Part 39
_#_Legislative branch: bicameral Tynwald consists of an upper house or Legislative Council and a lower house or House of Keys
_#_Judicial branch: High Court of Justice
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State--Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor Air Marshal Sir Laurence JONES (since NA 1990);
Head of Government--President of the Legislative Council Sir Charles KERRUISH (since NA 1990)
_#_Political parties and leaders: there is no party system and members sit as independents
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 21
_#_Elections:
House of Keys--last held in 1986 (next to be held 1991); results--percent of vote NA; seats--(24 total) independents 24
_#_Communists: probably none
_#_Member of: none
_#_Diplomatic representation: none (British crown dependency)
_#_Flag: red with the Three Legs of Man emblem (Trinacria), in the center; the three legs are joined at the thigh and bent at the knee; in order to have the toes pointing clockwise on both sides of the flag, a two-sided emblem is used
_*_Economy _#_Overview: Offshore banking, manufacturing, and tourism are key sectors of the economy. The government's policy of offering incentives to high-technology companies and financial institutions to locate on the island has paid off in expanding employment opportunities in high-income industries. As a result, agriculture and fishing, once the mainstays of the economy, have declined in their shares of GNP. Banking now contributes over 20% to GNP and manufacturing about 15%. Trade is mostly with the UK.
_#_GNP: $490 million, per capita $7,573; real growth rate NA% (1988)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
_#_Unemployment rate: 1.5% (1988)
_#_Budget: revenues $130.4 million; expenditures $114.4 million, including capital expenditures of $18.1 million (FY85 est.)
_#_Exports: $NA;
commodities--tweeds, herring, processed shellfish meat;
partners--UK
_#_Imports: $NA;
commodities--timber, fertilizers, fish;
partners--UK
_#_External debt: $NA
_#_Industrial production: growth rate NA%
_#_Electricity: 61,000 kW capacity; 190 million kWh produced, 2,930 kWh per capita (1989)
_#_Industries: an important offshore financial center; financial services, light manufacturing, tourism
_#_Agriculture: cereals and vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry
_#_Economic aid: NA
_#_Currency: Manx pound (plural--pounds); 1 Manx pound (5M) = 100 pence
_#_Exchange rates: Manx pounds (5M) per US$1--0.5171 (January 1991), 0.5603 (1990), 0.6099 (1989), 0.5614 (1988), 0.6102 (1987), 0.6817 (1986), 0.7714 (1985); the Manx pound is at par with the British pound
_#_Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 36 km electric track, 24 km steam track
_#_Highways: 640 km motorable roads
_#_Ports: Douglas, Ramsey, Peel
_#_Merchant marine: 73 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,634,471 GRT/2,906,039 DWT; includes 8 cargo, 6 container, 6 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 31 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 2 combination ore/oil, 3 liquefied gas, 13 bulk; note--a captive register of the United Kingdom, although not all ships on the register are British-owned
_#_Airports: 2 total; 1 usable with permanent-surface runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: 24,435 telephones; stations--1 AM, 4 FM, 4 TV
_*_Defense Forces _#_Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK _%_ _@_Marshall Islands _*_Geography _#_Total area: 181.3 km2; land area: 181.3 km2; includes the atolls of Bikini, Eniwetak, and Kwajalein
_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than Washington, DC
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 370.4 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Disputes: claims US territory of Wake Island
_#_Climate: wet season May to November; hot and humid; islands border typhoon belt
_#_Terrain: low coral limestone and sand islands
_#_Natural resources: phosphate deposits, marine products, deep seabed minerals
_#_Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 60%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 40%
_#_Environment: occasionally subject to typhoons; two archipelagic island chains of 30 atolls and 1,152 islands
_#_Note: located 3,825 km southwest of Honolulu in the North Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way between Hawaii and Papua New Guinea; Bikini and Eniwetak are former US nuclear test sites; Kwajalein, the famous World War II battleground, is now used as a US missile test range
_*_People _#_Population: 48,091 (July 1991), growth rate 3.9% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 47 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 53 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 61 years male, 64 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 7.1 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Marshallese; adjective--Marshallese
_#_Ethnic divisions: almost entirely Micronesian
