ilitary expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.4% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues Mauritania

Disputes - international:
Mauritanian claims to Western Sahara remain dormant

Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Mauritania is a source and destination country
for children trafficked for the purpose of forced labor, begging,
and domestic servitude; adults and children are subjected to
slavery-related practices rooted in ancestral master-slave
relationships in isolated parts of the country where a barter
economy exists
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Mauritania is placed on the Tier 2
Watch List for its failure to show evidence of increased efforts to
combat trafficking, particularly in the area of law enforcement

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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@Mauritius

Introduction Mauritius

Background:
Although known to Arab and Malay sailors as early as the 10th
century, Mauritius was first explored by the Portuguese in 1505; it
was subsequently held by the Dutch, French, and British before
independence was attained in 1968. A stable democracy with regular
free elections and a positive human rights record, the country has
attracted considerable foreign investment and has earned one of
Africa's highest per capita incomes. Recent poor weather and
declining sugar prices have slowed economic growth, leading to some
protests 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 km
land: 2,030 sq km
water: 10 sq km
note: includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint
Brandon), and Rodrigues

Area - comparative:
almost 11 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
177 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

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

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m