10 m
Natural resources:
coconut products, marine products, deep seabed minerals
Land use:
arable land: 11.11%
permanent crops: 44.44%
other: 44.45% (2005)
Irrigated land:
0 sq km
Natural hazards:
infrequent typhoons
Environment - current issues:
inadequate supplies of potable water; pollution of Majuro lagoon
from household waste and discharges from fishing vessels
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
the Marshall Islands Bikini and Enewetak are former US nuclear test
sites; Kwajalein atoll, famous as a World War II battleground,
surrounds the world's largest lagoon and is used as a US missile
test range; the island city of Ebeye is the second largest
settlement in the Marshall Islands, after the capital of Majuro, and
one of the most densely populated locations in the Pacific
People
Marshall Islands
Population:
63,174 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 38.5% (male 12,404/female 11,946)
15-64 years: 58.6% (male 18,937/female 18,095)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 869/female 923) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 21 years
male: 21 years
female: 20.9 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.142% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
31.52 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
4.57 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
-5.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 26.36 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 29.58 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 22.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.9 years
male: 68.88 years
female: 73.03 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.68 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Marshallese (singular and plural)
adjective: Marshallese
Ethnic groups:
Marshallese 92.1%, mixed Marshallese 5.9%, other 2% (2006)
Religions:
Protestant 54.8%, Assembly of God 25.8%, Roman Catholic 8.4%, Bukot
nan Jesus 2.8%, Mormon 2.1%, other Christian 3.6%, other 1%, none
1.5% (1999 census)
Languages:
Marshallese (official) 98.2%, other languages 1.8% (1999 census)
note: English (official), widely spoken as a second language
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93.7%
male: 93.6%
female: 93.7% (1999)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 13 years
male: 13 years
female: 13 years (2003)
Education expenditures:
11.8% of GDP (2004)
Government
Marshall Islands
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of the Marshall Islands
conventional short form: Marshall Islands
local long form: Republic of the Marshall Islands
local short form: Marshall Islands
abbreviation: RMI
former: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Marshall Islands
District
Government type:
constitutional government in free association with the US; the
Compact of Free Association entered into force 21 October 1986 and
the Amended Compact entered into force in May 2004
Capital:
name: Majuro
geographic coordinates: 7 06 N, 171 23 E
time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
33 municipalities; Ailinginae, Ailinglaplap, Ailuk, Arno, Aur,
Bikar, Bikini, Bokak, Ebon, Enewetak, Erikub, Jabat, Jaluit, Jemo,
Kili, Kwajalein, Lae, Lib, Likiep, Majuro, Maloelap, Mejit, Mili,
Namorik, Namu, Rongelap, Rongrik, Toke, Ujae, Ujelang, Utirik,
Wotho, Wotje
Independence:
21 October 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship)
National holiday:
Constitution Day, 1 May (1979)
Constitution:
1 May 1979
Legal system:
based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature,
municipal, common, and customary laws; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Litokwa TOMEING (since 7 January 2008);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Litokwa TOMEING (since 7 January 2008)
cabinet: Cabinet selected by the president from among the members of
the legislature
elections: president elected by Parliament from among its members
for a four-year term; election last held 7 January 2008 (next to be
held in 2012)
election results: Litokwa TOMEING elected president; TOMEING
received 18 votes to 15 for incumbent Kessai Hesa NOTE
Legislative branch:
unicameral legislature or Nitijela (33 seats; members elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 19 November 2007 (next to be held by November
2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
independents 4
note: the Council of Chiefs or Ironij is a 12-member body comprised
of tribal chiefs that advises on matters affecting customary law and
practice
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; High Court; Traditional Rights Court
Political parties and leaders:
traditionally there have been no formally organized political
parties; what has existed more closely resembles factions or
interest groups because they do not have party headquarters, formal
platforms, or party structures; the following two "groupings" have
competed in legislative balloting in recent years - Aelon Kein Ad
Party [Michael KABUA] and United Democratic Party or UDP [Litokwa
TOMEING]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ACP, ADB, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, IDA, IFC, ILO, IMF,
IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, WHO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Charles A.