_#_Religion: predominantly Christian, mostly Protestant
_#_Language: English universally spoken and is the official language; two major Marshallese dialects from Malayo-Polynesian family; Japanese
_#_Literacy: 93% (male 100%, female 88%) age 15 and over can read and write (1980)
_#_Labor force: 4,800 (1986)
_#_Organized labor: none
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Republic of the Marshall Islands
_#_Type: constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 21 October 1986
_#_Capital: Majuro
_#_Administrative divisions: none
_#_Independence: 21 October 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship; formerly the Marshall Islands District of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands)
_#_Constitution: 1 May 1979
_#_Legal system: based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws
_#_National holiday: Proclamation of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, 1 May (1979)
_#_Executive branch: president, Cabinet
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral Nitijela
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Amata KABUA (since 1979)
_#_Political parties and leaders: no formal parties; President KABUA is chief political (and traditional) leader
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
President--last held NA November 1987 (next to be held November 1991); results--President Amata KABUA was reelected;
Parliament--last held NA November 1987 (next to be held November 1991); results--percent of vote NA; seats--(33 total)
_#_Communists: none
_#_Member of: ESCAP (associate), ICAO, SPC, SPF, UN
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Wilfred I. KENDALL; Chancery at 2433 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 234-5414;
US--Ambassador William BODDE, Jr.; Embassy at NA address (mailing address is P. O. Box 680, Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands 96960-4380); telephone 692-4011
_#_Flag: 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 _#_Overview: Agriculture and tourism are the mainstays of the economy. Agricultural production is concentrated on small farms, and the most important commercial crops are coconuts, tomatoes, melons, and breadfruit. A few cattle ranches supply the domestic meat market. Small-scale industry is limited to handicrafts, fish processing, and copra. The tourist industry is the primary source of foreign exchange and employs about 10% of the labor force. The islands have few natural resources, and imports far exceed exports. In 1987 the US Government provided grants of $40 million out of the Marshallese budget of $55 million.
_#_GDP: $63 million, per capita $1,500; real growth rate NA% (1989 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.6% (1981)
_#_Unemployment rate: NA%
_#_Budget: revenues $55 million; expenditures NA, including capital expenditures of NA (1987 est.)
_#_Exports: $2.5 million (f.o.b., 1985);
commodities--copra, copra oil, agricultural products, handicrafts;
partners--NA
_#_Imports: $29.2 million (c.i.f., 1985);
commodities--foodstuffs, beverages, building materials;
partners--NA
_#_External debt: $NA
_#_Industrial production: growth rate NA%
_#_Electricity: 42,000 kW capacity; 80 million kWh produced, 1,840 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: copra, fish, tourism; craft items from shell, wood, and pearl; offshore banking (embryonic)
_#_Agriculture: coconuts, cacao, taro, breadfruit, fruits, copra; pigs, chickens
_#_Economic aid: under the terms of the Compact of Free Association, the US is to provide approximately $40 million in aid annually
_#_Currency: US currency is used
_#_Exchange rates: US currency is used
_#_Fiscal year: 1 October-30 September
_*_Communications _#_Highways: macadam and concrete roads on major islands (Majuro, Kwajalein), otherwise stone-, coral-, or laterite-surfaced roads and tracks
_#_Ports: Majuro
_#_Merchant marine: 23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,654,871 GRT/3,236,549 DWT; includes 2 cargo, 3 container, 7 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 11 bulk carrier; note--a flag of convenience registry
_#_Airports: 5 total, 5 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; 5 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: telephone network--570 lines (Majuro) and 186 (Ebeye); telex services; islands interconnected by shortwave radio (used mostly for government purposes); stations--1 AM, 2 FM, 1 TV, 1 shortwave; 2 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth stations; US Government satellite communications system on Kwajalein
_*_Defense Forces _#_Note: defense is the responsibility of the US _%_ _@_Martinique (overseas department of France) _*_Geography _#_Total area: 1,100 km2; land area: 1,060 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly more than six times the size of Washington, DC
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 290 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds; rainy season (June to October)
