ems of economic reforms and
fiscal discipline. In 2001, exploratory oil wells in tracts 80 km
offshore indicated potential extraction at current world oil prices.
Mauritania has an estimated 1 billion barrels of proved reserves.
Substantial oil production and exports began in early 2006 and
averaged 75,000 barrels per day for the year. Meantime the
government emphasizes reduction of poverty, improvement of health
and education, and promoting privatization of the economy.

Mauritius
Since independence in 1968, Mauritius has developed from a
low-income, agriculturally based economy to a middle-income
diversified economy with growing industrial, financial, and tourist
sectors. For most of the period, annual growth has been in the order
of 5% to 6%. This remarkable achievement has been reflected in more
equitable income distribution, increased life expectancy, lowered
infant mortality, and a much-improved infrastructure. Sugarcane is
grown on about 90% of the cultivated land area and accounts for 25%
of export earnings. The government's development strategy centers on
expanding local financial institutions and building a domestic
information telecommunications industry. Mauritius has attracted
more than 9,000 offshore entities, many aimed at commerce in India
and South Africa, and investment in the banking sector alone has
reached over $1 billion. Mauritius, with its strong textile sector,
has been well poised to take advantage of the Africa Growth and
Opportunity Act (AGOA).

Mayotte
Economic activity is based primarily on the agricultural
sector, including fishing and livestock raising. Mayotte is not
self-sufficient and must import a large portion of its food
requirements, mainly from France. The economy and future development
of the island are heavily dependent on French financial assistance,
an important supplement to GDP. Mayotte's remote location is an
obstacle to the development of tourism.

Mexico
Mexico has a free market economy that recently entered the
trillion dollar class. It contains a mixture of modern and outmoded
industry and agriculture, increasingly dominated by the private
sector. Recent administrations have expanded competition in
seaports, railroads, telecommunications, electricity generation,
natural gas distribution, and airports. Per capita income is
one-fourth that of the US; income distribution remains highly
unequ