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

International organization participation: ABEDA, ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD,
AL, AMF, AMU, CAEU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Mohamedou Ould MICHEL chancery: 2129 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC
20008 FAX: [1] (202) 319-2623 telephone: [1] (202) 232-5700

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
John W. LIMBERT embassy: Rue Abdallaye, Nouakchott mailing address:
BP 222, Nouakchott telephone: [222] 525-2660, 525-2663 FAX: [222] 525-1592

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

Economy Mauritania

Economy - overview: Half 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, which account for half 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 the past, drought and economic mismanagement resulted in
a buildup of foreign debt. In February, 2000, Mauritania qualified for
debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative
and in December 2001 received strong support from donor and lending
countries at a triennial Consultative Group review. Mauritania withdrew
its membership in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
in 2000 and subsequently increased commercial ties with Arab Maghreb
Union members Morocco and Tunisia, most notably in telecommunications. In
2001, exploratory oil wells in tracts 80 k