_#_Terrain: mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano
_#_Natural resources: coastal scenery and beaches, cultivable land
_#_Land use: arable land 10%; permanent crops 8%; meadows and pastures 30%; forest and woodland 26%; other 26%; includes irrigated 5%
_#_Environment: subject to hurricanes, flooding, and volcanic
## activity that result in an average of one major natural disaster every
five years
_#_Note: located 625 km southeast of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Sea
_*_People _#_Population: 345,180 (July 1991), growth rate 0.9% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 19 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: - 3 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 10 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 80 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 2.1 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Martiniquais (sing. and pl.); adjective--Martiniquais
_#_Ethnic divisions: African and African-Caucasian-Indian mixture 90%, Caucasian 5%, East Indian, Lebanese, Chinese less than 5%
_#_Religion: Roman Catholic 95%, Hindu and pagan African 5%
_#_Language: French, Creole patois
_#_Literacy: 93% (male 92%, female 93%) age 15 and over can read and write (1982)
_#_Labor force: 100,000; service industry 31.7%, construction and public works 29.4%, agriculture 13.1%, industry 7.3%, fisheries 2.2%, other 16.3%
_#_Organized labor: 11% of labor force
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Department of Martinique
_#_Type: overseas department of France
_#_Capital: Fort-de-France
_#_Administrative divisions: none (overseas department of France)
_#_Independence: none (overseas department of France)
_#_Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
_#_Legal system: French legal system
_#_National holiday: Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)
_#_Executive branch: government commissioner
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral General Council and unicameral Regional Council
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State--President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981);
Head of Government--Government Commissioner Jean Claude ROURE (since 5 May 1989); President of the General Council Emile MAURICE (since NA 1988)
_#_Political parties: Rally for the Republic (RPR), Stephen BAGO; Union of the Left composed of the Progressive Party of Martinique (PPM), Aime CESAIRE; Socialist Federation of Martinique, Michael YOYO; and the Communist Party of Martinique (PCM), Armand NICOLAS; Union for French Democracy (UDF), Jean MARAN
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
General Council--last held on NA October 1988 (next to be held by March 1991); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(44 total) number of seats by party NA;
Regional Assembly--last held on 16 March 1986 (next to be held by March 1992); results--UDF/RPR coalition 49.8%, PPM/FSM/PCM coalition 41.3%, other 8.9%; seats--(41 total) PPM/FSM/PCM coalition 21, UDF/RPR coalition 20;
French Senate--last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held September 1992); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(2 total) UDF 1, PPM 1;
French National Assembly--last held on 5 and 12 June 1988 (next to be held June 1993); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(4 total) PPM 1, FSM 1, RPR 1, UDF 1
_#_Communists: 1,000 (est.)
_#_Other political or pressure groups: Proletarian Action Group (GAP); Alhed Marie-Jeanne Socialist Revolution Group (GRS), Martinique Independence Movement (MIM), Caribbean Revolutionary Alliance (ARC), Central Union for Martinique Workers (CSTM), Marc Pulvar; Frantz Fanon Circle; League of Workers and Peasants
_#_Member of: FZ, WCL, WFTU
_#_Diplomatic representation: as an overseas department of France, Martiniquais interests are represented in the US by France;
US--Consul General Raymond G. ROBINSON; Consulate General at 14 Rue Blenac, Fort-de-France (mailing address is B. P. 561, Fort-de-France 97206); telephone [590] 63-13-03
_#_Flag: the flag of France is used
_*_Economy _#_Overview: The economy is based on sugarcane, bananas, tourism, and light industry. Agriculture accounts for about 12% of GDP and the small industrial sector for 10%. Sugar production has declined, with most of the sugarcane now used for the production of rum. Banana exports are increasing, going mostly to France. The bulk of meat, vegetable, and grain requirements must be imported, contributing to a chronic trade deficit that requires large annual transfers of aid from France. Tourism has become more important than agricultural exports as a source of foreign exchange. The majority of the work force is employed in the service sector and in administration. In 1986 per capita GDP was relatively high at $6,000. During 1986 the unemployment rate was 30% and was particularly severe among younger workers.