PAUL
chancery: 2433 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 234-5414
FAX: [1] (202) 232-3236
consulate(s) general: Honolulu
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Clyde BISHOP
embassy: Oceanside, Mejen Weto, Long Island, Majuro
mailing address: P. O. Box 1379, Majuro, Republic of the Marshall
Islands 96960-1379
telephone: [692] 247-4011
FAX: [692] 247-4012
Flag description:
blue with two stripes radiating from the lower hoist-side corner -
orange (top) and white; there is a white star with four large rays
and 20 small rays on the hoist side above the two stripes
Economy
Marshall Islands
Economy - overview:
US Government assistance is the mainstay of this tiny island
economy. The Marshall Islands received more than $1 billion in aid
from the US from 1986-2002. Agricultural production, primarily
subsistence, is concentrated on small farms; the most important
commercial crops are coconuts and breadfruit. Small-scale industry
is limited to handicrafts, tuna processing, and copra. The tourist
industry, now a small source of foreign exchange employing less than
10% of the labor force, remains the best hope for future added
income. The islands have few natural resources, and imports far
exceed exports. Under the terms of the Amended Compact of Free
Association, the US will provide millions of dollars per year to the
Marshall Islands (RMI) through 2023, at which time a Trust Fund made
up of US and RMI contributions will begin perpetual annual payouts.
Government downsizing, drought, a drop in construction, the decline
in tourism, and less income from the renewal of fishing vessel
licenses have held GDP growth to an average of 1% over the past
decade.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$115 million (2001 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$144 million (2005)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.5% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$2,900 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 31.7%
industry: 14.9%
services: 53.4% (2004 est.)
Labor force:
14,680 (2000)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 21.4%
industry: 20.9%
services: 57.7% (2000)
Unemployment rate:
30.9% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $42 million
expenditures: $40 million (1999)
Fiscal year:
1 October - 30 September
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3% (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:
coconuts, tomatoes, melons, taro, breadfruit, fruits; pigs, chickens
Industries:
copra, tuna processing, tourism, craft items (from seashells, wood,
and pearls)
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 99%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 1% (solar)
Exports:
$9.1 million f.o.b. (2000)
Exports - commodities:
copra cake, coconut oil, handicrafts, fish
Exports - partners:
US, Japan, Australia, China (2006)
Imports:
$54.7 million f.o.b. (2000)
Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels, beverages and tobacco
Imports - partners:
US, Japan, Australia, NZ, Singapore, Fiji, China, Philippines (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
$56.56 million (2005)
Debt - external:
$86.5 million (FY99/00 est.)
Currency (code):
US dollar (USD)
Currency code:
USD
Exchange rates:
the US dollar is used
Communications
Marshall Islands
Telephones - main lines in use:
4,500 (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
700 (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: digital switching equipment; modern services
include telex, cellular, Internet, international calling, caller ID,
and leased data circuits
domestic: Majuro Atoll and Ebeye and Kwajalein islands have regular,
seven-digit, direct-dial telephones; other islands interconnected by
high frequency radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes)
and mini-satellite telephones
international: country code - 692; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); US Government satellite communications
system on Kwajalein (2005)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (additionally, the US Armed Forces Radio and
Television Services (Central Pacific Network) operate one FM and one
AM station on Kwajalein) (2005)
Radios:
NA
Television broadcast stations:
2 (both are US military stations; Marshalls Broadcasting Service, a
cable company, operates on Majuro) (2005)
Televisions:
NA
Internet country code:
.mh
Internet hosts:
3 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2002)
Internet users:
2,200 (2006)
Transportation
Marshall Islands
Airports:
15 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Roadways:
total: 2,028 km (includes 75 km of expressways) (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 1,049
by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 284, cargo 71, carrier 1,
chemical tanker 191, combination ore/oil 4, container 188, liquefied
gas 47, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 221,
refrigerated cargo 13, roll on/roll off 14, specialized tanker 2,
vehicle carrier 6
foreign-owned: 990 (Australia 1, Bermuda 4, Brazil 1, Canada 6,
Chile 4, China 7, Croatia 6, Cyprus 37, Denmark 10, Germany 235,
Greece 269, Hong Kong 4, Iceland 3, India 1, Ireland 1, Isle of Man
1, Italy 3, Japan 17, South Korea 10, Latvia 16, Malaysia 3, Mexico
4, Monaco 13, Netherlands 8, Norway 66, Pakistan 1, Panama 1,
Romania 1, Russia 9, Saudi Arabia 5, Singapore 18, Slovenia 4, Spain
1, Sweden 1, Switzerland 12, Taiwan 1, Turkey 50, UAE 15, UK 9, UK
9, US 123) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Majuro
Military
Marshall Islands
Military branches:
no regular military forces; under the 1983 Compact of Free
Association, the US has full authority and responsibility for
security and defense of the Marshall Islands; Marshall Islands
Police (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 15,708 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 12,864 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 512
female: 494 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
NA
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the US
Transnational Issues
Marshall Islands
Disputes - international:
claims US territory of Wake Island
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Mauritania
Introduction
Mauritania
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 over 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 coup deposed him and ushered
in a military council government. Meanwhile, the country continues
to experience ethnic tensions among its black population
(Afro-Mauritanians) and White and Black Moor (Arab-Berber)
communities.
Geography
Mauritania
Location: