m offshore indicated potential
viable extraction at current world oil prices. However, the refinery in
Nouadhibou historically has not exceeded 20% of its distillation capacity,
and it handled no crude in the year 2000. A new Investment Code approved
in December 2001 improved the opportunities for direct foreign investment.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $5 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 4% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,800 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 25% industry: 29% services:
46% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line: 50% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.5%
highest 10%: 30.2% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index: 37.3 (1995)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.4% (2001 est.)

Labor force: 786,000 (2001)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 50%, services 40%, industry 10%
(2001 est.)

Unemployment rate: 21% (1999 est.)

Budget: revenues: $421 million expenditures: $378 million, including
capital expenditures of $154 million (2002 est.)

Industries: fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum

Industrial production growth rate: 2% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production: 154 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 84.42% hydro: 15.58%
other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption: 143.22 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products: dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn, dates;
cattle, sheep

Exports: $359 million (f.o.b., 2000)

Exports - commodities: iron ore, fish and fish products, gold

Exports - partners: France 18%, Japan 16%, Italy 13%, Spain 10% (2000)

Imports: $335 million (f.o.b., 2000)

Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, petroleum products,
capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods

Imports - partners: France 33%, US 10%, Spain 9%, Algeria 6%, Germany
6%, Benelux 5% (2000)

Debt - external: $1.6 billion (2000)

Economic aid - recipient: $220 million (2000)

Currency: ouguiya (MRO)

Currency code: MRO

Exchange rates: ouguiyas per US dollar - 254.350 (December 2001), 238.923
(2000), 209.514 (1999), 188.476 (1998), 151.853 (1997), 137.222 (1996)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications Mauritania

Telephones - main lines in use: 26,500 (2001)

Telephones - mobile cel