_#_GDP: $2.0 billion, per capita $6,000; real growth rate NA% (1986)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.9% (1989)
_#_Unemployment rate: 30% (1986)
_#_Budget: revenues $268 million; expenditures $268 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1989 est.)
_#_Exports: $196 million (f.o.b., 1988);
commodities--refined petroleum products, bananas, rum, pineapples;
partners--France 65%, Guadeloupe 24%, FRG (1987)
_#_Imports: $1.3 billion (c.i.f., 1988);
commodities--petroleum products, foodstuffs, construction materials, vehicles, clothing and other consumer goods;
partners--France 65%, UK, Italy, FRG, Japan, US (1987)
_#_External debt: $NA
_#_Industrial production: growth rate NA%
_#_Electricity: 113,000 kW capacity; 564 million kWh produced, 1,660 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: construction, rum, cement, oil refining, sugar, tourism
_#_Agriculture: including fishing and forestry, accounts for about 12% of GDP; principal crops--pineapples, avocados, bananas, flowers, vegetables, and sugarcane for rum; dependent on imported food,
## particularly meat and vegetables
_#_Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $9.9 billion
_#_Currency: French franc (plural--francs); 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes
_#_Exchange rates: French francs (F) per US$1--5.1307 (January 1991), 5.4453 (1990), 6.3801 (1989), 5.9569 (1988), 6.0107 (1987), 6.9261 (1986), 8.9852 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*_Communications _#_Highways: 1,680 km total; 1,300 km paved, 380 km gravel and earth
_#_Ports: Fort-de-France
_#_Civil air: no major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 2 total; 2 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 1 with runways less than 2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: domestic facilities are adequate; 68,900 telephones; interisland radio relay links to Guadeloupe, Dominica, and Saint Lucia; stations--1 AM, 6 FM, 10 TV; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations
_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: French Forces, Gendarmerie
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 95,235; NA fit for military service
_#_Note: defense is the responsibility of France _%_ _@_Mauritania _*_Geography _#_Total area: 1,030,700 km2; land area: 1,030,400 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico
_#_Land boundaries: 5,074 km total; Algeria 463 km, Mali 2,237 km, Senegal 813 km, Western Sahara 1,561 km
_#_Coastline: 754 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm;
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Disputes: boundary with Senegal
_#_Climate: desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty
_#_Terrain: mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills
_#_Natural resources: iron ore, gypsum, fish, copper, phosphate
_#_Land use: arable land 1%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 38%; forest and woodland 5%; other 56%; includes irrigated NEGL%
_#_Environment: hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April; desertification; only perennial river is the Senegal
_*_People _#_Population: 1,995,755 (July 1991), growth rate 3.1% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 49 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 18 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 94 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 44 years male, 50 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 7.2 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Mauritanian(s); adjective--Mauritanian
_#_Ethnic divisions: mixed Maur/black 40%, Maur 30%, black 30%
_#_Religion: Muslim, nearly 100%
_#_Language: Hasaniya Arabic (national); French (official); Toucouleur, Fula, Sarakole, Wolof
_#_Literacy: 34% (male 47%, female 21%) age 10 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
_#_Labor force: 465,000 (1981 est.); 45,000 wage earners (1980); agriculture 47%, services 29%, industry and commerce 14%, government 10%; 53% of population of working age (1985)
_#_Organized labor: 30,000 members claimed by single union, Mauritanian Workers' Union
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Islamic Republic of Mauritania
_#_Type: republic; military first seized power in bloodless coup 10 July 1978; a palace coup that took place on 12 December 1984 brought President Taya to power
_#_Capital: Nouakchott
_#_Administrative divisions: 12 regions (regions, singular--region); Adrar, Brakna, Dakhlet Nouadhibou, El Acaba, Gorgol, Guidimaka, Hodh ech Chargui, Hodh el Gharbi, Inchiri, Tagant, Tiris Zemmour, Trarza; note--there may be a new capital district of Nouakchott
_#_Independence: 28 November 1960 (from France)
_#_Constitution: 20 May 1961, abrogated after coup of 10 July 1978; provisional constitution published 17 December 1980 but abandoned in 1981; new constitutional charter published 27 February 1985
_#_Legal system: based on Islamic law
_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 28 November (1960)
_#_Executive branch: president, Military Committee for National Salvation (CMSN), Council of Ministers (cabinet)
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale), dissolved after 10 July 1978 coup; legislative power resides with the CMSN
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Col. Maaouya Ould SidAhmed TAYA (since 12 December 1984)
_#_Political parties and leaders: suspended
_#_Suffrage: none
_#_Elections: last presidential election August 1976; National Assembly dissolved 10 July 1978; no national elections are scheduled
_#_Communists: no Communist party, but there is a scattering of Maoist sympathizers
_#_Member of: ABEDA, ACCT (associate), ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CAEU, CCC, CEAO, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Abdellah OULD DADDAH; Chancery at 2129 Leroy Place NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 232-5700;
US--Ambassador William H. TWADDELL; Embassy at address NA, Nouakchott (mailing address is B. P. 222, Nouakchott); telephone [222] (2) 252-660 or 252-663
_#_Flag: 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
_*_Economy _#_Overview: A majority of the population still depends on agriculture and livestock for a livelihood, even though most of the nomads and many subsistence farmers were forced into the cities by recurrent droughts in the 1970s and 1980s. Mauritania has extensive deposits of iron ore that account for almost 50% of total exports. The decline in world demand for this ore, however, has led to cutbacks in production. The nation's coastal waters are among the richest fishing areas in the world, but overexploitation by foreigners threatens this key source of revenue. The country's first deepwater port opened near Nouakchott in 1986. In recent years, the droughts, the conflict with Senegal, rising energy costs, and economic mismanagement have resulted in a substantial buildup of foreign debt. The government now has begun the second stage of an economic reform program in consultation with the World Bank, the IMF, and major donor countries.
_#_GDP: $942 million, per capita $500; real growth rate 3.5% (1989 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.2% (1989 est.)
_#_Unemployment rate: 21% (1989 est.)
_#_Budget: revenues $280 million; expenditures $346 million, including capital expenditures of $61 million (1989 est.)
_#_Exports: $519 million (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities--iron ore, processed fish, small amounts of gum arabic and gypsum, unrecorded but numerically significant cattle exports to Senegal;
partners--EC 57%, Japan 39%, Ivory Coast 2%
_#_Imports: $567 million (c.i.f., 1989);
commodities--foodstuffs, consumer goods, petroleum products, capital goods;
partners--EC 79%, Africa 5%, US 4%, Japan 2%
_#_External debt: $2.3 billion (December 1989)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 4.4% (1988 est.); accounts for 10% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 189,000 kW capacity; 136 million kWh produced, 70 kWh per capita (1989)
_#_Industries: fishing, fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum
_#_Agriculture: accounts for 29% of GDP (including fishing); largely subsistence farming and nomadic cattle and sheep herding except in Senegal river valley; crops--dates, millet, sorghum, root crops; fish products number-one export; large food deficit in years of drought
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $168 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $1.2 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $490 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $277 million
_#_Currency: ouguiya (plural--ouguiya); 1 ouguiya (UM) = 5 khoums
_#_Exchange rates: ouguiya (UM) per US$1--77.450 (January 1991), 80.609 (1990), 83.051 (1989), 75.261 (1988), 73.878 (1987), 74.375 (1986), 77.085 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 670 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, single track, owned and operated by government mining company
_#_Highways: 7,525 km total; 1,685 km paved; 1,040 km gravel, crushed stone, or otherwise improved; 4,800 km unimproved roads, trails, tracks
_#_Inland waterways: mostly ferry traffic on the Senegal River
_#_Ports: Nouadhibou, Nouakchott
_#_Merchant marine: 1 cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,290 GRT/1,840 DWT
_#_Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 30 total, 29 usable; 9 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 17 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: poor system of cable and open-wire lines, minor radio relay links, and radio communications stations; 5,200 telephones; stations--2 AM, no FM, 1 TV; satellite earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 2 ARABSAT, with a third planned
_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Guard, National Police, Presidential Guard, Nomad Security Guard
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 423,501; 206,733 fit for military service; conscription law not implemented
_#_Defense expenditures: $37 million, 4.2% of GDP (1987) _%_ _@_Mauritius _*_Geography _#_Total area: 1,860 km2; land area: 1,850 km2; includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon), and Rodrigues
_#_Comparative area: slightly less than 10.5 times the size of Washington, DC
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 177 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm;
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Disputes: claims Chagos Archipelago, which includes the island of Diego Garcia in UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory; claims French-administered Tromelin Island
_#_Climate: tropical modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)
_#_Terrain: small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains encircling central plateau
_#_Natural resources: arable land, fish
_#_Land use: arable land 54%; permanent crops 4%; meadows and pastures 4%; forest and woodland 31%; other 7%; includes irrigated 9%
_#_Environment: subject to cyclones (November to April); almost completely surrounded by reefs
_#_Note: located 900 km east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean
_*_People _#_Population: 1,081,000 (July 1991), growth rate 0.8% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 19 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: - 4 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 20 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 74 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 2.0 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Mauritian(s); adjective--Mauritian
_#_Ethnic divisions: Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian 2%
_#_Religion: Hindu 52%, Christian (Roman Catholic 26%, Protestant 2.3%) 28.3%, Muslim 16.6%, other 3.1%
_#_Language: English (official), Creole, French, Hindi, Urdu, Hakka, Bojpoori
_#_Literacy: 61% (male 72%, female 50%) age 13 and over can read and write (1962)
_#_Labor force: 335,000; government services 29%, agriculture and fishing 27%, manufacturing 22%, other 22%; 43% of population of working age (1985)
_#_Organized labor: 35% of labor force in more than 270 unions
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: none
_#_Type: parliamentary democracy
_#_Capital: Port Louis
_#_Administrative divisions: 9 districts and 3 dependencies*; Agalega Islands*, Black River, Cargados Carajos*, Flacq, Grand Port, Moka, Pamplemousses, Plaines Wilhems, Port Louis, Riviere du Rempart, Rodrigues*, Savanne
_#_Independence: 12 March 1968 (from UK)
_#_Constitution: 12 March 1968
_#_Legal system: based on French civil law system with elements of English common law in certain areas
_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 12 March (1968)
_#_Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Veerasamy RINGADOO (since 17 January 1986);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH (since 12 June 1982); Deputy Prime Minister Prem NABABSING (since 26 September 1990)
_#_Political parties and leaders:
government coalition--Militant Socialist Movement (MSM), A. JUGNAUTH; Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM), Paul BERENGER; Organization of the People of Rodrigues (OPR), Louis Serge CLAIR; Democratic Labor Movement (MTD), Anil BAICHOO;
opposition--Mauritian Labor Party (MLP), Navin RAMGOOLMAN; Socialist Workers Front, Sylvio MICHEL; Mauritian Social Democratic Party (PMSD), G. DUVAL